| Books Read in 2009 |
[Jan. 1st, 2009|04:31 pm] |
Every year I want to document this, and every year I fail utterly. Let's give it another shot. I'll update this post throughout the year, and even leave it public, just for fun. Watch This Space!
January
1. Pies and Prejudice: In Search of the North, Stuart Maconie -- This is one of my Christmas books and technically begun in 2008. It was a present from my friend Sarah, and I haven't quite finished it yet (I will have soon!), but I love it. As someone who has lived in both the south and the north but without any particular sense that I am either a northerner or a southerner (although I think most people would see me as a southerner) it is interesting to see how much of what he says I agree with. An awful lot, as it turns out, and the book is even funny too!
2. A Tale of Time City, Diana Wynne Jones -- Another Christmas present. I love Diana Wynne Jones, but mainly on the basis of the Chrestomanci series and the Howl's Moving Castle series. This is neither, but I still loved it. I always feel she is a little under rated (or a lot) as an author, probably increasingly since Pottermania. I found the beginning a little hard to get into, on this book, but once I was into it, I was really into it. I finished it on the train, and was quite sad about it too!
3. Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom -- I expected to love this book, because I adored both of the author's novels. I really didn't like this though. It's hard to explain why, but I just felt it rubbed me the wrong way. Having said that, I still found it incredibly moving, and it even made me cry (I don't tend to cry at books, my mother says I am cold hearted). Which says a lot of Albom's writing skills. It was one of those books that you feel a need to finish, even if you don't particularly want to. I'm glad I read it, but I'm not sure whether or not I'm likely to read it again.
4. Two Caravans, Marina Lewycka -- I read this for my book group. I'm not sure whether or not I would have read it on my own, as I had read the author's previous book and although I liked it, I didn't love it. But it was certainly interesting and worth reading. It makes you think about things, which is no bad thing given how few books do that these days!
5. Dragon Flight, Jessica Day George -- This is a Christmas present book, and a sequel to Dragonskin Slippers, which I loved. There also seems to be another sequel coming out in May, which is rather exciting, although brave. The larger the number of sequels the more worried I get. These are kids books, but quite a lot of fun, and they have dragons. I like dragons. In books anyway!
February
6. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Paul Torday -- I really had no idea what to expect from this book but, actually, I really enjoyed it. It is the first time in a while that I really really wanted to know how a book end. I had a suspicion of how it would end, but I was only partly right, and that is always a good thing! What I have no real idea of now is -- what should I read next!? I am very interested to read some of the author's other books now...
7. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett -- This was My First Pratchett. You may be shocked and outraged at will. I really enjoyed it though, mental as it undoubtedly was! :-) I like surreal books!
8. The Stone Gods, Jeanette Winterson -- I've had this book for ages. Not a happy book, but very thought provoking!
March
9. Days of Grace, Catherine Hall -- This was one of the best books I've read in a very long time!
10. Crow Lake, Mary Lawson -- I was lent this by my Mum who thought that I was quite a lot like the main character. She may have a point, in some ways.
11. The Wee Free Men, Terry Pratchett -- My second Pratchett. I really quite enjoyed this one! :)
12. Notes on a Small Island, Bill Bryson -- I was actually re-reading this, having read it years ago. I actually like it less second time around. I'm not sure why...
April
13. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro -- Again, a very thought provoking book. Again, not a happy book.
14. The Carpet People, Terry Pratchett -- Yet another Pratchett! I think this was my least favourite so far, but it was still a nice book!
15. Love on the Dole, Walter Greenwood -- I'm not totally sure about this one. I enjoyed it, in a way, but at the same time I found it about ten types of depressing!
May
16. Three Bags Full, Leonie Swann -- I absolutely loved this book. Rather mad, but in the best possible way. It is a sheep detective story. What more do you need to know? Seriously!?
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
pennywren's journal