17. Water for Elephants (Sara Gruen)

I am trying to think of a work to describe this book, and all I can come up with is "charming." It's a charming little story. The novel is about a 90 (or 93) year-old man in a nursing home, who tells his story about working with a traveling circus during the depression.

The story (and I really felt like it was a story that someone was telling me) is vivid, and I was transported into the slightly crazy, but totally believable circus setting. A lot of times I dislike historical novels because it seems like the author tries to hard to create an authentic atmosphere, but Water for Elephants is completely real.

Rating: 5 of 6

16. The Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri)

After finishing The Namesake, I couldn't wait to read more of Lahiri's work. I went back and got her first book, a collection of short stories - The Interpreter of Maladies - which one the Pulitzer Prize. I'm not really a short story person - I like in-depth plots and characters, and I prefer to be immersed in one set story.

This book didn't really change my preferences regarding short stories, but I definitely thought these were wonderful and worth reading. Lahiri has such a grasp on humanity. It's clear that her writing ability is in-born talent - something few writers possess.

The stories encompass a wide range of characters, from old to young, poor and rich, from America to India. A theme here seems to be deception - many of the characters have secrets. And even though the stories were, of course, short, the characters were incredibly developed and real.

Rating: 5 out of 6

15. Kabul Beauty School (Deborah Rodriguez)

Kabul Beauty School is a memoir of Deborah Rodriguez's creation of a beauty academy in Kabul, Afghanistan. After traveling to the country with a relief organization, she had the idea to start a beauty school. In Afghanistan, the salon industry is one of the only ones open to women. Women who run and work in salons have the opportunity to earn money separate from their husbands - a very rare occurrence in that county.

If you hunt around the first pages, you'll notice that Rodriguez did not actually write the whole book herself - she was aided by another professional writer (who I can't get the name of since I already returned the book to the library.) Even with help, I didn't think this book was written very well. It was cheezy at times, and not very intelligent.

But that being said, the thing I enjoyed most about this book was the picture it gave of the lives of women in Afghanistan. Arranged marriage is still common, and the majority of women spend their lives serving their husband. In particularly fundamentalist families, women are not even allowed to leave the house. I'm not sure if I'd say abuse is common, but it is certainly permitted. I was particularly shocked to learn that women can be imprisoned for being raped.

While I found this book enlightening, I found it rather novice, so I'd like to read more on Afghanistan. It didn't seem like Rodriguez did any research on the country, but rather relayed stories of the women she personally met. Which is fine - but I'd like a more scholarly take on the issue.

The weirdest part of this book (and I hope I don't spoil this for anyone) was how Rodriguez randomly married an Afghan man she barely knew, after only a few weeks. It was almost like she didn't take marriage seriously at all, particularly since she was not even planning on permanently moving to the country at that point.

So, to review: entertaining book, eye-opening but not authoritative, with a questionable author. The book made me interested in Afghanistan, so I will continue to find out more about the county, and particularly the situation of women.

Rating: 3 of 6
(I think I need 6 points on my scale for more accurate ratings.)

14. The Thirteenth Tale (Diane Setterfield)

I get a lot of my reading suggestions from other book blogs (see the sidebar) - I've found a few that I feel share my taste in books, and so they're generally more reliable than amazon or other review sites.

The Thirteenth Tale was suggested by Bibliolatry. There's a good description of the plot over there, so I won't repeat it. I enjoyed this book partly just because it was something different. It had a distinct gothic feel - think rain, moors, ghosts, a la Wuthering Heights.

The book is a story within a story. Vida Winter, the dying author, tells the story of her childhood to her biographer. I found myself really getting into the story - there are many levels of truth and reality, so I felt like I was always on my toes.

If you don't like ghost stories or anything "dark," then I wouldn't recommend this book. However, if you loved Jane Eyre, you should read this just for the references alone.

Rating: 4 out of 5

13. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (JK Rowling)

*NO Spoilers ahead*

I've been with Harry since the beginning, when my Mom, a children's librarian, said to me, "You should read this book, you'll love it!" I've loved reading all the books, but more so, I've loved the huge world-wide attention they've gotten. When was the last time a BOOK got so much coverage? (Maybe the DaVinci Code?) I love that our country, which sometimes I feel is lacking in intellectual pursuits, can't wait to READ.

I thought the last installment of the series was definitely up to par. I found myself racing through parts, so excited to see what was going to happen. I know some people have found issues with the "epilogue," but I think that Rowling treated it just right.

I wonder what the next Harry Potter-like phenomenon will be?

12. Size 12 is not Fat (Meg Cabot)

I mostly read this book while at the gym, and it didn't even require that much concentration. After Queen of Babble, I needed to restore my faith in Meg Cabot. This did it, although I found it hard to believe this is an "adult" book. Besides references to sex and cussing, it seemed more like a YA book (or maybe it was, maybe things have gotten racier since my day.)

It's a mystery, which is something new from Meg Cabot. The story is pretty far-fetched, full of the requisite guy-pining, but overall it was what I expected, just some mindless reading. It was entertaining, which is good enough for me.

11. The Namesake (Jhumpa Lahiri)

Wow. After my failed attempt to read The Memory Keeper's Daughter, I was in need of a really good book. As luck would have it, this was it.

It's hard to identify what exactly made this book so good. One of the reviews on the cover said something like, "It will make you forget that you're reading," and I found that to be true. I felt like someone was telling me a story. I can't tell if the writing is simple, or just so brilliant that it seems simple - like professional ice skaters.

The book is about the life of Gogol, American-born to Indian parents. I guess there is stuff to say about "the immigrant experience," but that seems to pigeonhole it too much. It's just a good book. Read it.