Fated Genes

by Harry Kraus, M.D.
public library, 300ish pages, paperback

This took me two or three months to get through. I missed the book club discussion obviously.

Dislikes:
too many characters
too blatant with the evil, liberal, rampant health care ideas
lack of a central character to care about
too ambitious

Likes:
prayer warriors
Belle's faith (though why doesn't she TALK SOME SENSE into her grandson???)
good defeats evil (duh)

I thought about just giving up on this one many, many times. I should blog more about the ideas and themes, but that will have to wait.

Harry Potter

I've spent the last week re-reading HP #6, #5, #1, and #7 (yes, in that order). Kind of a long story why, but it was enjoyable. The books are so much better than the movies! I especially like when Fred & George get revenge on Umbridge. Nice. Louie's planning on reading #7 (for the first time!) while we're on vacation. I asked him if he even remembered what happened in book six . . . it's a bit vague for him.

Emma

by Jane Austen
home copy, hard cover

This is definitely my LEAST favorite Austen story. (so far) It took me four months to slog through it. Yuk! How inane and irritating! It reminded me of "A Room with a View." If I hadn't seen a movie version of it that I liked a little, I don't think I could have finished it. I don't anticipate ever reading this again, but I am now re-reading Pride and Prejudice, one of my faves.

Welcome to the Nerd Farm!

by Garry B. Trudeau
Hennepin County, paperback, 152 pages

Clever, Timely, Thought-provoking. I like this collection. It's especially profound to read the strips in support of soldiers. Too many people have black & white ideas about liberals and conservatives. Trudeau strikes a nerve regarding what it means to truly support the troops.

Animal Friendly

by Patrick McDonnell
Hennepin County, paperback, 208 pages

Cute comics, but not in my top ten list. Some really heart-warming sketches.

Pierced

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
Hennepin County, paperback, 127 pages

I love comic books and Zits is one of my absolute favorites. Good stuff. Some of it made me laugh out loud. These guys capture adolescence perfectly.

Till Next We Meet

by Karen Ranney
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 374 pages

Historical romance (aka "bodice ripper") with minimal plot and not much character development. Not sure why I read it when I have so many other books on my nightstand. Summer vapidity, I guess.