christianreader | Jun. 3rd, 2010

At the beginning of the year I planned, as I have in the past, to post my monthly booklist. I posted in January....and then, well, that's it. So now I have four months' of books to catch up on. So I thought that rather than post by the month, I'd just post by genre with either no or very, very brief summaries of the books. If you want more information, let me know.

--History of Los Angeles--
Southern California: An Island on Land by Carey McWilliams
The Fragmented Metropolis by Robert Fogelson
Land of Sunshine by Deverell and Hise
Becoming Mexican American by George Sanchez
Street Meeting by Mark Wild
Bohemian Los Angeles by D. Hurewitz
Magnetic Los Angeles by Hise
L.A. City Limits by Josh Sides
City of Quartz by Mike Davis

--California Mission History--
Reconstruction of the Missions by Francis Weber

--Biography--
Home: Memoirs of My Early Years by Julie Andrews
Thoroughly enjoyed.

--Kids' Books--
The Vampire Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Dog Gone Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
More About Paddington by Michael Bond
Paddington Takes the Air by Michael Bond
I like Paddington. It's not nearly as well done as Winnie the Pooh or as clever, but how can one NOT like a bear who walks, talks, and gets into trouble like Paddington?

--Young Adult Books--
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Voyage of the "Dawn Treader" by C.S. Lewis
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney
I enjoyed these. Very, very, fast reads, and the cartoons/drawings in the book definitely add to the hilariousness of the book. It's a pretty stereotypical of a kid in middle school who comes from a very messed up family where the older brother is a bully and the baby is well, the baby. It's the type of book that adults would enjoy and can laugh at, but not a book I'd recommend to let young teens read. Kinda like the Ramona books...it might give them some bad ideas!

--Historical Fiction--
A Mount Vernon Love Story by Mary Higgins Clark
The story of George and Martha Washington. As far as I know it's pretty historically accurate although I would definitely not consider it a resource.

--Mystery--
Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers
Clouds of Witness by Dorothy Sayers

--Money/Finances--
The Road to Wealth: A Comprehensive Guide to Your Money by Suze Orman
Suze Orman covers EVERY SINGLE aspect of money in a question/answer form ranging from investing to funeral expenses, taxes to pre-nuptial agreements. I wouldn't recommend it for someone to just read through as I did (I listened to it on tape) because there's so much detailed information one cannot possibly remember it all. However if you have a particular issue you want more information on, by all means, consult it! I don't agree 100% with Orman (especially in the area of relationships and money), but I do agree with a lot of it.

The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach
Bach's main idea is that one can become a millionaire easily and without stress or (much) self-discipline by making everything automatic. Automatic paycheck withdrawal to one's 401(k) and savings, automatic bill pay, etc., etc. By doing so, one builds up savings and retirement before one pays the bills or gets spending money, so no one "suffers" or is tempted to spend too much money because the money isn't there to spend. If bills are set up to be paid automatically, they're always paid on time and one doesn't have to "worry" about bills. It's a good book and I agree with his ideas for sure.

Total Books in 2010: 28
(Whoohoo! I might actually make it to my goal of 50 for this year! Especially if I keep reading the kids books.... ;-))