My Personal Reading Rainbow

Inspired by Becky's idea, I've decided to record in my blog all the books I read this year, just for the fun of it. So far January has been a spurt! Here's where I've gotten thus far:

The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone - I'm a big fan of the movie version of this story, with Rex Harrison (best pope EVER) and Charlton Heston, so I decided to get the book. I was truly amazed and delighted to discover that the book is so much more massive in scope than the film; Michelangelo's entire life fascinates and thrills me. When I grow up, I want to be him. Finished on 1/1, on the bus home from NYC.

Sanctuary by Paul Monette - The illustrations in this are lovely, done by Vivienne Flesher, and the story is really cute. It's about a protected forest, where a horned owl starts to take over weed out anyone who seems too "different." This includes a pair of lovers, Renarda the Fox and Lapine the Rabbit, doubly condemned by the Owl because they're both female and of different species. It's really quite adorable, though occasionally heavy-handed on the gender equality. Definitely something good to read to children. Finished on 1/9.

In the Suicide Mountains by John Gardner - With really, really beautiful illustrations by Joe Servello, this book was a really enchanting fairy tale, with some gender-role-bending, and lots of interesting metaphors about suicide, and a bizarre but happy ending. I loved it. Finished on 1/10.

Find Me by Rosie O'Donnell - This book really surprised me. I do really like Rosie, but I wasn't certain I'd like an autobiography of her life, unless her writing voice was really unique--which Katie said it seemed to be, when she gave it to me for Christmas. Still, I was a little bit uncertain, but figured I'd try it out. It turned out to be a really fascinating book, not keeping to the vaguely dull autobio tradition at all. She focuses in on this really bizarre occurence in her life that I won't explain to you, because if you read it, I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise. This is all interspersed with stories of her childhood and her current life that seemed somehow oddly placed to me at first, but now they all seem to relate in the most interesting ways... I think really she is either a great writer, or had a great editor, or both. Finished on 1/12.