2011 Book Roundup

Okay, so this year wasn't so much quantity as it was quality. Moving countries and starting a full-time job really puts a damper on reading time. The good news is I did get a Kindle for Christmas, so I'll be downloading books to read on my commute. I think first up is going to be Room by Emma Donoghue. I've also joined a book club and hopefully we'll read some interesting books this year!

Last year I did a best and worst list of the year, but it's difficult this year. I truly enjoyed all of the books I read this year. I was probably most pleasantly surprised by The Remains of the Day. I guess I had preconceived notions that it might be boring and it really wasn't. The one book I probably wouldn't recommend is Dublin Noir. I couldn't get past the story where the girl says she's sitting in a coffee shop trying to read a Dublin city map, but finding it impossible because the street names are all in Irish. Clearly the author had never been to Dublin and walked down O'Connell Street to Westmoreland Street to College Green and on to Nassau Street. Annoying.

What was  your surprise read for 2011? What would you recommend?

Happy reading in 2012!
 

2011 Reading List

• The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
• Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
• Before I Go to Sleep: A Novel by S.J. Watson
• Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris
• Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin
• Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• Dublin Noir: The Celtic Tiger vs. The Ugly American Edited by Ken Bruen
• Deliverance by James Hickey
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• Jewel by Bret Lott
• Small Island by Andrea Levy

Best reads of 2010

2010 Reading List

• Foe: A Novel by J.M.Coetzee
• Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
• Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
• The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
• The Glass Fern by Mary McCarthy
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
• When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris
• The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
• The Unbearable Lightness of Scones by Alexander McCall Smith
• The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld
• The World According to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith
• The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor
• Love Over Scotland by Alexander McCall Smith
• All For Love by Ved Mehta
• The Railway House - Tales from an Irish Fireside by Barry Kennerk
• Espresso Tales by Alexander McCall Smith

Looks like I read 19 books in 2010. That's an okay number, but not great. I would have preferred a nice, round 20. I should have been able to easily reach this number, but while I was in the US I was too busy eating and watching Hoarders to actually read anything. I don't like to set myself up for failure, so my goal for 2011 is 20 books.

The one book from this year I'd be most likely to recommend is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

The most enjoyable quick read was The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

The biggest disappointment was Julie and Julia by Julie Powell.

The one book I'd never recommend was No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy.

What books did you read this year? I love book recommendations, so let me know if you read anything interesting!

A short book review

I just finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Loved it! It's the story of a young girl whose mother sends her to live with a foster family as she can't care for her. Her foster father teaches her how to read, opening her up to the world of words.The setting is a town outside of Munich right at the onset of WWII. The book is narrated by 'Death' which puts an interesting perspective on everything. It's a long book (over 500 pages), but it doesn't feel like it. I can not recommend this book enough.

A book I won't recommend? No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. Blech.

I also just realized the book I'm reading now, The Glass Fern, is the first one this year by a female writer. What the heck!?  I'll make a point to pick more female writers on my next trip to the library!

My brain needs a workout too!

As an end of the year recap, some people listed all of the books they read in 2009 and I thought that was pretty cool. I'm loving my library card, so I've decided to keep track of all the books I read this year. I've never done this before, so I'm curious to see how many I read and what types I tend to go for. I like to think my selection of books is fairly random, but each time I go to the library I do try to pick at least one book that has something to do with Ireland. The book is written by an Irish author, a biography, or a story based in Ireland.

The list is over on the right side of the page, with links to the books in case anyone wants to know more about them. I'm not the fastest reader and I actually don't read during the day (regardless of my current employment status) so don't expect this list to be updated on a daily basis.

Oh, and my favorite book for 2009? Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh.