First, a few fun stats. So far this year, I have read 44 books. 16 of them have been rereads, which is actually kind of low for me. I guess I have been on a new book streak. 8 of them were non-fiction.
Since I know everyone is dying to know exactly what I read, I think I am going to list all those 44 books and intersperse comments.
January
- The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
- Rhetorica Ad Herennium (in translation) by an unknown author -- (If you are interested in the techniques of persuasive writing, this is a fabulous text. Very old, but very relevant.)
- Greek Declamation by DA Russell
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
February
- De Oratore by Cicero (in translation)
- "A Rhetorician's Vade Mecum" by Lucian (in translation) - not book length
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- In the Arms of Mr. Darcy by Sharon Lathan (Mostly trash, but I just love Mr. Darcy.)
March
- Persuasion, Mansfield Park, and Emma by Jane Austen (This time, I think Mansfield Park was my favorite. Oh, Jane Austen, how do always change so, though you've been dead for hundreds of years?)
- Captain Wentworth's Diary by Amanda Grange (Absolute trash, but I just love Captain Wentworth.)
April
- North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (Elizabeth Gaskell is the clear highlight of all the new books I read this year so far. Diana Hsieh recommended her, and I was not disappointed. I liked Wives and Daughters best, but North and South was also delightful. Where else can you find a good man who is also an industrialist in good literature? I didn't like Mary Barton so much as these two. It was too focused on the poor in a dingy town from me to love it. I missed my country characters that you get in North and South and in Wives and Daughters. Fans of Jane Austen should definitely try Elizabeth Gaskell.)
- The Millionaire's Dinner Party: Adapted from the Satyricon by Petronius (in Latin) (Freaking hilarious. Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler have nothing on the Romans.)
- Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, and Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
- Lanterns on the Levee by William Alexander Percy (This book is the most poetic prose I have ever read. The feelings its author has about the South, about Sewanee, about cemeteries are almost exactly like mine. However, beware the racism. It was written long ago.
- Lives of the Sophists by Philostratus (in translation)
- Institutes of Oratory by Quintilian (in translation)
- On Christian Doctrine by Augustine (in translation)
May
- Club Dead, Dead to the World, Dead Reckoning, and Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
- D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling (What can I even say about this? If you haven't read Harry Potter by now, there is clearly something wrong with you that may be incurable.)
- Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
June
- The Darcy's and the Bingleys by Marsha Altman (Mr. Darcy buys a copy of the Kama Sutra for Bingley on his marriage. Total trash. But have I mentioned how I love Mr. Darcy?)
- Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow get the number two spot after Elizabeth Gaskell for how much I adore them and where have they been all my life. I've never read sci-fi like this before. Go read it, even if you don't read science fiction. They are acutally well-written.)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
July, so far
- Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
- Bangladesh by Tamara B Orr (I don't really recommend this book or this country.)
- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Currently Reading
- Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors by Nicholas Wade (Love this book so far. Lots of newer genetic information confirming or calling into question older theories based on the fossil record and archaeological findings. Very readable.)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
- The Romantic Manifesto and The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand
- Values of Harry Potter by Ari Armstrong (will be reviewing this before too long)
- How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One by Stanley Fish (The exciting and fun alternative to Strunk and White. Stanley Fish is a wonderful writer, and I like his rhetorical way of approaching writing.
- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (reading it again in research mode)
- selections from Livy's Legends of Early Rome (in Latin)
So, what are you reading?
8 comments:
I also read The Help, North and South (love the film adaptation, Richard Armitage is so dreamy), and caught up with the Sookie books. I'm currently reading One of Our Thursdsays is Missing (Jasper Fforde-love!), Game of Thrones, The Next Queen of Heaven (Gregory Maguire), Toujours Provence (Peter Mayle), Gaudy Night (Dorothy Sayers), and the most recent Black Dagger Brotherhood book (total trash, but fun reads. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit it)
Finished The Help in July too and am postponing finishing North and South! (I love it!) On the last two chapters (last session) of Atlas Shrugged, working on finding my copy of A Handmaid's Tale, struggling through the Qu'ran, somewhere between the covers of The Thoughtful Dresser and Philosophy: Who Needs It.
Amanda, I am waiting on Game of Thrones because I am so sick of reading books and then waiting for the next one to come out! I usually read books by people who are long since dead, and I got used to knowing that if they had written a book 3, I could read it right away. So, I am thinking that if I can resist, I am going to wait until Game of Thrones is completed. From what I have heard, I will love it, become addicted, and then be sad when I can't get the next book.
I also really love the Peter Mayle books. I've read them all. Travel writing is so fun.
Lynne, it has been years since I read The Handmaid's Tale. Is it worth a reread? I am also interested in the Qu'ran, but since Arabic is fairly high on my list of next languages to learn to read, I may just wait til I can read it in Arabic. :)
I'll have to let you know about The Handmaid's Tale 'cause I don't remember a thing about it either!
Attempting to read the Qu'ran in Arabic? You are truly a committed reader!
I don't know if you can really call it committed when a person dabbles with a gazillion languages reading myths and poetry, but never caring a lick for speaking any of them!
Some of my favorite books are on your list: Lanterns on Levee, Austen, Bronte, Harry Potter. Just try a Charles Dickens. . . my favorite is David Copperfield. I just finished a wonderful book, Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons.
I guess as a busy working mom you can be forgiven for reading so little in six months. :)
Still, I can't extend that benevolence so far as to forgive the praise for Stanley Fish (if you mean the academic and sometimes New York Times columnist). A thoroughgoing post-modernist. What's to like?
Mama, I see you are still on your campaign to get me to read Dickens. :) One day, when I have nothing else hard to force myself to do, I will improve my character by undertaking David Copperfield. :) What is the Solomans book about?
Jeff, yes, Fish is a postmodern scholar, but I think anyone would like this book, postmodern or not, as long as they enjoy grammar and language kind of stuff.
He talks about what grammar does and how to use it more fluently, and he chooses some wonderful sentences from literature and encourages people to imitate them to practice their writing. I really like it and am thinking of using it as a supplemental text in future freshman writing courses.
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