Recent Reads

1. The Assassini
I can never resist a Vatican thriller. There are so many skeletons buried in their closets, and the more I learn about the history the more shocked I am. Well, this fun read is a fictional story about the intrigues in the Church as the Pope nears his death. This is an old school thriller - one that moves slowly. Not a wham bam thank you ma'am kind of a thriller, and I enjoyed losing myself in this world for a while. This is the first book I have read by this author and I would read more of his work.

2. The Emperor of All Maladies
This book won the Pulitzer and I tend to be skeptical of prize winners, but it is my book club selection for the month, so I dived in. I've read 137 books in the last 12 months and this one is the best of the lot. Finally a book written for adults! The book covers cancer in various ways: the historical, the political, the scientific, the medical, the personal, the victories, the failures, the hope and the deaths. It reads like a thriller and I loved every minute of it. First book by the author, and I can only hope that he continues to write.

3. Aya
I love graphic novels, especially ones with alternative perspectives. I quite liked this coming of age story set in the Ivory Coast. Growing up in Kenya, I learned all the typical things about the Ivory Coast - history, exports, geography, etc, but nothing about actual people on the ground. So I found this snapshot of a girl and her community interesting. This is the first book I've read by the author and I certainly read more of her work.

2012 reading goals:
Authors new to me = 12. YTD = 3.
2 books by Charles Dickens. YTD = 0

What are you reading?