I've miss keeping track of my reading since abandoning last summer's list. Thought I'd give it another try (though Winter and Spring Reading List does not have the same ring to it).
1- Babylon By Bus
by: Ray LeMoine, Jeff Neumann, Donovan Webster
Classification: Non-fiction, IN IRAQ (so not finishing anytime soon)
I heard Ray and Jeff talk about this book on NPR and it sounded fascinating, so I picked up a copy. It's about two twenty-something guys who travelled to Iraq in 2004 and got jobs they were underqualified for working with NGOs. So far I am having trouble getting into it...possibly because I never read non-fiction, because I have trouble getting into it. Also, there are so many acronyms for all the organizations working in Iraq that it gets kind of hard to follow.
2-How to Eat Like a Hot Chick
by: Jodi Lipper and Cerina Vincent
Classification: Diet book
The tone was reminiscent of the Skinny Bitch books, except these authors seemed to like me a lot more, and the emphasis was on happiness, not veganism. I bought this book as my freebie at the buy 3 used books, get 1 free sale, and I'm glad I did. While a lot of it contained simplistic, common-sense advice, it also focused on having a healthy relationship with food...pretty much the "hot chick" of the title is a woman with self-confidence who has that healthy relationship. The reason I have currently been shying away from diets, even though I'd like to lose some weight, is because I am trying to build a healthier relationship with food, so I feel like this gave some good pointers.
3-Round Ireland with a Fridge
by: Tony Hawks
Classification: Non-fiction, Travel, IN-PROGRESS
Also courtesy of the used book store. I've read the first chapter of it, so now that I'm back from Ireland there's little hope of me finishing it anytime soon.
4- Your Scandalous Ways
by: Loretta Chase
Classification: Romance
My first Chase romance. A British spy and a courtesan meet in Venice. Shenanigans, hijinks, and sex in an old bell tower ensue.
5- Watchmen
by: Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Classification: Graphic Novel or, if you'd like, comic book
And the world of reading will never be the same...This genre creates an entirely different reading experience, a different relationship between reader and text. Super intertextual, philosophical, psychological, postmodern, deconstructionist...I want to enroll in a course where I can discuss every aspect. It was absolutely incredible. And now I'm hooked. Now I'm one of those chicks who goes to comic bookstores. It's fantastic.
6- Fables: Legends in Exile
by: Bill Willingham and various
Classification: Comic
Once you declare yourself as a new comic fan, the recommendations start pouring in. This was the first one I chose, because who doesn't want to read about fairytale characters living in a closed communicty in New York City? I am now up to about volume 60 of this one. While Watchmen took days for me to read, a book of ten to twelve issues of this comic takes me about an hour. It's a romance novel to literary fiction, a box of donuts to a three-course meal at a fancy French restaurant...but lovely, delicious little donuts. Also, I have now realized that comic books are an expensive habit. Luckily, I have a friend who owns almost the entire series.
7- Persepolis
by: Marjane Satrapi
Classification: Graphic Novel
The comic about the girl coming of age during the Iranian revolution that made a big splash a couple of years ago and was then turned into a movie. Quite good.
8- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, vol. 1
by: Alan Moore
Classification: Graphic Novel
In a nutshell-- not as good as Watchmen but far, far better than the movie. I am interested in reading the rest of the series.
9- The Importance of Being Married
by: Gemma Townley
Classification: Chick Lit
Imagine this book, based on its title. Yup, that's pretty much it. But it was a fun bit of fluff to read on the plane coming home from Ireland.
10- A Fatal Waltz
by: Tasha Alexander
Classification: Historical fiction
Victorians, mysteries, and a strong, educated heroine who studies Ancient Greek and scandalizes society by drinking port with the men after dinner...yeah, I pretty much want to write this series.
11- Howards End
by: EM Forster
Classification: Classic, IN PROGRESS
I have every intention of picking this up again. Really. I love me some Forster. And a good Norton Critical Edition. But it was so much more interesting to read about English/Scottish history while I was over there...
12- The Other Queen
by: Phillipa Gregory
Classification: Historical Fiction
Amazon informs me this is not available in paperback in the States yet, so I guess I got the jump on this one. Anyway, this is not one of Gregory's best. It tells the story of the imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots in England from three POVs: Queen Mary; her captor, George Talbot; and his wife, Bess. For almost the entire story, they were all stuck together in the same house...resulting in three characters telling the reader the same thing over and over again. Kind of dull. Also, a foregone conclusion, though that really didn't bother me.
13- This Charming Man
by: Marian Keyes
Classification: Chick Lit
For some reason, despite all the very blatant signs, I was not prepared for the climax of this book. Perhaps I, too, was seduced by the charming man? Is this intentional or just me being dense? Not sure. Anyway, another good Keyes read with interesting characters navigating serious societal issues. My only problem was with the switching POVs. I liked that we got the story from multiple character's POV...I didn't like that some of these were told 1st person and some were 3rd.
14- What Would Emma Do?
by: Eileen Cook
Classification: YA
Saved meets The Crucible.
15- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
by: Jane Austen and that guy
Classification: postmodern mishmash?
IN PROGRESS
Maybe I will pick this up again some day. Also, this is the first thing that pops up when you start typing "Pride and pre..." in amazon's search.
16- Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse book #9)by: Charlaine Harris
Classification: Fiction
I still love the characters in this universe, but this time Harris really seemed to be phoning it in. Originally the plots were convoluted, in a good way, but I felt this one could have been sketched out on a post-it note. Maybe now that True Blood is such a success, Harris' time is taken up developing the series for TV instead of books. Anyway, I read the entire thing in an afternoon, and I'll read the next one, too, but...eh. I expect more.
17- Meridon
by: Philippa Gregory
Classification: Historical Romance
Last book of the Wideacre trilogy, which I first picked up the summer after college. First book to not include incest. First half of the book, when Meridon was a Victorian circus performer, was intriguing. Second half, when she became Lady of the Manor...passable. Much slower.
18- Unmanned (Y: The Last Man, volume 1)
by: Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
Classification: comic books
Intriguing concept, interesting plot and characters. Reads too quickly, so it's not worth buying again but I'll be getting the rest of the series out of the library.
19- Fast Women
by: Jennifer Crusie
Classification: Chick Lit, Reread
I've decided to include rereads in the list, since it only exists to keep track of what I'm reading anyway. I've read this book at least half a dozen times (probably more) and it shows. Crusie is one of my writing role models and what I looked for this time was the details: the china, the vibrant vegetables purchased at the farmer's market, the look of Nell's new house, the clothes...Crusie is very good at details. I need to become very good at details.
20- The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes
by: Jennifer Crusie, Eileen Dryer, Anne Stuart
Classification: Chick Lit, Collaboration
I loved Crusie's sections but some of the others drove me crazy. Also, it seemed like a Nora Roberts trilogy: three sisters (or women who end up like sisters)meet men and explore their powers, then combine to fight a great evil. All they needed was to build some sort of store together and name it after women power. And (despite how blah her last series was) Roberts would have done it better.
FINAL TALLY:
Finished: 16
Unfinished: 4
Nonfiction: 2 (both unfinished, coincidentally)
Diet book: 1
Romance: 1
Comic/Graphic Novel: 5
Chick Lit: 4
Historical Fiction: 2
Classic: 1 (unfinished)
YA: 1
Postmodern mish-mash: 1 (unfinished)
Fiction: 1
Historical Romance: 1
Not the most refined tastes. Ah well.
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