I didn't read as much as I could have. That's for damn sure. I think I read somewhere right around 100 books this year, though I re-read probably around 15-20 in the month or so during the closing on the condo, and the house. I don't think those re-read books are on the list. I also lost about ten days in July, due to boot camp in Champaign; I didn't have much time or will to read there. I stole chunks of time when I could, but it didn't add up to much. I've put the list after the jump, if you're interested.
Highlights:
Definitely the Stieg Larsson books, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Girl Who Played with Fire. Compulsively readable, and though they're not like anything else I usually read, I was able to get into them. I generally don't like thrillers, and though these were...they were also different from most American thriller novels in a way I can't quite put my finger on. About half-way through each one, I just couldn't stop. I mean, I literally just read straight through, because they are that addictive. I can't WAIT for the last in the trilogy, next year. I suspect it won't end definitively, though, because Larsson died unexpectedly after dropping the three manuscripts at his publisher. Sigh.
Of course, I loved Klosterman's newest essay collection. I love him anyway, and in this book he wrote about football, which makes me love him even more. Other good non-fiction: Chris Farley Show, Nine Lives, When March Went Mad, The Great Mortality. I really enjoyed the last book, though at times it was a bit heavy. I don't know why, but I am fascinated by the plague. I think I originally wanted to read it because I listened to A Company of Liars, by Karen Maitland (which was also very good), and that book made me more curious about the plague. (In fact, while I was looking for the title of the aforementioned audiobook, I found a list of books tagged plague in LibraryThing, and now I want to read some of those.)
The other noteworthy reading thing in my life: my booklist. At the beginning of the summer, with the help of a blog that compiles links to all kinds of summer reading lists, I made a list. A long list. I think there were 60 or so books on it. I enjoyed reading from the list so much (I feel a sense of guidance and order when reading from a list, and I'm seldom unsure of what to read next. I like that.) that I created a GIANT (over 100 books and counting) list for myself that I see as existing in perpetuity. I'll have to re-write it (it's on paper, which also makes me inordinately happy) over and over again, and omit the books I've read and add new books, but this also makes me happy.
I suspect the coming reading year will be much like this one. Right now, schoolwork isn't intruding on my reading time too much, but next fall, I'm going to have to ramp it up a little bit, and take a couple more credits a semester, so it doesn't take me five years to finish. I am not doing school this summer, though, because my wedding is during the on-campus weekend. Aw shucks. More reading time? Quite possibly.
November 12th is one of my favorite days of the year. I love dialing the clock back to zero and starting again. (Incidentally, as I don't keep spreadsheets separately per year, but just build upon the same one. Have been since...November 12th, 2004. And I've read 933 books (give or take) in that time. That's not so bad.) Starting a new book today.
Edited: Okay, it's not letting me have a jump. Coming back to Typepad after being away sucks, because shit DOESN'T work the way it should. ALL THE TIME.
Wordy Shipmates Vowell
I See You Everywhere Glass
Sexual Paradox Pinker
Life After Genius Jacoby
Chris Farley Show Farley
Traffic Vanderbilt
When Will There Be Good News? Atkinson
Alex and Me Pepperberg
Shakespeare Wrote for Money Hornby
Home Robinson
Walt Disney Gabler
Monsters of Templeton Groff
Honeymoon in Tehran Moaveni
Paper Towns Green
Outliers Gladwell
Horse Boy Isaacson
Billion Dollar Game St. John
Revolutionary Road Yates
More Than a Dream Kearney
Dating Jesus Campbell
Spectacular Now Tharp
Great Mortality Kelly
Title: 1901 Conroy
Fellowship of the Ring Tolkien
High Tide Lynas
Two Towers Tolkien
Ice Cream Powell
Return of the King Tolkien
Everything is Miscellaneous Weinberger
Help, The Stockett
Street Gang Davis
Pride Vincent
When Nothing Else Matters Leahy
Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand Vaughn
When March Went Mad Davis
White Witch, Black Curse Harrison
What I Did for Love Phillips
Parrot Who Thought She Was a Dog Ellis-Bell
Pictures at a Revolution Harris
Casting Spells Bretton
With the Light Tobe
Kissing Games of the World Shelton
Ready Gregory
Men of the Underworld Armstrong
Schulz and Peanuts Michaelis
Handle with Care Piccoult
Au Revoir to All That Steinberger
Wesley the Owl O'Brien
Suite Scarlett Johnson
Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Larsson
Reformed Vampire's Society Jinks
Dead and Gone Harris
Family Man Lipman
Air We Breathe Barrett
Good Enough Yoo
How to Ditch Your Fairy Larbalestier
Finger Lickin' Fifteen Evanvich
Tips on Having a Gay Ex-Boyfriend Jones
Rhino with Glue-on Shoes
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict Rigler
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict Rigler
Something, Maybe Scott
Not Becoming My Mother Reichl
Deep Dish Andrews
Fixer-Upper Andrews
I'm Down Wolff
In N' Out Perman
Best Friends Forever Weiner
Late Lamented Molly Marx Koslow
Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie Bradley
Time of My Life Scotch
Outrageous Affair Vincenzi
Three Dog Life Thomas
Missing Mark Kramer
Happens Every Day Gillies
Busted Andrews
Best of Times Vincenzi
Ripped Kot
Admission Korelitz
Bad Moon Rising Kenyon
Supremely Bad Idea Dempsey
Farm City Carpenter
Hungry Monkey Amster-Burton
Nine Lives Baum
Gate at the Stairs Moore
Inside Out Girl Cohen
Horizontal Life Handler
Animals Make Us Human Grandin
Why is My Mother Getting a Tattoo? Dunn
Commencement Sullivan
Where Men Win Glory Krakauer
You Were Always Mom's Favorite Tannen
Bride's Farewell Rosoff
Girl Who Played With Fire Larsson
Mommywood Spelling
Hour I First Believed Lamb
Bright-Sided Ehrenreich
Eating the Dinosaur Klosterman
Accidental Billionaires Mezrich
An Echo in the Bone Gabaldon
Acceptance Marcus
Mountains Beyond Mountains Kidder
Magicians Grossman
Okay, now it's behind a jump. I give up.
Posted by: Manogirl | November 12, 2009 at 05:21 PM
What did you think of _I See You Everywhere_?
Posted by: comebacknikki | November 16, 2009 at 08:27 PM