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| Photo by Anna Reavis |
I've never done any kind of retrospective or "best of" list, but I thought I'd give it a go this time around. The first thing I noticed about my 2012 list is that I actually read a few more books than in 2011 but still not as many as I used to read before I started dating again. This dating thing may have to go!
My first favorite of the year was 11/22/63 by Stephen King. This was my first experience with Stephen King, and I loved it. I wish I weren't such a baby and could read his other books without having debilitating nightmares. 11/22/63 is one of those rare novels that is well-written, entertaining, and thought-provoking all in one (large) package.
My second favorite was The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh. I love a good adventure story with a strong female lead. These novels always make me want to drop everything and leave for more exciting, possibly dangerous parts. Maybe someday. I will definitely read more Ghosh in the future.
The Outlander by Gil Adamson continued the strong female adventure story theme, although I would never want to be in The Widow's place. This was a poetic and engaging novel that I would love to read again sometime.
My last two fiction favorites were similar: A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash and The Cove by Ron Rash. I've lived in the small-town South all my life, so novels like these awake the nostalgia in me. Granted, nostaglia is usually wishing for and remembering something that never existed, but we can dream, can't we?
My favorite nonfiction book of the year was The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking. Considering the brain-functioning level of the author and the difficulty of some of the subject matter, I found the book to be quite approachable and understandable. (And I was an English major, so that is quite an endorsement.)
So there's my wrap-up for 2012. My main goal for 2013 is to read more than a paltry 22 books. WTF?! Maybe I should become a nun. Or a hermit. Or even better a hermitic nun.
4 comments:
Yeah I only read 25 this year. I hope to read 50 in 2013. Maybe King's 11/22/63 should count as 2 since it was long. Would like to read The Outlander. Also want to read Ron Rash's Serena novel ... I hear they are making it into a movie. Cheers http://www.thecuecard.com/
50 Wow! Doubling is a lofty goal. And here I was thinking I'd try for 30 and probably not make that. 11/22/63 and The Outlander are fantastic. The Outlander is a quick read, and 11/22/63, while lengthy, is not a slow read. I read Serena this year but didn't love it. (I think I have a post about it.) My favorite Rash has been One Foot in Eden. I'd recommend that first, if you've never read him. I'm currently bogged down in Les Mis. I'm enjoying it, but it is certainly not a quick read. I love your blog!
If you read Serena, email me and let me know what you think. (amypbrandon at icloud dot com) It came highly recommended to me, but I must have missed something cause it didn't do it for me :(
Thanks Amy for warning me about Serena and checking out my blog. I will hold off on Serena for a while as I'm in the midst of a couple others. But good to hear about The Outlander!
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