I’ve been sorely neglecting the blog. (What else is new, right?) I have to admit I’ve lost a bit of my enthusiasm for it. There’s been plenty to write about — my dad’s wedding, my mom’s wedding, my trip to Chicago and Northfield, Minnesota, my 31st birthday, the basement water leak that left us waterless for two days due to a slow-moving property manager (what a joy that was), the DVD release of Flight of the Conchords (seriously, check out this show if you’ve never seen it) — I just haven’t felt like blogging.
I’m trying to read more. I used to be a fairly voracious reader, but I’ve really slipped over the past few years. It’s early to be thinking about new year’s resolutions, but I’ve decided that next year I’m going to try to read 52 books in 52 weeks. Google “52 books in 52 weeks” and you’ll see that this is sort of an internet meme. I realize that for avid readers this isn’t much of a challenge, but for me it will be.
So I’m working on creating a reading list. Anything goes — fiction, nonfiction, anthologies, short stories, essays, graphic novels — as long as it’s a book. There are far too many books on my shelves that I haven’t read. Book shopping is so fun and I tend to buy things as I see them (even though I know I’ve got stacks of unread books at home) so I won’t forget that I want to read them. Honestly, I have purchased more books (or received them as gifts) in the past few years than I have actually read. That’s just sad.
Anyone else who’s up to the challenge is welcome to join in. The more the merrier. I’m going to try to post at least short reviews of each book I read. Any suggestions for my book list are definitely encouraged. So, read any good books lately?
Sounds like a good thing to try. I might give it a whirl. I’ve been slacking on my reading lately.
Here are a few suggestions of things I liked in the last year or so.
Stranger than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk
We were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
The Watchmen by Alan Moore (Graphic novel)
Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is the most recent fiction I’ve enjoyed. If you haven’t read any Paul Auster, I also highly recommend his books, especially The Book of Illusions and Oracle Night.
On the non-fiction side, Freakonomics is a fun read and I also liked The Wisdom of Crowds.
red, i’m in the same boat; have bought/received more books than i have read in recent years. sad state of affairs. i’d be interested to see the reading list you come up with. i recently finished “the time traveler’s wife” and i found it to be quite a good read.
Speaking of Cormac McCarthy and slightly off topic: is stripped down punctuation help or hindrance? Aggregating or aggravating?
Thanks for the suggestions, and byrd, I’ll definitely be posting a list. I figure if I do this publicly I’ll be more likely to succeed. (Fingers crossed.) Happy turkey day everyone!
I’m up for the challenge. Every time I go into Taylor’s I’m struck by the sadness that I can’t remember the last book I read. I would second Hoyt’s recommendation for The Book of Illusions. Really anything by Auster. I also enjoyed The Dogs of Babel. Up next for me (I hope) is Tom Perrotta’s latest, The Abstinence Teacher. And I’m still trying to open The Time Traveler’s Wife upon the recommendation of several friends. I’d also like to read the Runaways, a comic by the writer of Ex Machina, but those hardcover anthologies are expensive.
Hey Red,
There’s a cool new social networking site for book lovers called Shelfari, http://www.shelfari.com/, that you might want to check out.
They have a cool virtual book shelf that you can put on your blog and exchange comments with other readers.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I don’t know how much you drive, jog, or spend time on mindless tasks, but one way I get more “reading” done is by listening to recorded books. Both the Library Commission and Kanawha County Library have a pretty good selection. Sometimes it’s easier to listen to some books than actually read them.
The other thing I do to get more time in is get up earlier and try to read a couple of pages from the current pile.
Speaking of good books, I just read–listened to–A Separate Peace. I know lots of people did that one in school but I missed it.
I’m a voracious reader, so I can make lots of suggestions, depending upon what you like.
First off, Runaways by Bryan K Vaughn (and recently taken over by Joss Whedon) is fantastic. I’m always waiting impatiently for the next volume to come out. Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” is also excellent. I’m also a fan of Bill Willingham’s “Fables” series (Fables live in our world, but have remained in hiding, primarily because there is a war raging in their homelands). I personally didn’t enjoy “Watchmen” but I don’t deny it was good.
If you like mysteries, I am a huge fan of Kate Ross’s four books, starting with “Cut to the Quick.” Her early death was a terrible loss, because her mysteries are fantastic. They’re Victorian (I think) mysteries, with lots of ambiance, fantastic writing, and an amazing story. Another favorite is Christopher Fowler, whose two main characters are elderly detectives in the British Peculiar Crimes Unit.
If you like fantasy, I recommend without reservations “Swordspoint” by Ellen Kushner. No elves, magic, or mystical creatures. She just chose to set the story in a world that doesn’t quite match ours, but has many parallels. (i.e. it’s an historical novel with bits and pieces taken from different regions of Europe.) If you like magic, I can also recommend anything by Charles de Lint or Steven Brust. I’m partial to de Lint’s short story collections, and I think “The Phoenix Guards” is the best place to start for Brust, but I basically love everything they’ve written.
Non-fiction I recently read and enjoyed “Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers” by Mary Roach. “Flu : The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 & the Search for the Virus That Caused It” by Gina Kolata is a favorite, as is anything by Karen Armstrong, who does some of the best writing about religion I’ve ever read.
Regular fiction, I love “The Fencing Master” by Arturo Perez Reverte. His other books are good, but “The Fencing Master” is my favorite.
Biography, I thoroughly enjoyed Walter Cronkite’s autobiography, “A Reporter’s Life” I think it did a better job talking about WWII than “The Greatest Generation” and I found him engaging and interesting.
If you like science, any essay collection by Stephen Jay Gould. He wrote for years for “Natural History” magazine, and I ended up eventually dropping my subscription after he quit writing for them in 2000.
Okay, back into the woodwork with me!
As a compulsive reader, I love talking to random strangers at parties about something other than Californication. “The Raw Shark Texts” by Steven Hall. Is the best new fiction I’ve encountered in years. But, truly, if you want to read well, without the committment, get a script to the New Yorker and indulge in the bathtub!
Thanks for all of the suggestions, folks. Jim, I checked out Shelfari and it looks kind of cool. I couldn’t get the little bookshelf widget to work in WordPress, but if I can figure it out I think I’ll use it.