Of those 42 books, 23 of them were a first time read for me. 5 were graphic novels/comic volumes. I read several complete series last year: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Earthsea Cycle, and yes, Twilight. I also read two of the three Millennium books (the third hasn't come out yet).
It seems like less reading than I thought I did, but I don't count how many Manga series I devoured like so many delicious candy cane jo-jo's. Let's just say that it was a lot.
That being said, I do want to read more books this year that I haven't actually read before. The problem with that plan is... which books? I want to read books that are good, so I'm not going to pick up a book and read it if it hasn't been recommended to me. So, know any good ones?
3 comments:
This would be easier to answer if I knew more about your reading tastes ;).
Everyone should read Jane Jacobs' Death and Life of Great American Cities, and probably everyone should read Sudhir Venkatesh's Off the Books, and you're part of everyone, so that's simple.
I just finished Paul Tough's Whatever It Takes, about the Harlem Children's Zone and especially its charter school, so I recommend it if you're into that sort of thing -- it's quick and interesting.
I plowed through a ton of Greg Rucka's stuff recently and it's good if you're at all into spy/mystery thriller stuff (I'm not on average but I make exceptions, and he passes the hell out of the Bechdel test, so yay!). I think Whiteout was probably most striking to me.
OK - if you are in to slightly indulgent, oppressed-female progagonist-type books... I would recommend "The Clan of the Cave Bear" series by Jean Auel. (Please disregard any notions about the series on the Daryl Hannah movie done in the '80s! The books are so much better!) They are the only books Ms. Auel has ever written... I think there are 5-6 books in the series, and she's working on 1-2 more. She's done exhaustive research for her novels. It's not deep, but has a lot of detail that transports you to another time and place, and tackles issues that transcend time. She hooks you with some good prehistoric stuff in the first 2 books, and then in the end of the 2nd book, hooks you with romance stuff. It's a good series that (I think) moves quickly and gives you nice "mental vacations" while you read it. It's not overly-simple or complicated and has great character development. My favorite books are 1, 2, and 4. OK - enjoy! Take care! *hugs* Sarah (Fauser) Maun
Thank you both for the recommendations!
@Andromeda, I tend to read mostly fiction, and of that mostly sci-fi or fantasy. I won't turn down good non-fiction or other fiction at all, though, so I've got yours on the list now.
@Sarah, you know, I have never read that series but have often had it mentioned to me. Seems like maybe this will be the year! :)
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