THE HAPPINESS PROJECT

Author:  Gretchen Rubin

Genre:  Non-Fiction, The Happiness Project #1

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Gretchen Rubin

Yearly Count:  13


From Goodreads:

Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. “The days are long, but the years are short,” she realized. “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.

In this lively and compelling account, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.

I just happened to see this on the shelf at my library and, on a whim, decided to bring it home.  I can't believe it's been 10 years since it was published!  The speed of time is scary!

My biggest complaint is that she states throughout the book that she needed to just "Be Gretchen."  However, the entire book is about CHANGING Gretchen.  Whether it be about choice and/or for the good, it's still based on changing Gretchen and that bothered me throughout.  The book on a whole is incredibly overwhelming!!!  Every itty-bitty, minute component/detail of one's existence is in one way or another probed and prodded.  It is examined to the point of exhaustion.  The research behind her ideas were interesting, although I don't recall anything being new or revolutionary.  I enjoyed her as her own narrator.

Anyone know . . .  Is she happier today?

Thoughts of Joy

THE BOOK WHISPERER

Author:  Donalyn Miller

Genre:  Non-Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  4.25/5 (very good +)

Format:  Book

Yearly Count:  19

A sixth grade reading teacher shares her philosophy of teaching reading.

Another book that did not shed any new light on the topic; however, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.  It has reawakened the desire in me to tweak a thing or two, and for that, I'm grateful.  Miller's writing is very genuine.  Together we share the love of books (not genres, though!), so I feel a bit of a kinship with her.  :)

Thoughts of Joy

  

A LION CALLED CHRISTIAN

Author:  Anthony Bourke & John Rendall

Genre:  Memoir, Standalone

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/John Lee

Yearly Count:  67

Two traveling, Australian men purchase a lion from Harrods Department Store in London.  This is their journey with a lion they name Christian.

I enjoyed this short adventure.  It lacked depth for me, though.  After reading about the elephants, this one seemed to skim the surface; however, it was still good.

Thoughts of Joy

WHEN YOU REACH ME

Author:  Rebecca Stead

Genre:  Middle Grade Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  2/5 (not enjoyable)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/

Cynthia Holloway

Yearly Count:  59

This book encompasses sixth graders, a mystery, friendships and home life.

This did not entertain me for a minute, but there was nothing in particular that struck me as horrible either.  I just did not enjoy or care anything about it.

Thoughts of Joy

  

THE ELEPHANT WHISPERER

Author:  Lawrence Anthony

Genre:  Non-Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  4/5 (very good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Simon Vance

Yearly Count:  39

Lawrence Anthony, conservationist in South Africa, accepts a herd of disgruntled elephants on his game reserve.

The characters and animals come alive in this book, making the story a terrific educational tool about elephants and more!  This audio version was done exceptionally well.

Thoughts of Joy

  

IGNITING A PASSION FOR READING

Author:  Steven L. Layne

Genre:  Non-Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  4.5/5 (excellent)

Format:  Book

Yearly Count:  50

Steven Layne shares his thoughts and ideas (tried and true) on how to "ignite a passion for reading" in K-12 classrooms.  

At the moment, I don't remember anything bright and shiny NEW, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book anyway!  I loved the stories shared and the bit of humor thrown in from the author, as well.  It's not a 5/5 only because I don't buy into all his ideas 100%, but that's good!  We each have our own spin on how to teach and can make adjustments to suggestions to fit the needs of our students.  It has great reminders and is an encouraging book.

Thoughts of Joy

      

ZEITOUN

Author:  Dave Eggers

Genre:  Non-Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Firdous Bamji

Yearly Count:  17

Zeitoun, a Syrian-American, stays behind after his family packs up and moves away from oncoming Hurricane Katrina.  After a week of daily communication, Zeitoun abruptly stops all contact.

I got a great sense of Zeitoun's surroundings and plight, but I tuned out a couple of times.  It wasn't necessarily boring, but maybe a little stagnant here and there (no pun intended) -- too drawn out maybe.  Other than that, it was interesting to live vicariously through Zeitoun in the terrible aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Thoughts of Joy

SMILES TO GO

Author:  Jerry Spinelli

Genre:  YA Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Conor Donovan

Yearly Count:  92

Middle schooler Will Tuppence deals with life with his friends and family (mainly pesky sister).  

I enjoyed these characters; however, the storyline was pushed a bit too far towards the end.  This book is not intended for adult readers, so maybe the YA generation would accept and go with the flow easier than I did.  Despite that . . . still a good audioread.

Thoughts of Joy

CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER

Author:  James Swanson

Genre:  YA Non-Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  4.5/5 (excellent)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Will Patton

Yearly Count:  91

Chasing Lincoln's Killer is a young-adult version of Manhunt.  Both are authored by James Swanson and both are fascinating.

Thoughts of Joy

THE SECRETS COME OUT

Author:  Marguerite Abouet

Genre:  YA Graphic Novel, Aya Series #3

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  2.75/5 (just okay)  

Format:  Book

Yearly Count:  87

"Slice-of-life peek into African culture" continues.

I experienced an overload of soap opera events by reading this book.

Thoughts of Joy

UNDERCOVER

Author:  Beth Kephart  

Genre:  YA Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  2.75/5 (eh +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Jennifer Ikeda

Yearly Count:  71

Elisa writes short verses for boys who want to woo their girlfriends.  Is she hiding behind her writing?    

This landed in a boring section of my mind.  It wasn't bad, but there really wasn't anything interesting about it either.  Ho-Hum.  

Thoughts of Joy

  

THREE WEEKS TO SAY GOODBYE

Author:  C. J. Box

Genre:  Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/

John Bedford Lloyd

Yearly Count:  12


After 9 months of caring for their adopted daughter, Jack and Melissa receive a phone call from the agency informing them that the baby's father never signed away his rights and wants her back.

I enjoyed this book, but the first half was much better than the second due to the progression of the storyline.  It became very convoluted and a bit Hollywood.

Thoughts of Joy 

DOPE SICK

Author:  Walter Dean Myers

Genre:  YA Magical Realism, Standalone

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/JD Jackson

Yearly Count:  6

With a drug deal gone bad, Lil J needs to make some decisions in his life, and he may have just stumbled upon some help.

I was surprised to find that the core of this book was magical realism.  It was a short book, so I was fine with that (not a fan of magical realism), but more importantly, it was an interesting way to present the topic/issues in a realistic manner.  The story (especially the ending) can certainly be a portal to conversation for those that can relate.  

Thoughts of Joy     

DARK PLACES

Author:  Gillian Flynn

Genre:  Thriller, Standalone

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)

Format/Narrators:  Audiobook/Lowman, Campbell & Deakins

Yearly Count:  77

Libby Day escaped the fate of her murdered mother and two sisters when she climbed out a window and hid in the night.  Libby testifies that her 15-year-old brother committed the crimes, and he is sentenced to prison for life.  It's now 25 years later, and Libby gets connected with people that question her testimony.  Libby wants and needs to know the truth.

I did not like this one near as much as I liked Gone Girl; however, I still think Gillian is way talented.  The creativity of the story was, once again, fabulous.  It was the actual characters that I felt were lacking.  I'm not sure if reading it would have made a difference for me (instead of listening), but the bland, coldness of Libby didn't allow for any connection or empathy.  I don't HAVE to have that connection, but I felt something missing.  It could have been the narrator, maybe a little bit too monotone.  I'm not sure.  Needless to say, it was still a super good book, and I look forward to more by this unique author.

JANE EYRE: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL

Author:  Amy Corzine, Charlotte Bronte

Genre:  YA Graphic Novel, Standalone

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)  

Format:  Book

Yearly Count:  59  

After the deaths of her parents, Jane Eyre is taken in by her Aunt and Uncle.  Her life changes again after the death of her Uncle, but she is a determined child and forges ahead.  Jane's story of love and loss continues through her childhood and into her adulthood.

This book was a very peculiar choice for me.  First, I listened to the audio version of Jane Eyre approximately 10 years ago when I was attempting to broaden my horizons by reading/listening to classics.  At the time, I thought it was just okay.  No surprise there.  In general, I'm not a fan of classics.  Second, I'm not a re-reader, so I was surprised that I even entertained the idea of picking this one up in the first place.  Technically, I didn't reread it (listened the first time), but I do not like to read or listen to something that I already know what's going to happen.  Third, I've been searching for more graphic novels that would appeal to me when I saw it on Stacy's blog post (link below).  I was curious as to how the audio version would compare to the graphic novel, and I was pleasantly surprised.  I didn't even mind (well, not very much anyway) reading about what I already knew.  So, all in all, I had a good experience with Jane Eyre:  The Graphic Novel.

*Recommended By:  Stacy from Stacy's Books.     

THE HIDDEN MAN

Author:  David Ellis

Genre:  Legal Thriller,
Jason Kolarich Series #1

Published:  2009

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Luke Daniels

Yearly Count:  35

Lawyer Jason Kolarich is hired by "Mr. Smith" to defend a childhood friend who is charged with murdering the man he believes kidnapped and murdered his sister when she was two-years-old.  

This was my first introduction to this series, and I hope to listen to more -- despite my dislike of the narrator.  I thought his voice was a bit robotic or maybe a step up from monotone, so I just tried to accept that that was Jason.  That helped, but it didn't solve the problem.  However, I don't have time to literally read this series, so if I want to move forward, I have to listen to them.  We'll see how it goes the next time around.

In regard to the plot, it was good.  My interest level was up, and I went along with Jason as he tried to sort things out.  In general, there were quite a few subplots causing me to lose a little bit of interest at times, but overall I thought it was a good storyline.  It was enough to entice me to put the second book on hold. 

     

THE THING AROUND YOUR NECK

Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Genre: Short Story Collection

Published: The Thing Around Your Neck, 2009

Personal Rating: 3/5 (just okay)

Format/Narrator: Audiobook/Adjoa Andoh

Yearly Count:  26  

From Amazon:

The tension between Nigerians and Nigerian-Americans, and the question of what it means to be middle-class in each country, feeds most of these dozen stories.

My average rating for these stories is approximately a 3, but I do not have "just okay" feelings about it.  I don't remember many of the stories and simply wasn't impressed.

STORIES (7-12) The Thing Around Your Neck

Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Genre: Short Story Collection

Published: The Thing Around Your Neck, 2009

Personal Rating: 2.5/5 average (eh)

Format/Narrator: Audiobook/Adjoa Andoh

(ss) Yearly Count: 34 - 39 

UGH! I have never done this before, but I'm going to use Wikipedia for descriptions of these stories due to my failing memory. I happened to listen to this audiobook in the car (7-12 anyway) and by the time I was able to write anything down, I was unable to remember. HA!

Wikipedia Descriptions:

7. "The Thing Around Your Neck" a woman named Akunna gains a sought after American visa and goes to live with her uncle; but he molests her and she ends up working as a waitress in Connecticut.

8. "The American Embassy" in which a woman applies for asylum but ends up walking away, unwilling to describe her son's murder for the sake of a visa.

9. "The Shivering" set on the campus of Princeton University, it concerns a Catholic Nigerian woman whose boyfriend has left her, finding solace in the earnest prayers of a stranger who knocks at her door.

10. "The Arrangers of Marriage" in which a newly married wife arrives in New York with her husband; and finds she is unable to accept his rejection of their Nigerian identity.

11. "Tomorrow Is Too Far" a young woman reveals the devastating secret of her brother's death.

12. "The Headstrong Historian" covers the life-story of a woman who believes her husband was killed by his cousins and is determined to regain the inheritance for her son through his education by missionaries.

There were only a few stories in this collection that kept my attention, so overall it was a disappointing book for me. Two of the six above were worthy of at least a 3.75/5, but the rest were 2.5/5 or lower. It could have been timing and/or the format, but it just didn't entertain me.

JUMPING MONKEY HILL (6 of 12)

Author:  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Genre:  Short Story Collection

Published:  The Thing Around Your Neck, 2009

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good) 

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Adjoa Andoh

(ss) Yearly Count:  33

A group of adults join together for a two week writing workshop in South Africa.  The main character, Ujunwa, experiences harassment by the leader.

This went back and forth between the workshop and Ujunwa's writing.  I sympathized with Ujunwa's frustration.

ON MONDAY OF LAST WEEK (5 of 12)

Author:  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Genre:  Short Story Collection

Published:  The Thing Around Your Neck, 2009

Personal Rating:  4/5 (very good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Adjoa Andoh

(ss) Yearly Count:  31

After reuniting with her husband in America, an African woman gets a job watching a couple's son.

This one had a little oomph at the end, so I liked it more than the others.