January 20, 2013
At the outset of my service, I set a goal for myself to read 150 books while I am in Rwanda. I did the math, and I am about 15% of the way through my service, and 15% of the way to my goal. Perfect! This is what I have tackled so far
- Graceling by Kristen Cashore – Amelia recommended this trilogy before I left! It was pretty good and a fun read to take my mind off things at the beginning of training.
- Fire by Kristen Cashore
- Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore
- The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein – Not the best book to read when you miss your dogs terribly, but a great book all the same!
- Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts – Because we all know how much I love my romance novels
- Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates by Tom Robbins – My friend Sam’s favorite book of all time. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend reading it!
- We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch – One of the best books to read on the Rwandan Genocide. It was really hard to get through and sometimes hit WAY to close to home, including one story about the village I lived in during training.
- The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter and How to Make the Most of Them by Meg Jay – Thanks to Kali for gifting this book to me before I left! It was definitely an interesting read, even if it scared the shit out of me that I didn’t have my life completely figured out at 23 J
- A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett – Classic!
- The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again by JRR Tolkien – I have never read the Lord of the Ring Trilogy and before I read it I wanted to reread the Hobbit.
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling – No explanation needed
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
- Animal Farm by George Orwell – I hadn’t read it since 9th grade Pre-IB English so I figured I would give it another go
- Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
- A Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao – Recommended to me by Dan, a fellow PCV. It was an incredible book and made me wish I had some Spanish under my belt as parts of it were in Spanish. Seriously, if you are looking for something to read, look no further.
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – A nice romance novel recommended to me by Emily before I left for Rwanda
- Bossypants by Tina Fey – Probably not best to start this book in the middle of a long-winded teachers’ meeting in Kinyarwanda. I actually had to hold my hand over my mouth to not laugh out loud.
If you have any recommendations that you think I should check out, PLEASE comment and let me know! Now that I am at site, I have tons of down time and would love to read YOUR favorite book!
rwanderingtaylor 
1) love reading your updates, so proud of all you’ve done, and looking forward to the longest hug ever when you come back
2) If you’re feeling political, “When She Woke” by Hilary Jordan is amazing. If you’re feeling like a mystery, I just finished “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn and it stood up to the hype. If you liked Bossypants, read Mindy Kaling’s “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me.” Similarly hilarious and awesome, not unlike yourself
Ohhh! One more. Have you read J.K. Rowling’s new book for adults? A lot of reviewers didn’t like it, but I don’t know what they’re on. “A Casual Vacancy.” Great stuff.
Guess you are gonna ignore the Todd questions… but please take heed in my book suggestions!
Those Who Save Us by Blume (not Judy)
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by M. O’Farrel
Shadow of the Wind by (starts with a z)
and a romance for you to eat up: Whitney, My Love by J. McNaught
During your down time make sure you pull up fantasticfiction.co.uk This site will
tell you how to read series, if books have been reprinted/retitled and it will make suggestions at the bottom of your favorite author’s page. xoxokc
Strength In What Remains – Tracy Kidder. A fantastic book about a young man who escapes both the Burundian Civil War and the Rwandan Genocide. Probably the best book I’ve read in country. Highly recommended.
Bright Shiny Morning – James Frey. One of Casey’s favorites. He recommended it to me and I agree with him. It’s one of those books that once you get hooked you can’t put it down. I think I stayed up until 4am one night reading it.
Amelia recommended G”Gone Girl” byGillian Flynn, haven’t read it yet. I also liked Stephen Kings “11/22/63”, about JFK. I also liked David Baldacci’s “Wish You Well”, set in 1940 in far southwest Virginia’s coal mines, very good.
xoxo
Great list already!
Two books by Shaun Morey: Wahoo Rhapsody and El Dorado Blues. Quick fun reads. Won’t change your life or win any awards, but good escapes.
I have them on my Kindle and can loan them to you. Just ask!
Proud of you!
I have a tendency to suggest dry literature that is best suited for putting you to sleep; do not ignore this one. You should read “Good Omens” by Neil Gaiman. You’ll put it down only long enough to let the pain subside from laughter. I love you, miss you, and can’t wait to see you ❤
Sorry if you’ve read any of these but i figured i’d tell you my favorites and ones i’ve read recently.
Insurgent and Divergent by Veronica Roth- amazing books and much better than the hunger games. It’s about a dystopian society and extremely interesting. I could t put them down.
The blue bloods series- it takes a new spin on vampires that’s very interesting and it’s YA so a great book to simply get lost in and enjoy.
If you like Nora Roberts and you like a little mystery with the romance try the In Death series she writes under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are a TON of them and they are all amazing. The first is Glory In Death
Another comedy book is Let’s Pretend This Didn’t Happen by Jenny Larson. She’s a very big blogger and took some of her life stories that are Hilarious and put them in a book! I couldn’t stop laughing!
I’m currently reading “A Year of Biblical Womanhood” by Rachel Held Evans. Winner!