1. Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World
(Louis Fischer)
I was reading this book while fasting and it was a great companion. It was a great way to start off the New Year and I plan on reading his autobiography to start off 2008.
2. The Little Prince
(Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
I wish I got a hold of this sweet little book sooner. It has become one of my favorites.
“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always explaining things to them.”
3. Holidays on Ice
(David Sedaris)
Love David Sedaris as he’s just hilarious. Great Christmas book about his time working as a mall elf.
4. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
(Marjane Satrapi)
Loved this memoir, graphic novel? I’m excited to see the new film that’s out!
5. Flynn
(Gregory Mcdonald)
I love Gregory Mcdonald and have read most of his Fletch books. I may even love Flynn as a character more though! I love noir/detective type films and these books are excellent as it’s all about the wit and snappy lines of dialogue.
6.James and the Giant Peach
(Roald Dahl)
The 4th grade class I helped teach in was reading this book and I realized I never read it myself. I need to catch me up on some classic Dahl.
7. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
(Jonathan Safran Foer)
One of my favorite books I read this year. It reminds me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon but I liked this book a great deal more! While the former was more obvious about the character and him being autistic, I felt this book handled it in a much richer and more interesting way! I still need to read Everything is Illuminated by Foer as well.
8. Running from Safety: An Adventure of the Spirit
(Richard Bach)
I think the appeal that was Richard Bach is starting to fade away from me. I read Illusions years ago, and it blew me away. It hit me at just the right time in my life. However this book was a nice tie in with all the other books he has written. So if you are a fan of Bach’s it’s still worth a read.
9. The Kite Runner
(Khaled Hosseini)
I read this just in time before all the hype surrounded it. I actually picked it up a few years before in a Vietnamese book market, but it sat on my shelf. I finally read it in Peru (of all places) and just adored it. The book reads like an epic movie (which explains the film coming out) But I think most the talk about it is deserved and it got me really excited about kites again!!
10. The Motorcycle Diaries : A Latin American Journey
(Ernesto Che Guevara)
I read this during my trip in Peru, and it was rewarding to see Che talking about things that I was seeing before my eyes. As good as the book was, the added bonus of a speech Che gave to university of medical doctors at the end of the book is worth picking up this book alone.
11.Ishmael
(Daniel Quinn)
I loved the ideas expressed in this book, although I will admit the actual writing leaves a little to be desired. But the book really isn’t about that so I give it some slack. “Teacher seeks pupil, must have an earnest desire to save the world.” Despite this claim the book doesn’t offer up many answers on exactly how to do this, but perhaps it’s not its job to do so either. Overall I did enjoy this book and think it’s a wonderful book for discussions or a book club.
#12. The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
(Alan Watts)
I felt this book was the perfect follow up to reading Ishmael. Alan Watts is quite witty and this is probably my favorite book I read this year. I love the ideas Watts expresses about life, and I feel he never comes across as stuck up or a know it all as some philosophers do. I would recommend this book to everyone, especially those looking for growth.
13. Jonathan Livingston Seagull
(Richard Bach)
Again as I mentioned before Bach has lost a little of his charm with me. Especially after reading The Book, his ideas just seem so lackluster to me now. That and the fact that he seems to say the same thing in all the books he writes. But again, I love Illusions and everyone should read that if they want a great Bach book.
14. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Book 1)
(J. K. Rowling)
I know I’m a bad person. I haven’t read any of the Potter books yet. I love this first one though, and the pages just whiz on by. I felt the suspense was kept throughout and it’s definitely not just a kid’s book.
15. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)
(J.K. Rowling)
Same as above, but I didn’t like this one as much as I did the first. I didn’t have the 3rd book and got distracted with other books, so looks like I’ll have to finish the series in ‘08.
(And sadly I think I may have had the last book spoiled for me. I really hope I didn’t but it’s bumming me out!)
16. Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return
(Marjane Satrapi)
Just as good as the first one I think. I’m really excited about seeing this on film! As it keeps the same art style as the books.
17. The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
(William Goldman)
I adore this movie to death and felt like I owed it to myself to read the fricken book!
Apparently I am a putz as I was really confused about the whole “retelling of S. Morgenstern’s classic Tale” and was wondering if I picked up the wrong book. I soon realized that it’s all made up and one big joke. However a rather large chunk is devoted to this gag before the book even begins, and may just be worth skipping and starting directly at the first chapter. Comparing the book to film, I really have no complaints, I felt the film captured all the magic of the book, but it probably helps since William Goldman also wrote the screenplay.
18. Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived
(Ralph Helfer)
I adored this book! It’s now one of my favorites, and is such an enchanting tale! It reminded me a lot of Life of Pi at first, since both deal with India, the love of animals, and a ship wreck involving animals. I adored this a great deal more though, and the fact that this elephant really exists makes it all the more special.
19. Son of Fletch
(Gregory Mcdonald)
Again the Fletch series is superb. This book I actually didn’t like as much as the others, as it seemed it’s main point was to introduce the son of fletch, and create a series of books that is still essentially the same character as Fletch, but starting a new.
20. Alice in Wonderland (Includes Through the Looking-Glass)
(Lewis Carroll)
Technically I’m not quite finished with this, but I’ll count it regardless. Full of magic and charm, Alice is such a fascinating character to follow through this enchanting world.
