My Reading List

Last year, I had the goal of reading 100 books in one year. While my reviews tailed off, I finished book 100, although a couple weeks late (I started in early December last year). Things went crazy in September and October, and my reading slowed down a lot. Here is the final list (in parts), and I may post more detailed reviews at some point.

55. Nickel and Dimed - Barbara Ehrenreich
The author tries working a variety of low wage jobs with the goal of surviving on the wages. She makes interesting commentary about the struggles of the working poor. Rating: 4/5
56. Heart of the Game - S.L. Price
A writer for Sports Illustrated looks into the life of Mike Coolbaugh, a minor league coach killed by a line drive, as well as that of Tino Sanchez, the player who hit the ball. The narrative is very well written and depicts the tragedy, as well as the culture of players struggling in the minor leagues. Rating: 5/5
57. The Year of Fog - Michelle Richmond
Abby, a photographer, loses track of her fiance's young daughter while briefly looking away during a trip to the beach. The story chronicles the search for Emma, and the the difficulties Abby and Jake face in their relationship due to the tension. The novel is set in San Francisco, hence the title. Rating: 4/5
58. Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer
Krakauer was on a trip to climb Mt. Everest and describe it for Outside magazine. Krakauer describes the trip, but also what happened when disaster struck and several other climbers were killed. This is an exciting first-person account of this unusual experience. Rating: 5/5
59. When Men Become Gods - Stephen Singular
This book describes Warren Jeffs and his reign of terror over his followers in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), the polygamists centered in the American Southwest. Rating: 4/5
60. Little Pink House - Jeff Benedict
This book describes a struggle between homeowners and the city of New London, CT over eminent domain. Benedict does a great job in portraying the city and its allies bullying the homeowners who were trying to simply preserve their hard-earned lifestyles. Rating: 5/5
61. The Jury - Steve Martini
A murder mystery in which one scientist is accused of killing another. I don't remember too much of it, other than that it was slow paced and not especially interesting. Rating: 3/5
62. The Taking - Dean Koontz
Another supernatural thriller by Koontz - strange weather phenomena begin occuring as aliens invade Earth, while a couple living in the woods in California try to do what they can to save themselves and others. The book was pretty good, but the ending was less than satisfactory. Rating: 3/5
63. Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit - Matt McCarthy
McCarthy, a Princeton graduate, describes his fish out of water experience as a left handed pitcher in the Angels' minor league system. His anecdotes were interesting, although there has been a bit of controversy over the validity of some of the details. Rating: 4/5
64. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
I read this prior to the movie coming out. I had read it at least three times before, but I enjoy the series. Rating: 5/5
65. Extra Credit - Andrew Clements
Abby receives an extra credit assignment to write to an Afghan pen pal so she can pass her class. Her pen pal is a boy from a village where it is unacceptable for a boy to correspond with a girl, so he has his sister sign the letters. A friendship develops, and the kids learn about each other's cultures. The story is interesting, but not my favorite by Clements.
66. Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy! - Bob Harris
Harris has appeared on Jeopardy several times, competing in various Tournaments of Champions. He humorously describes his experiences on the show, as well as his process for studying for the show and the relationships he developed with other contestants. As a fan of the show, it was an enjoyable book to read. Rating: 5/5
67. Sag Harbor - Colson Whitehead
The novel, set in 1985, describes the experiences of 15-year-old Benji spending the summer in the predominantly upper middle class, African-American area of Sag Harbor on Long Island. This is in contrast with his experience in the city in which he is surrounded by white people. The story progresses at a leisurely pace to match its summer setting and is filled with pop culture references. While somewhat slowly paced, it is an interesting coming of age story. Rating: 4/5
68. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
The novel, recently adapted into a movie, begins with the brutal rape and murder of 14-year-old Susie Salmon. Susie watches her family from the afterlife as they deal with the aftermath over the next several years. The ending didn't quite measure up to the rest of the book for me, but the novel definitely kept me enthralled throughout. Rating: 5/5
69. Fiasco: A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops - James Robert Parish
As the title states, this book describes how several of Hollywood's biggest failures were made and how costs spiraled out of control, mainly due to huge egos or impractical ideas. As someone who enjoys making fun of bad cinema, this appealed to me, although I have seen very few of the movies described such as Ishtar and Last Action Hero. My biggest issue with the book was that it did not include Gigli, which was a horrible movie and colossal flop. Rating: 4/5
70. Kodak Guide to Digital Photography - Jeff Sheppard
A book describing basic photography techniques. It was written very clearly, but I (unsurprisingly) learned a lot more from the photography course I recently completed. Still, this is a good book for a beginner. Rating: 5/5