The books I read in 2007

To be updated...
There are more books to be added when I have time. Stay tuned.

18. Living History - Hillary Rodham Clinton
Comment: A bit too long with a bit too many names that could have been skipped (I guess she didn't want to offend anyone), but all in all a very interesting read. Gave insight into the slightly softer side of the US and it politics and Hillary did an excellent job of portraying herself and her strengths without seeming to cocky. She did neither gold plate herself nor did she manage to make her descriptions of her weaknesses look like they had been added in just to tone it down (like in so many other biographies). It seemed to come from the heart. I would vote for her as president if I could:).

17. Broken April - Ismail Kadare
Comment: The writing was medium and the story was less than medium. The topic it covered was however mindblowing. Old Albanian blood code which still exists today in the highlands. That alone made it well worth the read!

16. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Comment: I LOVED IT! Planning on writing a full scale entry on this one.

15. What I Loved - Siri Hustvedt
Comment: This book had a very different atmopshere to it than what I am used to reading. It felt high class society. I struggled a bit in the beginning to like it but in the end I grew to like it as it started producing strong feelings while reading it. It was well written and powerful but felt a bit foreign at times when it dvelved too deeply into art.

14. Devil's Island - Einar Kárason
Comment: I actually liked the film better but the book had it's own charm. I don't think I have read anyone that manages to describe his characters better than Einar Kárason. He manages to produce hate, disgust, irriatation, annoyance, love in you while you read about them. I think the reason why I liked the movie better was that some of the characters were portrayed as more loveable there. In the book you got all the dirty details on their flaws and weaknesses which made them vulnerable. It is however a book worth reading!

13. Snow - Orhan Pamuk
Comment: Very heavy book to read! It was extremely interesting to read about modern Turkey and its religous turbulance. The authors sharp critic of his own country made it worth the read. The characters were also interesting and the story was slightly exotic and weird which made it enjoyable. It is however not a book to read when you are tired after a long day. It is a book that demands your full attention and determination to get through.

12. Letter to a Christian Nation - Sam Harris
Comment: This book felt pretty much like a repetition of End of Faith. There were few new facts but not enough to really justify the existance of this book.

11. The Infinite Plan - Isabelle Allende
Comment: Allende's writing is facinating but this book lacked character depth which really disappointed me as I love House of the Spirits. It felt long and tedious, especially since it didn't have any chapters which made it feel like endless rambling about the same thing.

10. Skipið - Stefán Máni
Comment: I don't like crime in the first place and I guess this was supposed to be some kind of crime/thriller. It was a miserable read but I did actually like the ending. I think this book just reminded me a bit too much about Iceland and some of the less stellar side of it.

9. The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
Comment: Why this book has been at the top of bestsellers list for so long is beyond my understanding. It was pathetic! Weak, silly story about a white girl getting along with black people during the segregation in the US. Story with potential but fell short within the first 10 pages.

8. Poisionwood bible - Barbara Kingsolver
Comment: The topic was a bit facinating. White, ignorant missonaires going to Africa to save people. A crazy priest with his wife and 4 daughters. The story was told by his four daughters and wife and there was its biggest problem. The girls were too similar and you had problems creating a relationship with them. The second half was much better when they were grown-up and were easier to distinguish. It got you thinking, made you a bit angry over their ignorance, and the writing was all right. It was a medium book.

7. Paint it black - Janet Fitch
Comment: Janet Fitch's first book White Oleander is one of my favorite books and what I loved most of all was her writing and all her beautiful analogues. I was very disappointed when I realized that she had cut severly down on them in her new book. Nontheless, it was a well written book. The story about a girl that looses her boyfriend to suicide and has to deal with his crazy mum was very depressing and managed to make me severly depressed. The book grew on me after a while but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone that is feeling down.

6. Et glass melk takk
roman - Herbjørg Wassmo
Comment: A bit disappointing story by Herbjørg. It wasn't bad but it wasn't very good either. The end was all right but just didn't have the same charm and depth like the other books I have read by her.

5.
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Comment: This book hit home with me. It wasn't the story which was just a mediocre story but the society that she depicted in this book. The story is futuristic depicting life in the States after women have become oppressed by men. Their sole purpose being housewives and breeding kids. The ending was brilliant, leaving you free to wonder about what happened. The story also left enough room for you to wonder what had really happened that caused society to become like this, could this happen in today's society, and has it already happened in a different form in different parts of the world? If you want a story, this is not the book for you. If you want to think (and maybe in a slightly feministic way) this is the book for you.

4. Popular Music from Vittula - Mikael Niemi (no)
Comment: Refreshing read! It brought the small town girl in me out and I thouroughly enjoyed the authors vivid descriptions of life in Vittula. Nice mixture of good story telling describing small place life with a nice mixture of weirdness. Recommended!

3. The Touch - Colleen McCullough
Comment: Very disappointing when comparing to the Thorn birds. The character's very extremely flat and it was impossible to feel any compassion for them. The storyline
had potential but was stretched out and painful due to its faceless characters.

2. Reisubók Guðríðar Símonardóttur - Steinunn Jóhannesdóttir (is)
Comment: This book is a fictional account of my 9x great grandmother's life but based on historical material. She is abducted from Iceland in 1627 and sold as a slave in Algeria. The writing is very poor and the fictionalization felt very stiff. It was nice and interesting though to read a bit more about her story.

1. End of Faith - Sam Harris
Comment: To come