Review: The Steal

The Steal: A Cultural History of Shoplifting by Rachel Shteir was interesting. The writing was okay for a nonfiction, but I've read much more engaging nonfiction authors.

Some of the information was interesting. Who shoplifts and why. Punishments and prevention techniques throughout history. The top ten most shoplifted items. On the list was steak. Really people? Steak?! Why? And I really don't want to think about the how. But it brought one of the more interesting aspects to light. People who are hungry steal bread (which doesn't anger store owners nearly so much), those who steal steak steal out of a sense of entitlement. They have enough, maybe even a lot, but somehow they feel they deserve more. Or they deserve something for nothing.

So overall, interesting but not fascinating. Well written, but not amazing. Read it if the subject interests you enough.

Review: Divergent

I've been jumping from book to book lately without really committing to or finishing anything. But then I got the YA Fiction Divergent by Veronica Roth from my books on hold at the library. I read it in two days, which is really good for me these days. It was entertaining and interesting. Even though I finished it hours ago, I feel like I should pick it up again and keep reading. It had a good ending, but obviously has a sequel coming.

It fits right in with the current YA craze of dystopian societies. If you liked the Hunger Games series, you will probably like this book. It is not a copycat of it by any means, but it is in the same vein and has the same feeling about it.

Review: Mistress Shakespeare

"Several mysteries surround the life of William Shakespeare, and one of the most fascinating concerns whom he married. Will evidently promised to wed two women at nearly the same time. In records that survive today, he is listed as being engaged first to Anne Whateley of Temple Grafton. But on the next day in the same book of marriage bonds, he is recorded as being promised to Anne Hathaway of Stratford in the diocese of Worcester."

Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper takes this mystery and tells the story from Anne Whateley's point of view. Since there is so much speculation surrounding William Shakespeare, even whether or not he was the one who wrote his plays, it is easy for me to follow along with a what-if scenario of his life.

I chose this book because I thought it would be interesting, but I liked it even more than I anticipated. I really liked the narrator, Anne Whateley, and the story was engaging whether you have any knowledge of Shakespeare or not. This book is good for anyone who enjoys historical fiction or has an interest Elizabethan England. A knowledge of Shakespeare and his life and works will add another level of enjoyment to reading this book. But it is entertaining even if Shakespeare is just some guy who wrote a bunch of plays to you.

Review: The Mistress of Nothing

I think I saw The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger on an IndieBound List. Either that or an NPR book list. Those are my two main sources of finding new books to read outside my norm. I was drawn to it by the title.

I didn't know till I finished it, but apparently this novel is based on the true story of a English ladies' maid who devotedly follows her lady to Egypt. Lady Duff Gordon lived the last seven year of her life in Egypt, where the hot, dry air kept her living longer than the cold, wet air of England would have allowed her to. The story is told by her maid, Sally Naldrett.

Sally is completely loyal and dedicated to her lady, but her life changes the longer she lives in Egypt. And she discovers how far her lady's own loyalty and gratitude will--or will not--go when Sally tries to live her own life and make her own decisions.

I think I would have liked this book better if I had realized from the beginning that it was based on a true story, because it is such a strange story for the time and the people who lived in it. It was almost too far fetched when I thought it was simply fiction. But it's fascinating when you realize that the basics of the story are true (though the author had to fill in gaps where we don't have any documentation).

So, overall it was an interesting historical fiction. And it was very short and a quick read, especially for a historical fiction.

Reread: The Hunger Games Trilogy

I just reread The Hunger Games trilogy so that I could actually read them in quick succession instead of waiting months between books.

I think I read them almost as quickly as I did the first time. Even though I knew the endings, it was still interesting and engaging. And I'm good at forgetting details of books and movies, so I can enjoy my second time around almost as much.

There are some complaints about these books and its main character. Katniss is a bit slow at picking up on the hints and help people try to give her sometimes. Some people also think she's a bit wishy washy when it comes to her two romantic options. But I think it helps to remember that Katniss is only around 16 years old when these books take place. How well would you have done in her situation when you were 16? I prefer not to think of myself at 16, so keeping that in mind, it helps me forgive some of her silliness. Also, if she always picked up on the clues that the readers do and was always certain who the love of her life is, where would half the suspense be?

I liked these books just as much the second time around. And I'm looking forward to seeing how they adapt them to movies. Especially since the main audience is YA and many of the scenes are quite gruesome. It reassures me that it's for a YA audience though, or I don't think I could stomach it in movie form.

Read Aloud: Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever

This is the version of Mother Goose rhymes that I grew up with, so when I saw it in a bookstore I had to get it. I recently read it to my daughter. It's almost 100 pages so I was going to break it up into a couple of readings, but she sat with me through the entire thing. She liked that the characters were animals that she could identify. For me it was a bit of nostalgia along with the pleasure of sharing classic nursery rhymes with my daughter.

Review: Great Expectations

I finished reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I feel more relief than anything. I took longer to read this book than any other--even longer than it took me to read Moby-Dick, which I read over two summers while I was an English major. I just can't get through the heavy reading like I used to. If I have something else, I always turn to the lighter read instead of Dickens. I finally finished it by putting the book next to the toilet and reading a few paragraphs at a time while I went to the bathroom or while my daughter played in the bath.

I know people who love Dickens. But it's just not me. I can appreciate his work, but I never really enjoy it. I have another unread Dickens on the shelf, but I think it will take me a long time to pick another one up. I have dozens of other TBR books waiting for me. We're going camping this week and I'm definitely choosing something lighter to read while we're gone.