The Man Who Knew Too Much - Summer 2010 - Genre: Suspense

Genre #10 -- Suspense
The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. Chesterton
read 6/30/2010 - 7/1/2010

This was a fantastic read. I'm not sure why I haven't read this book before. Each chapter was its own separate mystery, which I really liked; however, all the chapters were tied together and came to a great conclusion in the final chapter. The mysteries were very ingenuous and quite enjoyable. My only regret is that I wish I knew a little bit more about English history so I could follow the politics of this book. I highly recommend this book and am considering having my high school students read a few of the chapters, if not the whole thing.

This book was part of my 2010 summer reading program.

The Secret Agent - Summer 2010 - Adventure

Genre # 6 -- Adventure
The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad
read 6/12/2010 - 6/15/2010

All in all I found this book quite dull. It was full of rambling monologues and political tirades. Most of the action was recounted through dialogue rather than actually happening before the reader's eyes. HOWEVER, chapter 11 redeemed the book, as it is one of the most literarily stunning segments I have ever read. Conrad masterfully creates an atmosphere of suspense through in-depth detail (even so far as to describe sound waves and shadows) and through psychologically stunning sketches of the characters' thought processes. He slows time down and captures the eternity of a single vengeful, emotional moment in this chapter. Don't bother with the book, but definitely read chapter 11!

 

This book was part of my 2010 summer reading program.

Library Summer Reading Program 2010

I first began participating in my library's summer reading program in 2010. That was actually my most "prolific" year to date. (It was before I had kids; need I say more?)

I really enjoyed the format of the 2010 summer reading program. The library selected 15 genres, dividing them into 5 groups. So, each little group had 3 genres. The goal was to choose 1 of the 3 genres in each of those 5 groups (thus, reading 5 books by the end of the summer). Well, since I've always been an over-achiever, I decided I wanted to read all 15 genres. It was such fun! The library gave recommendations of books and authors in each of the genres.

I originally posted my reviews on Facebook, but now that I have a blog, I'll also post them here.

Here are the 15 genres:
Fantasy (I actually read 2 for this one)
Historical
Horror
Literary
Mystery
Adventure
Thriller
Gentle Reads
Women's Lives
Suspense
Romance
Sci Fi
Western
Inspirational
Crime

Hope you enjoy the reviews! What's your favorite genre to read?