2014 IN REVIEW

To honor the year 2014, I have spent around 40 hours documenting and analyzing all of the books I read. It’s awesome, just like me. 

I traveled with the 9 through middle earth, laughed with Holden when Edgar Marsalla farted during church, and observed one of the worst disaster’s in the history of Mt. Everest. But wait, that’s not all. I cheered with the Cinderella Man, Jim Braddock, with his heavyweight champion win in 1935, followed John Wilkes Booth as he made his mad getaway, evading the law for 12 whole days before being caught, and wondered why an odd Russian was trying to buy dead servants from almost everyone he met. Needless to say, it was a good year of reading. 

The beginning of this year (January-April) I worked part time at New Vista and worked part time as a substitute teacher. I read books while on the job at both of them. I probably read a total of 10 books at these jobs. 

I stopped substitute teaching towards the end of April and quit my job at New Vista at the end of May. I quit my job at New Vista for a few reasons. Firstly, Caren and I were planning on going on a two month vacation starting in June. I couldn’t have a job if we were going to be gone. Secondly, I was starting an MSW program at the U of U in August. I decided that I didn’t want to have a job while doing a masters program and while having an internship. Thirdly, we decided to move out of Provo, closer to Salt Lake. New Vista is in Provo. 

The two month vacation turned into a three week vacation. We found out we were pregnant on the second day of our trip. Caren started getting sick about a week later. We came early and lived with my parents from the end of June until the mid July. On our three week trip I read 3 or 4 books. Because I had quit my job and Caren was off for the summer, we had nothing going on June, July and most of August. I read about the same amount as I was reading in the previous months during July and August. I spent most of time watching a lot of movies those months.  

My master’s program started in August but I didn’t let that hold me back from what I really wanted to do. I take the Front Runner and Trax from American Fork to the U of U every Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s about an hour and 10 minute trip each way. At the beginning of the semester, I tried to use that time wisely. I did some homework and read my textbooks. About a month into the semester, I tried to use my time even more wisely. I started bringing books that I actually wanted to read. Forget reading text books. 

I also have been donating plasma on a regular basis over the course of the year. It usually takes me about an hour to give them the amount of plasma they want. It’s easy and I earn money for doing it. It also gives me another hour of reading time. Between riding trax and frontrunner and donating plasma I read around 10 books. 

Around 25 books or so I read while at work, on the train, or while donating plasma. Those books were usually books that were easy to read. It’s hard for me to concentrate on reading with commotion and noise going on around me. The other 25 or so books I read this year was when I was at home. I love reading and spent much of my free time with a book in my hands. 

WITH THAT BEING SAID......I GIVE YOU.....THIS:

AWARDS

Best Fiction:

This is a really tough decision. The Catcher in the Rye or Catch-22 or Dead Souls or Cannery Row or Jane Eyre. I’ve narrowed it down to these 5. Because I’ve read Cannery Row and Jane Eyre before, I’m not going to give them the best fiction award. This award is for a book that is new to me. The decision is still too hard though. It’s a tie. The Catcher in the Rye and Catch-22 are going to split this one. Sorry Dead Souls, you aren’t part of the tie. Deal Souls was a great book but the other two are better candidates.The Catcher in the Rye was easy to read but held a lot of weight in it. Catch-22 was a bit confusing and hard to follow but by the end of the book, I didn’t want it to be over.

Best Non-Fiction:

There really is no competition with this one. It’s the best book I read this year. It’s an intense and gripping personal account. The author tells the story in such a vivid yet realistic way. He writes with intimacy but yet writes the facts. I loved it. This book is Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. One of the best books I have ever read. It’s a crazy personal account of a disaster on Mt. Everest.

Best Young Adult:

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltckin by Liesl Shurtliff. It blew away the competition. I mean heck, I read 261 pages in one day! It was fun and light hearted. The characters were cool and the story line was cool. I really liked it. 

Most Challenging Book to Get Through:

Many of the books I didn’t finish reading were challenging to get through including Beloved, The Outline of History, and Something Wicked this Way Comes. Out of the books I finished it’s probably David Copperfield just based on sheer length. There were also moments in the book that were slow and took lots of concentration.

Funniest Book:

Either Catch-22 or The Catcher in the Rye. Neither of them are strictly comedies but they both had me laughing and chuckling. Catch-22 is a satire and is very clever. The Catcher in the Rye is just funny because the main character, Holden, just says whatever he wants as the narrator. 

Funniest Parts:

In Unbroken:

 the author writes of how some soldiers in the Pacific during World War 2 would throw live grenades into sharks mouths and watch the sharks explode. They would hold trash or something above the water and the sharks would try to catch the trash. While the sharks mouths were open, they would toss in a grenade. So funny, especially because it’s true.

In The Catcher in the Rye:

“The only good part of his speech was right in the middle of it. He was telling us all about what a swell guy he was, what a hotshot and all, then all of a sudden this guy sitting in the row in front of me, Edgar Marsalla, laid this terrific fart. It was a very crude thing to do, in chapel and all, but it was also quite amusing. Old Marsalla. He damn near blew the roof off. Hardly anybody laughed out loud, and old Ossenburger made out like he didn't even hear it, but old Thurmer, the headmaster, was sitting right next to him on the rostrum and all, and you could tell he heard it. Boy, was he sore. He didn't say anything then, but the next night he made us have compulsory study hall in the academic building and he came up and made a speech. He said that the boy that had created the disturbance in chapel wasn't fit to go to Pencey. We tried to get old Marsalla to rip off another one, right while old Thurmer was making his speech, but he wasn't in the right mood.”

“laid this terrific fart.” It’s funny that he used the word terrific. 

“but he wasn’t in the right mood.” funny.

Worst Book (out of the ones I finished):

The Westing Game. There was just so much build up for such a DUMB ending. It was a waste of time. Luckily, it was a fast read.

Best Series:

The Lord of the Rings. The first book was my favorite of the three. None of them were bad but none of them equaled the first. The first one was a great mixture of adventure, action, and drama. It set up the series brilliantly. The second one and third one were more “epic” than the first one but they also had more boring parts. I do agree with the many people who say that it’s hard to read because of all the names and descriptions of the landscape. I ended up just skimming those parts. 

It’s a great fantasy series. And, if the hobbit is included in the series, then it makes it that much better.

Author I would like to Call and Talk To (From Catcher in the Rye: “What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn’t happen much, though.”)

This was a really hard decision to make. Two authors come straight to mind with this prestigious award. 

One of these authors books I just love. I read four of them this year. He writes in such a non-judgmental, humanist point of view, that I immediately feel like I am friends with him. I feel like he’s down to earth and easy to talk to. I would love to talk to him. John Steinbeck is his name.

The other author is also a talented writer but in a different way. His book I read this year was unbelievable. It’s remarkable how this man wrote such a strong and well written book from his own personal life. If I went through what he went through, I probably could have written 25 pages at the most. He wrote hundreds of incredibly detailed pages narrating his account. Jon Krakauer, you are awesome. 

After much consideration, this award belongs to Jon Krakauer. I wish I could talk with him and that he was a friend of mine. I mean, heck, he personally climbed to the top of Everest. He would be a cool friend to have.

Most Disappointing: 

This is between The Golem and the Jinni and Station Eleven. I was  really excited to read both of them and was disappointed in both. The Golem and the Jinni was nothing like I was expecting it to be. I thought it was going to be this awesome well written fantasy book that is more drama based than action based. I was right in one aspect-there was absolutely no action in it. It was slow and pretty boring. With Station Eleven, every article I read everywhere was just raving about how good it was. They said it was an awesome dystopian type novel. It started off well but got pretty lame about half way through. It should have focused more on what was happening after the virus hit, instead of most of the book being about some guys life before the virus. For this the winner goes to Station Eleven. It is not as good as the critics say. 

Most Surprising: 

I was surprised by both Rump and Catch-22. Neither one was I expecting to be too good. Rump just looked pretty dumb even though Caren said it was really fantastic. Catch-22 I tried to read previously but stopped like 50 pages in because I couldn’t get into it. The only reason why I started reading Catch-22 again was because we were going on vacation and I needed to bring some raggedy books that were already ruined with me. I wasn’t even really planning on reading Catch-22. I just brought it as a last resort after I had read all the other books I brought. That’s what happened. I read Catch-22 as my last resort. I got into it this time and really really enjoyed it. Catch-22 is the winner for most surprising book.

Best Book Read Based Solely on a Recommendation from Someone Else:

There are only two books out of the 52 that I read solely upon recommendation. As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me and Rump. Of course Rump wins this. It was totally awesome and As Far as My Feet will Carry me was not awesome at all. Caren’s advice to read Rump was some of the best advice she’s ever given me. On the other hand, I’m going to think twice before reading a book that Paul says is “phenomenal.”

Most Epic:

Unbroken, The Lord of the Rings, or Into Thin Air. I rule LOTR out immediately because it’s not as epic as these other real stories and it wasn’t totally epic while reading it (probably because I’ve seen the movies several times and have known the story for around 10 years now.) Into Thin Air is much much more intense than Unbroken because of the writing style. Into Thin Air is written by the actual guy who experienced the crazy story while Unbroken is written by somebody else about the guys crazy experiences. Unbroken is more dry and feels more dusty while Into Thin Air has this immediate feel to it. Although Louis Zamp’s story is absolutely crazy and unbelievable, Into Thin Air gets this award. It’s a totally epic story about climbing the highest mountain in the world and relating the story of how so many people died.

Favorite Book Cover:

Favorite/Most Memorable Character:

The most relatable character to me was Holden (from Catcher in the Rye). I like Doc from Cannery Row because he is this chill guy who takes life as it comes. Yossarian from Catch-22 is funny and presents a real view on what most people think but don’t say. Gandalf is also a great character. He doesn’t mess around. And, reading the books I kept picturing the actor from the Lord of the Rings movies and he was absolutely fantastic in the movies. I also really love Scrooge, especially in the first and last chapter of the book. He says so many funny things in the first chapter and in the last chapter he’s a completely changed person.

Greatest Impact on Me:

Another category with several nominees. The Kite Runner, anything from Steinbeck, or Catch-22. They all had an impact on me. Let me tell you how. The Kite Runner impacted me emotionally. For a few days after reading it, I was still thinking about what had happened in the book. Most books don’t do that to me. Steinbeck’s books are all just so good yet simple. They resonate with me. I like them on an emotional and human level. Catch-22 impacted me because I liked the style of the book. I liked the topic of the book. I liked the humor and sarcasm of the book. I also have found myself thinking about parts of the book throughout the year. It was emotional for me but impacted me on an intellectual level.

Book That Made Me Tear Up:

The Kite Runner. I forgot what part it was but I teared up during this book. 

Most Beautifully Written:

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. The book is so good solely due to her writing. Forget the story. Forget the plot (because there is none). Her poetic writing is just beautiful. You can just pick up the book, start reading on any page and immediately feel immersed in it.

Book that I Could Not Put Down:

The nominees are: Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Lovely Bones, The Alloy of Law, Station Eleven, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Rump, Cinderella Man, or Into Thin Air. I read all of these books fairly quickly. Most of them I read so quickly because I was immersed in them, while others I read so quickly because I wanted something to hurry up and happen or because I wanted to hurry and finish the book. This award is pretty much between Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes and A Thousand Splendid Suns. I read Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes mostly in a tent in Crane Flats, Yosemite. I remember that I just wanted to keep on reading the short stories. They were so entertaining. A Thousand Splendid Suns was a very fast-paced, easy read with a good plot and plenty of twists that kept me going. Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes gets this award because I read it quickly and I really enjoyed it.

Most Fun to Read for Pure Entertainment:

The nominees are: The Promise of Blood, Into Thin Air, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Alloy of Law, or Rump. I can’t decide on this one. Some of them I read too long ago to think about which one was more fun than this or that one. BUT, The Promise of Blood, The Alloy of Law, and Rump required no effort to read. They were just pure entertainment. They are popcorn books. I can’t decide between the three though, so forget it, it’s a THREE WAY TIE!

Book I Had to Talk to Someone Else About:

Into Thin Air. Caren even says “You talked about that book a lot.” Whenever I would come across something crazy in the book, I would have to stop and tell Caren about it. Also, I talked about this a ton to Jimmy and Kate on the trip to their house after they picked us up from the airport in Detroit. I even pulled out the book (which I brought with me) and read some sections of the book out loud to them.

Had Potential but Failed:

The Golem and the Jinni, As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me, The Lovely Bones, The Westing Game, or Station Eleven. They all failed. This is different most disappointing though because this is more based on aspects of the novel being great but not living up to it’s potential. But, the same book gets both awards. Station Eleven had great potential. It started off great. I liked the post apocalyptic portions of the book but that was probably only 25% of the book. If the majority of the book focused on the post apocalyptic aspect, it would have been a much better book. Station Eleven was both really disappointing and had potential but failed.

Book I Would Like to See Turned Into A Movie:

Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer. It would need to be a very well done, well directed, well acted movie. I would love to see it if it was done anything like the movie Lincoln or The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Or a mixture of the two.

Favorite Short Story:

I can't pick just one favorite but it's between the stories in the Sherlock Holmes books I read.

Favorite First Line:

“I told you last night that I might be gone sometime, and you said, Where, and I said, To be with the Good Lord, and you said, Why, and I said, Because I’m old, and you said, I don’t think you’re old.”

(It just caught me off guard and was beautiful)

Gilead

Quotes:

“Why should other people’s misery make us happier or more content?”

-Reading Lolita in Tehran

(I like it because i hate the saying “you should be happy. All you have to do is think of all the people in the world that have it worse than you.”)

“There is a reality in blessing. It doesn’t enhance sacredness, but it acknowledges it, and there is a power in that.”

-Gilead

(I like it because I can relate it to blessing someone with the Priesthood).

“Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound ought and six, result misery.” 

-david copperfield

“When you're dead, they really fix you up. I hope to hell when I do die somebody has sense enough to just dumpme in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetery. People coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that crap. Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody.” 

-the catcher in the rye

“There's zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.” 

“Spend your free time the way you like, not the way you think you're supposed to.” 

“Or at school you might have been prodded to come “out of your shell”—that noxious expression which fails to appreciate that some animals naturally carry shelter everywhere they go, and that some humans are just the same.” 

-Quiet

"If you have behaved badly, repent, make what amends you can and address yourself to the task of behaving better next time. On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.” 

-Brave New World

“Any truth is better than indefinite doubt.” 

-The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

(I've said things like this to my clients but Sherlock says it much better)

“He was going to live forever, or die in the attempt.”

“They're trying to kill me," Yossarian told him calmly.

No one's trying to kill you," Clevinger cried.

Then why are they shooting at me?" Yossarian asked.

They're shooting at everyone," Clevinger answered. "They're trying to kill everyone."

And what difference does that make?” 

(made me laugh. so many quotes in this book made me chuckle or grin)

-Catch 22

“I must keep in good health, and not die”

(made me laugh. It was a great response from Jane Eyre.)

-Jane Eyre

“Dread remorse when you are tempted to err...Remorse is the poison of life. Repentance is said to be its cure.”

-Jane Eyre

-Pages 64,65 of Jane Eyre are awesome, awesome pages. Very touching/insightful.

THE END