Books I Read in September and October 2012

Originally posted on 11/1/12 here.

So, another month of only two books.  I suppose that Twitter, writing and blogs have taken up about 50% of my leisure reading time.  But, it all adds up to about 100% of enjoyment, so that works for me!

Wild by Cheryl Strayed - I was a bit hesitant to read this one, as it smacked of Eat Pray Love and I really can't stand that book.  Let's just say I don't relate to the whole self-indulgent idea of ditching it all and eating, meditating and hanging out because of man trouble: woe is me.  BUT, I felt for Cheryl Strayed and the things she had to overcome in her life.  She seems a much more relatable person (on a MUCH more limited budget) and her story is action packed.  I felt like I was with her on this adventure along the Pacific Crest Trail, and was holding my breath in fear or excitement a number of times throughout the book.  I also nearly shed a tear at the end; she pulled it together nicely.  Plus, we do our fair share of day hiking here in the Pacific Northwest, so I could somewhat picture her on the latter parts of the trail and I thought that was cool.  I'd also like to make my way to Crater Lake one day - anyone been?

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt - I was turned on to this book by two of my favorite bloggers that like to talk books (Elizabeth at Princess Nebraska and Janssen at Everyday Reading) and I'm SO glad I read it.  So unexpected and sweet; it's the very definition of poignant. I was moved and touched by this coming of age story of Holling Hoodhood, set in Long Island during the time of the Vietnam War. It's got everything: laugh out loud humor, tragedy, action and drama. A quick middle grade (Newberry Award winning) must read.

(book read in September, but saved review for October)
Enders Game by Orson Scott Card - I was curious to read this acclaimed (Hugo and Nebula award winning) novel because I'm a fan of both sci-fi and young adult fiction. Turns out, it was not my cup of tea. Two things killed it for me: it was terribly repetitive, and terribly vague. The 'battle' scenes (which we re-live, over and over for nearly 300 pages) are all told from Ender's perspective, and he's not very descriptive; I could barely picture anything in the book and had a hard time feeling a part of the action. And the politics/political structure on Earth (the scenes with Ender's siblings) were also bland and unclear. I felt like I was being forced to read The Fountainhead again. The last ten pages of the book make it somewhat worthwhile, but I'm in no rush to read any sequels. And that's saying something, because I usually finish out any series that I start. Not so for Ender.  Although, Yo Momma Runs told me she enjoyed the audiobook version; so, I might just have to bite the bullet and try audiobooks.  Maybe I'll get my reading level back to 4-5 books a month that way...