I did a little less better on the book count scene (45 vs 51) than I did in 2009. But I figure it is about the same in page count as in the previous year as there were many 800 pagers in my selections - Stieg Larsson's series being one of them and Tana French's.
I don't have teevee to distract me but I think I would do a lot better edging on my target goal of 100 books a year if I stayed away from screensucking on the interwebz. I have declared some days webzfree days but I don't stick to it on a weekly basis like some of my more balanced friends do.
One friend is up to a self imposed TWO WHOLE DAYS per week off. Oh, I whinge, but I'd miss my blog buddies and my Lexulous! OK, I'm going to be a grownup and declare one day a week off for now. Well, this is Sunday, right? So it can't be Sunday. Wednesday then? OK. Wednesday.
And here they are, these glorious books, the ones in bold with the stars being ones I rated the very best:
February - Lisa Moore*
18 Stories - Heinrich Boll
Push - Sapphire
The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion*
Daughter of Fortune - Isabel Allende
Dali - Frank Weyers
A Good House - Bonnie Burnard
The Time of Their Lives - Wayne Johnston
The Room Upstairs - Monica Dickens
Life Penalty - Joy Fielding
Molly Child Number 583 - Mary Keenan (thank you Tessa!)
Fear the Worst - Linwood Barclay
Middlemarch - George Elliot (again, yum!)*
The Moons of Jupiter - Alice Munro*
Lost Souls - Michael Collins
Paris Requiem - Lisa Appignanesi
Ladies' Night at Finbar's Hotel - Various
The Mistress of Nothing - Kate Pullinger
Between Friends - Mickey Pearlman *
Where you belong - Barbara Taylor Bradford (dropped - too formulaic)
A Separate Peace - John Knowles*
A Painted House - John Grisham
Last Dance, Last Chance - Ann Rule(filler only waiting for book box delivery)
A Creed for the Third Millenium - Colleen McCullough
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson*
The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson*
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage - Alice Munro (again!)*
Secret Daughter - Shilpi Somaya Gowda
A Moveable Feast - Ernest Hemingway (again!)*
Short Stories of 1943 - Herschel Brickell
In the Woods - Tana French
The Glass Harmonica - Russell Wangersky
The Prodigal Summer - Barbara Kingsolver*
Magic Moments from the Movies - Elwy Yost
The Likeness - Tana French
Room - Emma Donaghue*
Annabel - Kathleen Winter
Angels and Insects - A.S. Byatt
Light Lifting - Alexander MacLeod
When We Were Orphans - Kazuo Ishiguro
The Artificial Newfoundlander - Larry Mathews
The Bean Trees - Barbara Kingsolver
Faithful Place - Tana French*
Alone at Sea - John Morris (not finished)
Stands back in amazement! Wow - that's a lorra books, WWW!
ReplyDeleteDaughter of Himself has been raving about the three by Stieg Larsson you listed, by the way.
I've read more this year than for several years past, but still it only amounts to:
7 novels by Howard Spring (love his books); Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck; started 1984 - again - but became too depressed to finish it. And Revolt in 2100 by Robert Heinlein.
"screensucking on the interwebz" If that is original, then you deserve an award ... how about a gift card from Netflix so you can watch movies on your 'puter? LOL
ReplyDeleteT:
ReplyDeleteYes I like Howard Spring too - read him years ago.
Do try Larsson they are very clever and underline the type of government corruption that exists in today's world.
He says a lot in them. it is a shame he died so young.
XO
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VP:
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know it is :D, I used it way back too.
Netflix would be the death of me kind sir!
Though I admit to an enormous movie collection!
XO
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Apparently I'm going to have to read Alice Munro. I won't expect to hear from you on Wednesdays. I loved your description screensucking on the interwebz.
ReplyDeleteWhat if you just had to look something up on Wednesday? And then what if you just wanted to peek at your blog to see whether you had any comments? What then?
ReplyDeleteI love Alice Munro. And Carol Shields too. But I never could read Margaret Atwood.
OK - I'm going to have to go back to keeping a books-read journal, or even a brief book report. A friend asked recently how did I have time to read so much, and that was just based on the small number of books I review on my blog. Your book list is entirely different to mine, so it is a good place to start expanding my authors. The Stieg Larsson ones jump out at me. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteYou did well last year, WWW. There are some good suggestions there, but I still have many unread books, much to my shame. I'm not much of a reader right now. My mind wanders too much. I find it hard to concentrate. A Separate Peace I like very much too.
ReplyDeleteMarcia:
ReplyDeleteYou will love Alice, her work speaks to everyone!
XO
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20CW:
ReplyDeleteYou lined up all my past excuses quite nicely there!
"Alias Grace" I believe was my favourite Attwood, some of her work is very tough going.
XO
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Freda:
ReplyDeleteI will have to check out your list!
XO
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Nora:
ReplyDeleteSome of mine I believe I took from your favourites, Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer being one of them? I adored it.
XO
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Thanks for another list that I must checkout. Since Marymine gave me a Kindle, the books have been being read like crazy. Loved the Stieg Larsson series. Just finished Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, ok, but I came away feeling like she writes the men from a woman's mind ???
ReplyDeleteI too have been trying to limit my time on the computer.
I haven't read a single one of those, except that I've just started Room by Emma Donaghue. So I have precisely zero comments to make! Clearly our reading tastes diverge. Even though I read quite a lot of female writers.
ReplyDeleteAs I listen to audio books I look up, on the computer, locations mentioned, or facts researched.
ReplyDeleteIt adds a lot to the overall experience.
Downloading books and burning them to CD's delights me. Ain't technology great!
I also enjoy authors, Scott Turow
and Louise Penny.
Just finished At Home by Bill Bryson.
Thanks for your list, I'll check it out.
Helen
Brighid:
ReplyDeleteI haven't Kindled myself though many are raving about it. I will keep it under consideration!
I am currently reading Kate Morton but taking quite a while to get into her, she came highly recommended.
XO
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Nick:
ReplyDeleteI am amazed you haven't read the Larsson series.
Stieg wanted to call the whole series "Men who hate Women" but he wasn't allowed.
It is a total eye-opener.
I will be interested to hear what you think about "Room".
XO
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Helen:
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy Bryson. I've listened to books in the car on long journeys and they make the time just fly. I must get into listening to podcasts more.
XO
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Ah Hemingway ! I am a huge fan of his writing...:-)
ReplyDelete