Reading is Fundamental: 2011

After a feverish year of reading in 2010, I really dropped the ball in 2011. I had been in the habit of reading in bed for a few hours every night, but then I started worrying it was compromising Tom's sleep. That was the end of me and reading, apparently. But now it's 2012 and I'm back on the wagon, Tom's sleep be damned*. In the meantime, here are what paltry reviews I have to share from 2011.

Bossypants- Tina Fey

I was predisposed to liking this book because of loving 30 Rock, and it didn't disappoint. I felt it was a little short, which is an indirect compliment disguised as a complaint. She's funny, self-deprecating and thoughtfully articulates things I'd imagine a lot of funny/offbeat women have felt. My only complaint is that she seemed torn between her celebrity and her normality, and at times came off as defensive. I hope she writes more books because I would probably read them all.

Crossing to Safety- Wallace Stegner

I really loved this book. In my mind, it's right up there with Angle of Repose. Crossing to Safety is a sweeping story of decades of friendship between two couples and OH DID I CRY. I cried so hard I couldn't read any more. I cried so hard I woke Tom up at 2 am with my crying. I cried so hard that I awakened to puffs of white tissue littering the bed and floor, thinking, groggily, "What happened last night?" The characters were so vivid and realistic to me that I equated characters with corresponding people I know and love. That is Stegner's gift. He writes so that you see people you know in his characters and therefore feel deeply invested in the outcome of the characters' lives. It's incredible. Needless to say, the misfortune that befalls the group at the end of the book was therefore devastating. I had revelations about myself, my family and my friends. I don't know if this book will have the same impact on other people as it did on me, but in the off chance it does, you should read it.

In the Garden of Beasts- Erik Larson

This is the third Erik Larson book I have read (after Devil in the White City and Thunderstruck) and I still remain a fan of his. My favorite of the three was far and away Devil in the White City because of its ingenious employment of dual narrative in which I found both plots equally fascinating. Thunderstruck, which I reviewed last year, was a weaker subject but still utilized the same dual narrative style. In the Garden of Beasts was the first of his books that I read that dealt with a single narrative, and I found myself wishing he had employed his standby style one more time. The story focuses on the family of William Dodd, the American ambassador to Berlin during Hitler's rise to power. It is painstakingly researched, but the story often became insular in its focus on the Dodds with little checking in on the major factors that were impacting their life in Berlin. A chapter, for example, spent great deal of time on Dodd's decision not to attend the annual Nazi party rally in Nuremberg, but not so much as a sentence is afforded to the rally itself or what impact it had. The thought I kept having as I read was that I just wanted the end of every chapter to have a "Meanwhile, Hilter/Goebbels/Goring/Rohm, etc..." section that checked in with the major players in the party and the status of the movement in order to give the Dodds' experiences more context.

8 Weeks to Optimum Health- Andrew Weil

I borrowed this book from Ryan when I was visiting him in D.C. It had a lot of really interesting perspectives and tips which will hopefully make me healthy enough to grow a beard like Andrew Weil's. Look at that thing. It's beautiful. He looks like a perfect hybrid of Santa and Telly Savalas as the Cheshire Cat. Also, apparently you should be refrigerating your olive oil. Who knew?

Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness/ Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together/ Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe/ Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour- Bryan Lee O'Malley

I finished the series and it's still awesome.

Letter to a Christian Nation- Sam Harris

This book has really thought-provoking perspectives no matter where you fall on the faith spectrum. Harris wrote it as a response to the criticism from the Christian right to his previous book The End of Faith. For that reason, sometimes Harris comes off as unnecessarily aggressive and condescending, which I am sure alienates a lot of readers. I understand how he got that way, since the criticism he was responding to was not exactly good-natured itself, but sometimes he really outwits his critics with relish. I don't imagine Letter to a Christian Nation is wildly popular among non-atheists, but I would love to be a fly on the wall and be able to hear Christians discussing this book

Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon- David Grann

This is probably my favorite book of this year. The Lost City of Z tells the amazing story of British explorer Percy Fawcett and his life-long love affair with exploration. His single-minded determination to find an ancient lost city in the depths of the Amazon is simultaneously inspirational and foolhardy. He completely eschews creature comforts (and his wife and children) for a life among myriad predatory creatures and tribes. I had dueling thoughts while reading this book in the comfort of my bed. The first was that I never want to go to the Amazon because it seems as though everything is conspiring to kill you there. The second was that I wish I had in me Fawcett's drive and passion which allowed him to ignore that aforementioned fear and discomfort. He was cut of a different cloth than most men, but I am grateful people like him roamed the earth. Grann ties the story together beautifully by capping the book with his personal experience retracing Fawcett's final expedition.

Tinkers- Paul Harding

Tinkers is a really beautiful book, but I didn't love it as much as I expected to. Perhaps I wasn't the intended audience. A clock repairman on his deathbed recounts his life and the life of his father, an epileptic peddler. It employed beautiful imagery of a man's life winding down and becoming silent and still like a clock unwound.

Secret Ceremonies- Deborah Laake

What a sad story this was. Laake was raised LDS, attended BYU, and after a series of truly terrible marriages and a struggle with depression, she committed suicide in 2000. This book got a lot of press for revealing the ceremonies within the Mormon temple, but beyond that there's a really staggering story of oppression and a fascinating study of gender roles. I couldn't always relate to Laake and didn't agree with her handling of many situations, but she went through some really hellacious experiences in her short life.

Odd Girl Out- Rachel Simmons

This book literally changed my life. This was a recommendation from Kam, not surprisingly. Reading this book (and Curse of the Good Girl) was deeply cathartic. Things I had viewed as lifelong weaknesses of mine I realized are skills that were devalued or even discouraged in my upbringing. Namely, I realized that my conflict aversion was not something unique to me, but that it was evidence of a larger problem of girls learning alternative aggression rather than any real skills to cope with conflict. Girls are taught so many alternatives to direct communication (silent treatment, withholding of affection, rallying other girls to support your cause that another girl has wronged you, joke mocking, not inviting a girl to events, etc.) but not actual skills that resolve conflict. Therefore, girls essentially bully one another as a means to express disapproval and indirectly incite change in a friendship. However ineloquently I may have expressed that, Rachel Simmons makes up for my weakness with her direct, relatable writing and exhaustive experience working with and interviewing teens. Although this book is written about teenagers and their social sphere, the book is sadly applicable to women of all ages since the skills we learn (or don't learn) in middle and high school often become the baseline for all female communication. I would highly recommend this book to women who feel that they wish there was a deeper level of intimacy they could feel with other women, but feel dispirited by the current state of female interaction. This book is for you if you've ever said, "I just prefer hanging out with guys because they're honest with you." Don't give up on women entirely! There are some of us out there who want the same things as you. I would highly recommend you read this in your book club, or just read it with some friends.

Daytripper- Gabriel Ba, Fabio Moon

A really beautiful graphic novel. Another excellent suggestion from Hoai.

The Spectator Bird- Wallace Stegner

This isn't my favorite of Stegner's novels but, as always, he really gets to the heart of the pains of aging and regret. In topic, this could be a companion piece to Tinkers. It deals with an aging literary agent who is reminded of his bittersweet past with a countess in Denmark as he reflects on his life. For selfish reasons, I preferred Angle of Repose and Crossing to Safety to The Spectator Bird because the former two dealt with topics I found more relatable. I know this was a well-written book, but it didn't strike me the way some of his other books have.

The Curse of the Good Girl- Rachel Simmons

After so recently reading Odd Girl Out, some of the impact of The Curse of the Good Girl was lost on me. I'm not even sure if I can comment on which is the superior book, because I feel that whichever one I had read first would have blown my mind. Simmons writes this book "for" the mother of a pre-teen as a sort of how-to guide to setting up your daughter to develop into a fully articulated woman who is not crippled by a constant need to conform. While that could easily be uninteresting to someone like me (childless, less than a decade out of teen-dom herself), it was eye-opening. It centers around the argument that girls are taught that conforming to the societal norm of "the good girl" is more important than individualism, expression of thought, and proper management of conflict. I think this and/or Odd Girl Out should be required reading for all women, especially those planning to raise girls of their own.

The Big Short- Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis is the master of simplification. It's not that he dumbs the story down, it's just that he writes as casually as he can while still conveying the vital information. This book deals with a decidedly complex topic (the housing/credit bubble and subsequent late-2000s financial crisis), but Lewis starts with a clean slate and describes every step and every contributor. While that sounds like it would guarantee tedium, the book rarely got thicker than I could muddle through. The characters in the book are unbelievable- more like caricatures than anything we non-Wall Street folk would ever encounter in our lives. It's these lively personalities that keep the book humming and break up the densest chunks. The unsettling reality that sinks in as you read the book is that, with very little exception, nobody knew what they were doing. They knew they were making money hand over fist, but the logistics of their fateful trades were lost on them. Traders just emulated other traders at competing firms with no thought for the larger implications of their greed. Like other books and movies on this topic, it leaves you with a disturbing lust for blood because none of the thoughtless, selfish megalomaniacs who set up this scheme suffered any real consequences. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who likes learning and being angry.

As always, thank you for reading and please recommend books to me that you love, too.

*He's fine.

Do you like felt and opinions? Lucky you!

Okay, guys. It's time to address the Sweetums in the room. Yes, I saw it. I saw The Muppets. I've put off posting my feelings on it for a few days, but I think if I talk any more about it with Tom, he's going to divorce me. Homeboy is patient, but love has its limits.

Here are the pros:

1) I'm really glad it got made. I say the more Muppets the merrier. I hope more movies get made.

2) I liked the premise of Walter and Gary as brothers and their motivation for going with Mary to Hollywood.

3) I liked some of the songs. They were very clearly Bret McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords) songs, which was cool.

4) I liked the "lives" they gave some of them. Sam the Eagle essentially working for FOX News? Miss Piggy working as the plus-size editor at Vogue? Brilliant.

5) The marketing was amazing for the movie.

6) I love that they did Rainbow Connection and Mahna Mahna and had some shout-outs to former movies and the show.

7) Walter is very lovable. He's basically a reincarnation of Robin the Frog, Kermit's nephew.

Here are the cons: Okay. Here was my big issue that made me unable to enjoy the movie as much as maybe other people did...

1) For decades, the Muppets have been telling their audience to pursue their dreams and stick with their friends through thick and thin. Therefore, it was very disheartening and disorienting to me to finally see what they've been up to for all these years and find that they are estranged and largely unfulfilled in their lives. Kermit was a sad sack in this movie. He was passive, mopey, dismissive and occasionally kind of rude to his friends. Until the final speech, I didn't feel he acted like himself at all. When he finally did get motivated (by Walter) to go gather up the gang for the telethon, they all seemed a little underwhelmed to be together again. Fozzie, Gonzo, and Piggy all resisted. Basically, the movie had a lot of cute gimmicks that I was too distracted to be enchanted by because my brain was just thinking it was kind of sad that they were all acting like that. I thought the movie needed this undercurrent: they had all wanted to keep working, but they thought the world had passed them by and nobody was interested in The Muppets anymore. But now that there was promise of an audience, they all jumped at the chance of being together again. Instead, I felt like there was resistance when they were re-forming and all sorts of hurt feelings and drama. I don't want to see sad, unfulfilled, lonely lives that turn into inter-personal Muppet drama once they're reunited. Talk about a downer. There was enough external conflict (broken-down theater, raising money, not having a host, no closing number, no audience, cut electricity, The Moopets, Tex Richman, etc.) that I didn't need so much drama and infighting (between Kermit and Piggy, Piggy and all the others, Mary and Gary, Walter and Gary, etc.). It bogged down the movie and kind of bummed me out.

2) I thought there were really not a lot of jokes or real opportunities to laugh. Walter screaming at the beginning was really funny, but after that I don't really remember laughing that much. We were in a theater with maybe 20 kids in it, and I don't remember hearing them laugh at all. That's a shame, but I can't say I blame them. Sometimes, even I was bored and you can't imagine how much I wanted to be there.

3) Why was the audience in the telethon all adults? That makes no sense to me. Muppets are inherently "for" kids, but have crossover appeal to adults. Why weren't children represented in the movie or in the telethon audience or crowd outside the theater? Wouldn't you assume that some of the adults in the audience would have jumped at a chance to introduce their children to The Muppets by bringing them to a telethon?

4) The cameos throughout the movie were bizarre. Let's just pretend I'm a 10 year old kid. I don't know who Mickey Rooney, Feist, Jim Parsons, Jon Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Sarah Silverman, Zach Galifinakis, Dave Grohl, Judd Hirsch, Neil Patrick Harris, James Carville, etc. are. James Carville?! Aren't there any cross-over people that kids and adults would all know? For example, Steve Martin and Julie Andrews. They were mentioned in the movie, have a history with the Muppets, and they've done kids movies and adult movies. Where were they or people like them? Basically, the kids got Jack Black, Manny from Modern Family (if they happen to watch that show) and Selena Gomez. It felt like maybe Jason Segel just gathered his friends and acquaintances without thinking of who would have widespread appeal.

5) I thought their voices were not very reminiscent of their original puppeteers (especially Fozzie).

6) Pepe the King Prawn (okay) was barely in the movie at all.

That's it! I'm sorry for being such a Statler/Waldorf. What did you think of it? And most importantly, are you a Muppet or a man?

Wocka Wocka,

A.J.R.

Reading is Fundamental

These are the books I read in 2010, in chronological order, and what I thought of them:

Thunderstruck- Erik Larson

I loved Devil in the White City by Larson so I assumed I would also like Thunderstruck. Like D.I.T.W.C., it was about contemporaries with vastly disparate paths (inventor Guglielmo Marconi and murderer H.H. Crippen), but it didn't compel me to read on with the same feverish urgency as it's predecessor. It was somewhere between "okay" and "meh."

Lawless- Ed Brubaker

I inadvertently read the second of the 5-part series and still haven't read the first (Coward), but I still enjoyed what I read. Once I get my hands on the first, I'd love to finish them all. It's gritty but good.

The Road- Cormac McCarthy

Yes, it is dark. Extremely. But it is also an emotionally compelling and beautifully written story of a father and son. I had read other books by McCarthy, but this one spoke to me in a different way. I started one evening and finished it in the wee hours of that morning, tears running down my face. It was excellent.

Empire Falls- Richard Russo

I have a feeling I should have liked this book more than I did. It just didn't connect with me. In fact, it connected with me so little that I had to look up the plot synopsis just now to remember what it was about. Maybe it just had a hard act to follow being preceded by The Road. I don't know what happened here.

Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost- Richard Rushfield

Richard is an old friend of mine, so this book was a fascinating glimpse into a time when I didn't know him. His (mis)adventures at Hampshire College are so wild that I laughed my way through the book, trying to reconcile the youth on the pages with the man I know now. I enjoyed that thoroughly.

The Ladies of Grace Adieu- Susanna Clarke

Clarke's debut novel, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, was fantastic. This is her follow-up to that novel and it is a series of short stories set in the same world as J.S.&.M.N. I remember liking this book, but I feel that I would have liked anything set in that familiar, magical world I already loved. Rumor has it that Clarke is writing a sequel to J.S.&.M.N., which delights me to no end. I think she is immensely talented.

Carter Beats the Devil- Glen David Gold

I liked this book just fine. It was light, adventurous, fast-paced and fun. I don't ever plan to read it again in my life, but it was fine the once.

The Alchemist- Paulo Coelho

I was leant this book by an unnamed friend who wanted to see if I agreed with him/her that this book was over-hyped. I agreed. I can see why people would like this book, but I'm not particularly spiritual or superstitious so its inspirational powers were largely lost on me. I feel it's ideal for someone who has been stuck in one place doing the same thing for a long time and feels guilt for not pursuing their life-long dream. I'm just not that person right now.

American Pastoral- Philip Roth

In certain respects, this novel reminded me of a book I read in 2009: We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates. They both center around a seemingly perfect family that is torn apart by one single action perpetrated on/by the daughter of the family. It was very interestingly crafted and dynamically told.

Beloved- Toni Morrison

Beloved was easily one of the best novels I have read in my life. It was compelling, enthralling, emotional, and beautifully written. I can not recommend Beloved enough.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn- Betty Smith

This novel focused the childhood and young adulthood of Williamsburg resident Francis Nolan as she and her family suffer through life on the brink of poverty. There was great deal of warmth in the writing and several keen observations about human nature. It was a quick and mostly enjoyable read, but it felt like something you might read in early high school. I assume that is because of the youth of the narrator and the fact that it was published in 1943 and therefore feels a little tamer than a lot of modern books, despite the heavy themes.

Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation- Joseph J. Ellis

As a rule of thumb, I don't sit down and read during the day. I usually get into bed and read until I get tired. The reason I mention this is that fiction can keep me up until 4 AM easily, but historical non-fiction (however compelling) usually has me nodding within 30 minutes. This sounds like a critique of non-fiction, but I mean it to be a criticism of my reading habits because this book took me way too many sittings to read and so I didn't like it as much as I know I would have had I read it during the day when I was alert. It is written as six single-serving accounts of important moments in our country's formation. I would highly recommend it to any history lover who has not yet read it, but I'm guessing that number is limited.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle- David Wroblewski

I can not handle stories about dogs. During an in-flight movie, as soon as it became clear that Marley might die, I fell to pieces crying on the plane and couldn't finish the rest of the movie. I don't think I was anywhere near the part where he actually died; the mere suggestion was enough. I have read Where the Red Fern Grows many times, but not once without completely losing it. Don't even get me started on this. Unsurprisingly, this book brought me to tears more than once. Although it's set on a rural dog-breeding and training farm, the book has really interesting interpersonal dynamics. Most of all, though, it is a book that focuses on the complex and deep relationships that can be forged between man and dog. If you liked Where the Red Fern Grows or Hamlet, you will like this book.

A Short History of Nearly Everything- Bill Bryson

What an excellent book. I never excelled in science classes, so for me this book was a crash-course in everything I had missed or never been taught in high school. Although it is just shy of 600 pages, Bryson writes so well that you find yourself flipping through the pages, flabbergasted at all the things you had never thought to ask about the universe around you. I dare you to read this book and not stop every 5 minutes to tell a friend about the amazing thing you just learned.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- Stieg Larsson

It was like James Bond meets The DaVinci Code meets that scene in "Pulp Fiction" with Ving Rhames and the ball gag meets Sherlock Holmes meets IKEA. A total page turner. It was good, but for some reason not quite enough for me to be interested in reading the remaining two books in the series. I'm not sure why. I wouldn't be surprised if my interest were to be piqued at some time in the future, but it just didn't feel like a priority at the time.

Angle of Repose- Wallace Stegner

I just loved this book. It was a recommendation made by Steven and Patricia, and boy do they know what they're talking about. I felt that the relationship between Susan and her husband (and Susan and her best friend) were so real. The dialogue and conflicts resonated, the story was beautiful, and the settings were dynamic. I simply loved it. Ever since finishing Angle of Repose, I've been scouring used book stores for another one of Stegner's works, Crossing to Safety.

Ender's Game- Orson Scott Card

Man, I loved this book. I feel like it had been on my radar as a book I needed to read for decades and now I know why. It was so enthralling. Absolutely recommend.

The Time Traveler's Wife- Audrey Niffenegger

Why did I read this book? I wish I could go back in time and tell myself that it is completely impossibly to follow chronologically, utterly unbelievable and just a flat-out waste of my precious, linear time. I have an unofficial policy to finish a book once I've started it, and I was resenting my policy within the first 50 pages. Despite this scathing review, I still cried at the end, which just makes me mad because the book was unworthy of my tears.

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life/ Scott Pilgrim vs. the World- Bryan Lee O'Malley

Super, super, super awesome. If I ever see my friend Hoai again, I'm going to borrow and read the rest. Five stars.

Jazz- Toni Morrison

I am disappointed to report that I also had to look up this book to remember what it was about. Perhaps coming off the Toni Morrison high of Beloved made me extra critical of Jazz, but whatever the reason, it simply didn't stick with me. I do remember that the writing had a certain musicality and flow to it that I liked.

A Map of the World- Jane Hamilton

Remember when I said that in We Were the Mulvaneys and American Pastoral an idyllic family is torn apart by something to do with the daughter? Well, this time it's the mom.

Billions and Billions- Carl Sagan

This book came highly recommended by total Sagan-philes Courtney and Mikey. Seriously, every time I see them I assume one of them will be in a corduroy blazer and turtleneck. In any event, this book was scientifically less dense than A Short History of Nearly Everything and was really digestible. That came as a pleasant surprise. It's mostly musings on scientific themes rather than straight science lessons, and it was enjoyable the whole way through. While reading Billions and Billions, the thought came to mind several times, "I wonder what Sagan would think about _____." He was obviously a brilliant and passionate man. There is a deeply heartfelt epilogue by his widow and frequent collaborator Ann Druyan that had me sobbing.

Where the Girls Are- Growing Up Female with the Mass Media- Susan J. Douglas

My friend Kamryn first mentioned this book the day I met her and by the second time we saw each other, she had already leant me Where the Girls Are. Douglas analyzes the often conflicting messages that have been being broadcast to/about women ever since televisions lit up our living rooms and radios blared in our cars. It explores the genesis of stereotypes, myths and mischaracterizations of women as perpetrated by the media. It was fascinating to read about what formed the perceptions that were so firmly in place by the time I was born. I feel that I would have been able to enjoy the book more if I had been old enough to know more of the shows, songs and movies she references in the book. I found myself keeping a pretty sizable mental list of things I wanted to google after I finished each chapter. All in all, a really interesting and humorously written book.

Earth (The Book)- Jon Stewart and the writers from "The Daily Show"

I'm a sucker for these kinds of books. I thoroughly enjoyed America (The Book) and Stephen Colbert's I Am America (And So Can You!). Earth (The Book) did not break the streak.

Freedom- Jonathan Franzen

Jonathan Franzen has a way of writing that makes you feel that he's been in your closet (and somehow, simultaneously, in the closets of millions of Americans) for years , listening to your fights and murmurings and worries. He knows how to write people and dialogue like few, if any, authors I have ever read. I had already read and enjoyed The Corrections and Freedom was right up there with it. I would absolutely recommend this book.

The Magicians- Lev Grossman

There were a few elements in The Magicians that struck me as novel, but on the whole it came across as a weak Harry Potter spin-off that so deeply resented being likened to the series that it threw in gratuitous mature-audience curve-balls as if to say, "Oh, yeah!? Would Harry Potter ______?! I didn't think so...."

Parker: The Hunter- Darwyn Cooke

This graphic novel is visually stunning, but there are so many women getting punched in the face. So many.

Summer For the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate over Science and Religion- Edward J. Larson

Tom took a class taught by Larson in college and had been casually recommending I read this book for several years. I suffered from my usual historical non-fiction fatigue throughout this book and found it difficult to keep engaged since I read it in 15-minute chunks. I think it probably is a really good book and an faithful recounting of the Scopes trial, but I didn't personally enjoy it.

Infidel- Ayyan Hirsi Ali

This book got me thinking in an entirely new way. It is a translated autobiography about the author's upbringing in Somaila, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya and her eventual emigration to The Netherlands and later Washington, DC. To say this book is a page turner is an understatement. Ali has been through such personal trials that you have no choice to admire and respect her for what she has overcome to become the public figure she is today. It is an excellent read and a guaranteed conversation starter.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard- J.K. Rowling

Remember when I said I liked The Ladies of Grace Adieu because it was set in a world I already knew because of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell? The same goes for The Tales of Beedle the Bard. As referenced in the Harry Potter series itself, it is essentially Aesop's Fables or Mother Goose, but for young wizards. It only takes an hour or so to read, and is well worth that investment.

Sex with the Queen- Eleanor Herman

This was another excellent lend/recommendation by Kamryn. Sex with the Queen is all about the realities of being royalty. It spans centuries, covering Catherine the Great, Marie Antoinette, Empress Alexandra, Anne Boleyn, Princess Diana and many others. The book utterly disabuses its reader of any previously held princess/queen lifestyle fetishization. As it turns out, being a queen often meant bedding an impotent, disfigured, elderly, or mentally incapacitated husband, eating cold food, living in drafty apartments, using old sheets, avoiding rats, and enduring total alienation from her country, family, and friends. There was also, of course, the risk of being beheaded, exiled, or replaced by your husband's mistress. Being a queen was like being a political pawn, and rarely, if ever, did it come anywhere near the grandeur, romance and opulence that we imagine. On a final note: I am currently halfway through the other book in the set and it is called Sex with Kings. How annoying is that? It should either be "Sex with the King" or this book should have been called "Sex with Queens." Pick a side, Herman.

Persepolis- Marjane Satrapi

This was a really enlightening and enjoyable graphic novel. I couldn't help but compare the author's views on her upbringing to those in Infidel, which added another layer of interest for me. The story was really engaging and told in such a way that you understood the logic behind Satrapi's actions and felt for her losses. I really enjoyed it and it made me wish there were more personal/autobiographical accounts like this in graphic novel form. The only other ones that come to mind are Blankets and Fun Home, which I loved.

An Object of Beauty- Steve Martin

First things first. This is the most beautiful dust jacket of any book I read this year. Absolutely gorgeous. Next item of business: I feel like before I talk about this book I need to make some sort of disclaimer that I really love Steve Martin. Not so much as an actor (although "The Jerk" is utterly delightful), but as an author. I've read his autobiography Born Standing Up, his novellas Shopgirl and The Pleasure of My Company, as well as his collection of short stories, Pure Drivel. I thoroughly enjoyed them all. Art is clearly a passion of Martin's. An Object of Beauty could only have been written by someone who has had years of personal observations on which to base his descriptions of both the art itself and the personalities commonly involved in the art dealing industry. In tone it most resembled Shopgirl, with its complicated (but lauded) female protagonist and its depictions of love affairs between men and women and, in this case, one woman and art. I enjoyed it a great deal.

Well, that's all! I love suggestions and personal recommendations, so please keep me in mind when you find a book you love. Thank you for reading!