Sweet baby cheeses, I love reading. I was always that kid who was getting into trouble for not answering the grown-ups when they spoke to me because I was so engrossed in what I was reading. (Hello? Why was I getting into trouble? Why were they talking to me when they could clearly see I was otherwise engaged?) I read anything I could get my hands on and some favourites included The Babysitters Club series (naturally), the Anne of Green Gables series (of course), The Saddle Club series (horses horses horses!) (sung just like Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle), among so many others. When I was a bit older, I got into books like Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird (I have a really ugly, second-hand, bright orange Penguin edition that I don’t think I’ll ever part with. It was the first ‘serious’ book I read that really blew me away), Bonjour Tristesse, and every other similar book.
This year, I decided to set myself a challenge: read fifty-two books in fifty-two weeks. I thought it would be a total breeze: one book a week? Pah! No worries. Turns out I was wrong. Some weeks, it felt like I didn’t read at all. I always had a book on the go but when it came to reading for uni, reading for pleasure was sometimes put on the backburner. But I did it, I read fifty-two of ‘em. Goodreads had a fantastic thingymajiggy set up, 2011 Reading Challenge, and it told me if I was on track. When it told me things like You are 1 book behind, I’ll admit to choosing a smaller book to read next because I knew it wouldn’t take me long to knock it over. I felt a bit guilty, but it’s not like I was cheating, I still read the book. Fifty-two of them.
Favourites
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: Holy crap, why did it take me so long to read this book?! Loved it. Loved loved loved it.
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld: for want of a better term, a really lovely coming-of-age story set at a boarding school.
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey: my favourite of the year. One of the best books I’ve ever read. I started reading it last year (you can see it in the photo of this post) and I got about fifty or so pages in before I put it down. It starts with a really difficult scene, really sad and kind of confronting. It made me feel weird so I decided not to carry on with it. But I picked it up again in January and I’m so glad I did: it made me cry and it made me laugh (Jeffrey Lu is one of literature’s best characters). Please read it.
Twentysomething by Iain Hollingshead. British. Diary-style. Hilarious. Also won the Bad Sex award.
The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Thought I would hate them. Loved them. Who knew kids being forced to kill each other in a fight-to-the-death situation would be so entertaining? If you haven’t read them yet, get on it. You’ll want to before the movie comes out in March. The casting is so spot on, it’s almost spooky – Jennifer Lawrence, the Hemsworth brother (Chris or Liam? Effed if I can tell them apart), Woody Harrelson, all perfect but I think I’m most excited about Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. Anyway. One of the very few instances I’m excited about a film adaptation. Usually they’re shit but I think this movie will be just as good as the book.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Obviously.
The Observations by Jane Harris. A potty-mouthed housemaid in 1863 Scotland. And there’s a mystery. It’s great.
Disappointments
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas. From what I’ve heard, this book polarised people: you either loved it or hated it. I hated it. I didn’t even finish it so it technically shouldn’t be on my list. Maybe I’ll give it another go further on down the track. Maybe I won’t. Whatever.
Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger. Whoever keeps publishing her books, please cease and desist immediately. Ugh, it’s tripe like this that gives chick-lit its bad name. Personally, I believe The Devil Wears Prada only got published because it was a thinly-veiled account of Vogue’s Anna Wintour (and just why are people obsessed with that woman who has the Lego-woman haircut?) and Weisberger’s got nothing else up her sleeve so bashes out a few stereotypes throughout 100 000 words or so and for some reason God only knows, people keep buying them. Stop it. Now.
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht. For most of the time, I was all like WTF? Parts of it were awesome, parts of it were WTF. Maybe it just went over my head. Whatever.
Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich. I loved this series – up until about book eight. I persisted with them, hoping that maybe something different would happen. But no, some psycho is still out to kill Stephanie, Lula’s still chowing down the fried chicken, Ranger and Morelli are still inexplicably chasing Stephanie, and shit gets blown up. Blah blah blah.
There are a few other crap ones in there, a few meh ones, you can check them out here if you’re bored. It’s kind of surprising to see what kind of books I’ve chosen over the past twelve months. I chose a lot of stuff I don’t normally read, 2011 was definitely the year of the YA novel. And because of that, I’m craving some really good, gutsy reads. They can be funny (I like funny) or serious (Yars. I can be totally serious as well), literary or commercial, anything as long as it’s good.
What did you read this year that you loved or hated? Any suggestions for me? Come on, share.
I used to be HUGE on reading. When I was in my early teens, I'd hole myself up in my closet until 3am reading (so my parents wouldn't see the light under the door).
ReplyDeleteNow, not so much. I don't read as much as I should. Although, I read a lot of news during the day. I used to read on the bus, but now my commute by car is 5 mins and there's no point.
So... Lately (as in the past 3 years)? I've enjoyed The Time Travelers Wife.
Sex at Dawn (evolutionary, sexual anthropology study on monogamy. Really interesting)
Anything by H.P. Lovecraft. E.A. Poe, Charles Dickons, Mark Twain, or Homer. I started reading the Odyssey. Taking me a while. It's pretty good (classic of course!)
And I like to read poetry (because it's quick and satisfying). I think I have Emily Bronte and Robert Frost on my book shelf. Can't remember what else.
Pride & Prejudice & Zombies was amusing.
I've heard great things about the Hunger Games (I think that's what it's called?)
Dante's Inferno. Paradise Lost by John Milton (written in blank verse poetry in the 1600s), The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (written in Middle English from the 1400s). The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope. Love me some Shakespeare.
Hmm... Can't think of anything else. I'll get back to you once I have a look at my shelves.
HARRY POTTER :D
Ahh Anne of Green Gables, I remember sitting on the back porch with my best friend, us not saying a word all afternoon just reading together :)
ReplyDeleteReading comes and goes as I've gotten older. I just finished The Book Theif, it's powerful and sad and raw, all of which I wanted in a book right now. It's also really smart and such great writing.
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LOVES THIS. that picture is also beyond brilliant and kind of explains my whole life. that good. reality, what is that?
ReplyDeleteI just read My Boyfriend Wrote a Book About Me. It was okay. But I didn't laugh out loud like I do every time I read ANYTHING by Laurie Notaro. Um....one of my friends let me borrow Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie. It wasn't my normal read, but it was a welcome change. Guilty pleasure without being a romance novel. I liked it and it took no time at all to read. One of my faves is True Notebooks by Mark Salzman. It has more meat, if that's what you're looking for. I am in the process of reading Meditation for the Love of It by Sally Kempton. Unfortunately, this puppy is making it hard for me to concentrate, so it may take me a while.
ReplyDeletei was going to read 'the slap' but i have a feeling i'll just get incredibly annoyed by all the characters (they sound painful) and not finish it either.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed 'A visit From the Goon Squad' by Jennifer Egan and my mind has gone completely blank trying to think of other books i've read this year.
I'm impressed you managed 52 books. I'm a really fast reader but lately I've been taking a lot longer to get through one. That Keith Richards autobiography took me waaaaay longer than it should have.
I used to read SO much when I was younger! Did you ever do the MS Read-a-thon? My mum and dad's friends always made them promise to limit the number of books that I could read so they wouldn't be up for squillions of sponsorship dollars. I loved Baby Sitter's Club and Sweet Valley High. Oh and Trixie Belden too! Sigh.
ReplyDeleteSuper impressed that you managed 52 books in 52 weeks!
Jane Eyre is one of my all-time faves. Also, The Hunger Games? So good!!
ReplyDeleteI used to read A LOT when I was little. I read so much, the librarians at my elementary school asked me to record myself reading books out loud so the little kids could check the tapes out with the books and follow along.
Right now, I'm reading the Sherlock Holmes collection. I love it! You should definitely give it a go soon.
Well done!
ReplyDeleteI am please to see someone else has read and enjoyed Prep. I found it really intriguing and honest and clever.
I think the book I have most loved this year is 'The Peculiar Sadness of Lemon Cake' which was delightful and bittersweet and completely surprising and heart breaking all at once. Also 'how to be a Woman' because it is just bloody good and Moran is a fab writer.
I read The Particular Sadness of the Lemon Cake, but I didn't love it. I felt like it was almost two different competing books within the same story.
ReplyDeleteI read Remembering Smell about a woman's journey through the loss of her sense of smell and it was incredible and thought-provoking.
The Other Wes Moore was extraordinary.
Hands down, the best book I read this year was And Still Peace Did Not Come about child soldiers in Liberia after the wars.
Good work. I actually liked the Tiger's Wife and we are getting the Hunger Games trilogy for M's wee brother as we tend to give books as gifts a lot. I've read 12 books this year (so one a month) but inspired by you I might give 52 a try for next year. It should be easy and not at all difficult to fit in around the wedding..
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