I made my 2010 goal of reading an average of a book a week and was never bored. I actually ended up reading several more than that. About half were rereads and favorites from my youth I've wanted to revisit. Some were for Classics Club. Some I've wanted to read for a long time. Thanks to those who recommended books. It was great!
If you like book lists like I do, here it is, more or less, along with my mini-comments:
Absolute Surrender, Murray--perfect
Collection of Essays, Orwell--excellent, quotable
Wild Swans, Chang--a must-read for freedom lovers
Lord Jim, Conrad--hard to read but great
The Lovely Bones, Seibold--pointless
Selected Poems, Dickinson-- half crazy/half genius
Narrative on the Life of Frederick Douglas--that awful tyranny
A Lantern in Her Hand, Aldrich--jr. high fave
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston--beautious
God the the American Writer, Kazin--all about famous authors
Gulliver's Travels, Swift--finally!
The Hummingbird's Daughter, Urrea--self-conscious, thumbs down
Harriet the Spy, Fitzhugh--old fave, innocuous??
The Distracted Preacher, Hardy--great short stories
Eats Shoots and Leaves, Truss-- help! comma coma!
Roman Fever and Others, Wharton--very smart
Excerpts from Old Testament, audio by Sir Lawrence Olivier--fabulous
The Dubliners, Joyce--fell short, cynical?
Wordstruck, MacNeil--enjoyable, clever
The Winter Queen, Akunin--fun except horrid ending
The Prince and the Pauper,Twain--excellent every time
The Goose Girl, Hale--goofy writing but goodish story
A Series of Unfortunate Events, Snicket-- all 13 woefully funny
A Room with a View, Forester--scrumptious
The Enchanted Chocolate Pot, Wrede and Stevermere--cute
7 by Elizabeth Enright- beautifully crafted, now that's childhood
New Testament gospels--it has everything
The Call of the Wild, London--well-done, unique
The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis--exquisite
God in the Dock, Lewis--truth and reality
A High Wind in Jamaica, Hughes--a great discovery!
The Confessions of St. Augustine--revelatory, humble
Phantastes, MacDonald--good stuff
Christy, Marshall--still very good
Dear Mr. Henshaw, Cleary--funny/dark?
The Abolition of Man, Lewis--of course
An Unsuitable Attachment, Pym--quaint, funish
Mistress Masham's Repose, T. H. White--bookish delight, see Gulliver!
Wise Blood, O'Connor--crazy-deep, 3rd time
Mystery and Manners, O'Connor--great insights
Everything That Rises Must Converge, O'Connor--layer upon layer
The Help, Stockett--yes, the troublesome South
Eight Cousins, Alcott--a lost gentle time
5 by E. Nesbit--all absolutely charming, funny, best writing
A Good Man is Hard to Find, O'Connor--great short stories w/Truth
101 Famous Poems--timeless and all but forgotten
Cloud Messenger & Sakuntala, Kalidasa--classics from ancient India
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Lewis--hidden truth
The Hunger Games, Collins--gruesome, telling
Island of the Blue Dolphins, O'Dell--still a great story
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Sacks--oh the human mind!
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6 comments:
That is wonderful, Jan! You read so many different genres. And I know a lot of them from stories you would tell as you read. Can't wait to see what you read in '11.
Great list. You had quite the variety! Good job.
Wow Mom, what a list! I'll refer to it anytime I need something to read. Thanks!
I second Em's comment. It's always nice to have a place to look for a new book to read. And since I trust your judgment, this is just the place! Great job on a year full of literature.
Wow. Well done!
E. Nesbit is still on my list. And thank you for the cute bibs! That was so thoughtful.
-Christina
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