recents read.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  I enjoyed this one, although did not experience the total all-consuming awesomeness that many experienced while reading it.  Some parts of it dragged for me, but I thought the POV idea was amazing and creative.  It was one of those books in which I finished and felt like nothing really happened in the book.  I think Zusak was moderately successful in pulling that off.  Liesel was likeable and endearing, but I thought Max was the highlight of the book for me.  It's a shame he didn't stick around for the entire time.

Pack up the Moon by Anna McPartlin.  I picked this up for a couple of dollars at my parents' library's used book sale.   The book takes place in either Dublin or the area right outside of it.  Emma's boyfriend dies in a vehicular crash, and she is 'forced' to continue living her life with the help of her close friends.  It's a cute story, but nothing I would read again.  I also found the Irish component rather flat.  Although obviously not a travel book, I despise it when I read books taking place in other parts of the world and it doesn't make me want to go there.  Having been to Dublin, I couldn't even conjure up enough memories to make me feel like I was there, or gain inspiration to make me want to go back.  Until she mentioned Dublin, I never would have known where the book was set.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. This was my favorite of the three.  Multiple story lines all take place simultaneously, all interwoven together.  The concept reminds me of six degrees of separation, in which everyone is somehow connected to others, even in different geographic locales.  My favorite part was actually the end, in which the reader is told how certain events impacted the life of the characters and took them on a different path.  For instance, a young girl hit by a car would have been a tennis star had she not lost her arm, and that split second mistake irrevocably changed her life course.  It's a throw to the idea of wondering where life would lead had you chosen option B, or had 'that' not happened, and a slap to the concept of everything happens for a reason.  I may not believe that, but I appreciated and enjoyed the author's attempt.

Currently reading:
Brave New World. I keep picking this up and putting it down.  I just need to finish it already.
Anna Karenina.  I put this down awhile ago after reading about half of it and I'm really enjoying it now that I've picked it back up again.
Water for Elephants.  I'm reading a book with Robert Pattinson on the cover.  It's shameful, but I got tired of hearing the rave reviews about this book even though I didn't particular care about it when it was released.  I found it for $2 somewhere and finally bought it.  It's interesting, although I'm only 1/3 of the way through it and I don't see what all the hype is about.