At the end of 2010, I realized I had not read a fiction book the entire year. Spending most of 2010 with extreme morning sickness or adjusting to being a new mom distracted me from my favorite and most satisfying hobby. Even my family started to notice--my mom, concerned, asked me why I wasn’t reading anymore. I was out of the habit and didn’t know if I would allow myself the time to sit down and actually focus on this task. I had a hard time sitting through a movie without worrying about the housework around me--bottles to wash, laundry to fold, dishes to wash, plus the never ending pile of grading, lesson planning and paperwork that comes with my job. If I couldn’t even focus through a two hour movie, how could I sit for hours to finish a novel?
At the end of 2010, I decided that my New’s Years resolution would be to read more books in 2011 than I did in 2010. Which, honestly, was pretty much the easiest resolution I could have made since I hadn’t read any books in 2010. So on New Year’s Day last year, I started “The Help.” I finished it by the 3rd (easily, since I was still on Holiday vacation from work), and I had fulfilled my New Year’s resolution that simply! Reading it was difficult initially; I had grown so used to the ease of watching stories told through the film medium, which doesn’t require much mental challenge. But what I had forgotten was the immersive nature of reading. Even when you are watching a great film, you are still just watching images that the director has decided you should see. The film doesn’t engage my senses entirely. It is easy for me to grab my iPhone, play Cut the Rope, and have the film on in the periphery. It doesn’t challenge me to feel and see everything with my own eyes. It doesn’t force me to to feel and emphasize with the inner and deepest most feelings of your protagonist. Certainly, many films pull on your heartstrings; just think about that ultra manipulative scene in “Up”--but it is still a limited form of story telling. Books don’t have the limitations of budget or running time or actors abilities.
After completing “The Help,” my mom gave me a few newly published books to keep up my initial momentum of reading. Not all of them were favorites, but reading had become part of my daily routine once again. And I continued from there.
For mother’s day, my mom got me my kindle book reader. When first researching electronic ink readers, I had the same hang ups that I’ve heard repeated by others--but I love the feel of paper! I love having my physical book library to lend to others! But honestly, five minutes with a kindle erased any reservations I had about the device. In my opinion, my kindle is the most pleasant and easy way to read. If you read frequently, don’t mind paying for books or like to read classics, then I would highly recommend acquiring a kindle. I do not like reading library books, for reasons that are revealed in my nickname for them: “bugar books.” Even last week when reading a school library copy of the “Pretties,” there was some yellow mystery food/biological matter speared over several pages. Just not hygienical. So I don’t mind paying for my books. I also compare the price of a movie ticket with the cost of a book. I don’t mind paying $7.50 (plus popcorn--mandatory) for a 2 hour movie ticket, so I really don’t mind paying $5-8 for a book that will provide 5-10 hours of entertainment.
So, as the end of 2011 is near, I am very proud to say that I have finished 38 books this year. Such a difference from last year! I’d like to share some thoughts about my favorites this year. I’d like to thank everyone who posted on my facebook statuses with recommendations. Aside from “Ms. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” every book I read this year was based on some sort of recommendation. I’d also like to thank Greg for being so supportive while I morphed from his movie watching buddy into the girl who goes into her cave every night to read with her brown noise pumped into her headphones. I won’t say that his new love for watching the Price is Right has been very helpful though...
Books Read in 2011
1 The Help by Kathyrn Stockett
2 Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
3 Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
4 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
5 The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb
6 Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
7 The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
8 The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank
9 Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquirel
10 The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
11 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
12 Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
13 Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
14 Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard
15 Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
16 The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
17 House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
18 Dracula by Bram Stoker
19 Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
20 Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
21 Villette by Charlotte Bronte
22 Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
23 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
24 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
25 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
26 Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
27 Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
28 Fablehaven 2: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull
29 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
30 Anthem by Ayn Rand
31 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
32 Fablehaven 3: Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull
33 The Shining by Stephen King
34 Fablehaven 4: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull
35 Fablehaven 5: Keys to the Demon Prison by Brandon Mull
36 Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
37 Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
38 Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
I devoured this absolute gem in two evenings. Poor Greg had to deal with my running into our loft every 15 minutes to read excerpts from the book without much context of what was going on. I think my heart pounded through this entire novel--one of the most amazing reading experiences I’ve ever had. However, I realize this book will not be everyone’s cup of tea. This dystopia novel centers its story around a virtual reality environment called the OASIS and the ultimate game for the creator’s inheritance. Because of my childhood experiences with the Zelda Nintendo games and my massive playtime with World of Warcraft, this book filled with 80’s cultural references within an advanced MMORPG was just the perfect fit for me.
BEST SERIES OF THE YEAR
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
I thought I didn’t like fantasy novels. I tried reading the first “Lord of the Rings” book after I saw the movie and it did nothing for me. This series is simply good, clean fun. And Mull is great at describing his exotic characters so that individuals like me, without much imagination, can actually picture what is happening at this reserve.
BEST CLASSIC OF THE YEAR
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
I love Monte Cristo sandwiches, so I decided to read this on my kindle. I read the unabridged version, with 24681 kindle locations, was a daunting undertaking. To put that number into perspective, Hunger Games has 4700 locations. Completing this took me three weeks of intense reading to finish. When an author takes that much time to develop every character and situation in this revenge story, it is so much fun to see how everything weaves together so perfectly in the end. I have no idea how the book could be abridged, when it seemed like each mundane detail ends up being an important plot point later in the book. Beautifully constructed and written.
MOST ANTICIPATED (and didn’t disappoint)
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb
I made Greg drive me to Barnes and Nobles the day this came out, and I bought the hardback at full price. I had been waiting years for a new Wally Lamb release, since “This Much I Know is True” is one of my absolutely most favorite books. However, if you look at the publish date of this book, you’ll find that it was released November 2008. So why such a huge delay in me finishing this book? I was about 100 pages into it when I broke my ankle--and following my surgery I was in too much pain to complete it. Then, I seemed to have a mental block about finishing it because I associated it with that period of time in my life that I don’t really like to revisit, so it sat sadly ignored on my shelf for years. I finally pulled it off the shelf and started from page 1--and it is another masterpiece by Mr. Lamb. A character driven story told from the perspective of a teacher whose wife is changed after enduring the trauma of the Columbine shootings.
OTHER BOOKS I HIGHLY RECOMMEND
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Shining by Steven King
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
BOOKS THAT WERE DUDS
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Thanks for reading! I am always, always, always looking for more book recommendations. Please let me know of your favorites and must-reads.
