Kat with a K

December Reads

I know, I know. Better late than never, right?

(Explanation of the ratings)

Virtually Normal: An Argument About Homosexuality by Andrew Sullivan
Genre: Politics
Rating: 3.5
Comments: My roommate handed this to me with the words "This explains why all of the political arguments about it are wrong." And yup, it does. Very interesting, although a bit frustrating: a few times I wanted to ask Sullivan if there was anything he liked, or if he just disliked everything. Other than that, though, it provided a lot of context in a readable way, and convinced me that I need to learn more about Foucoult. Also check out Sullivan's blog.

So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading by Sara Nelson
Genre: Books about books
Rating: 5
Comments: This was a reread, or rather, a rereread, at least. I don't remember exactly how many times I've read it. I love this book. Obviously. Nelson, then book editor at Glamour and now editor of PW, tracks her reading and how it intersects with her life over the course of a year. She's on my "Can I be her when I grow up?" list for sure.

The Object of My Affection by Stephen McCauley
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Rating: 3.5
Comments: Honestly, I'm not sure what I thought of this. I really enjoyed the writing. And I wanted to shake the main characters because they were being so stupid. But it's worth a read, especially if you like the movie.

KnitLit the Third: We Spin More Yarns by lots of people
Genre: Knitting
Rating: 3
Comments: A fun read for any readers who have missed it so far. The quality is uneven, and I found myself getting bored/distracted a few times when I tried to read too much of it at once. I think it does best in small chunks. But there's some great stuff in there.

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
Genre: Juvenile mystery
Rating: 4
Comments: Fun! I loved this one. The characters were great and the plot was definitely a page-turner. And I'm a sucker for anything involving, you know, clues hidden in artwork or anything. The only thing that bugged me was there were important letters written in code, and I was trying to finish the book so I could go to bed, and decoding the code was slowing me down. But really, not a big deal.

Shadowland (The Mediator, Book 1) by Meg Cabot
Genre: Young adult fantasy
Rating: 4
Comments: I love Meg Cabot. She is also on my "Can I be her when I grow up?" list. One of the reasons I like her is that she writes in various genres - and it all works - but she doesn't lose her distinctive voice. This one was the first of a series about a teenage girl who sees ghosts and has to deal with them in various ways. Not necessarily my choice of subject matter, generally, but oh so fun. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.