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Friday, December 31, 2010

2010 - the year in books

Inspired by a couple of other bloggers who have recently posted lists of the books they have read this year, I have decided I will too.  Only I haven't kept a list so I'll just start off with what I do remember and then add to it as and when I remember anything else.  I can't find all my library receipts and the few I have found from the start of 2010 have reminded how bad my memory is (maybe a bit worse in this case because some of the books I've read were so forgettable and/or the memory of them badly needed to be supressed).

I'm going to start with the book club books (I'll put BC after them) although I didn't actually finish all of them - I will eventually.  I've also managed to read a good few books from my unread shelf - these are mostly the kind of books you buy for 10 for 1 euro at library sales and flea markets when you see one you want to buy and then figure you might as well get another nine and just grab anything that looks vaguely interesting or is by someone you've heard of.  I did that a few times five or six years ago and am still working my way through the pile but at least making some progress on it now.

I will put (RR) in brackets after something I've re-read - there are some books, such as by Georgette Heyer, that I invariably read every year when the escapism of new fiction isn't enough and I want to escape into familiar stories that always make me laugh or cry.  I've re-read a lot of stuff that's already on my shelves this year, partly to stop myself buying new-to-me books and partly because I love to read good books over and over. 

And finally, I am including some non-fiction stuff which I know I read start to finish but am not including various cookbooks, books on preserving, gardening books etc. that I have dipped into again and again but not necessarily sat down and read cover to cover.

  1. The Women - T.C. Boyle (BC book which I didn't finish on time for meeting but should finish this weekend)
  2. Daddy Long Legs – Jean Webster (BC)(RR)
  3. The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear - Walter Moers (BC - not finished)
  4. The Disappearance - Philip Wylie (BC)
  5. American Gods - Neil Gaiman (BC)
  6. The Deep End of the Ocean - Jacquelyn Mitchard (BC - the one book club book this year that made me wish I had the time back that I spent reading it - where its reputation comes from I do not know)
  7. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon (BC)
  8. Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood (BC)(RR)
  9. The Omnivore's Dilemna - Michael Pollan (BC)(RR)
  10. Let the Right One In - John Ajvide Lindqvist (BC)
  11. Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel (BC)
  12. Frederica - Georgette Heyer (RR)
  13. These Old Shades - Georgette Heyer (RR)
  14. The Foundling - Georgette Heyer (RR)
  15. A Civil Contract - Georgette Heyer (RR)
  16. Cotillion  Georgette Heyer (RR)
  17. The Black Moth - Georgette Heyer (RR)
  18. The Corinthian - Georgette Heyer (RR)
  19. World Made by Hand - James Howard Kunstler
  20. Nancy Astor - Derek Marlowe
  21. The Dwelling Place - Catherine Cookson
  22. Kate Hannigan - Catherine Cookson
  23. A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin (RR)
  24. A Clash of Kings - George R.R. Martin
  25. A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow - George R.R. Martin
  26. A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold - George R.R. Martin
  27. Food Rules, An Eater's Manual - Michael Pollan
  28. The $50 and up underground house book - Mike Oehler (not finished yet)
  29. In Defence of Food - Michael Pollan (RR)
  30. Bitten - Kelley Armstrong (RR)
  31. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara Kingsolver (RR)
  32. Growing Out of Trouble - Monty Don
  33. A Knight of the Word - Terry Brooks (RR)
  34. Angel Fire East - Terry Brooks (RR)
  35. No Humans Involved - Kelley Armstrong (RR)
  36. Brand New Friend - Mike Gayle
  37. Matters of Choice - Noah Gordon
  38. The Rabbi - Noah Gordon
  39. Ninja Soccer Moms - Jennifer Apodaca
  40. The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan (RR)
  41. The Great Hunt - Robert Jordan (RR)
  42. The Dragon Reborn - Robert Jordan (RR)
  43. The Shadow Rising - Robert Jordan (RR)
  44. The Fires of Heaven - Robert Jordan (RR)
  45. Lord of Chaos - Robert Jordan (RR)
  46. A Crown of Swords - Robert Jordan (RR)
  47. The Path of Daggers - Robert Jordan (RR)
  48. Winter's Heart - Robert Jordan (RR)
  49. Crossroads of Twilight - Robert Jordan (RR)
  50. Knife of Dream - Robert Jordan (RR)
  51. The Gathering Storm - Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
  52. A Taste of the Unexpected - Mark Diacono
  53. A Man of Property - John Galsworthy
  54. The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
  55. Beauvallet - Georgette Heyer
  56. The Film Club - David Gilmour
  57. The Appeal - John Grisham
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5 comments:

  1. JudySaturday, January 01, 2011 12:53:00 pm

    Great idea and an inspiring list. I'm going to watch out for Gorgette Heyer books in particular in the 2nd hand shops as a result, (i've never read anything by her but the way you referred to her makes really me want to.)

    Re lists of goals - i think you're right to focus on the main thing you want to achieve. I know what you mean about timetables and lists - they've certainly not helped me to lose weight in the past although i've been left with some very neat and tidy coloured coded charts! Really hope you get to become debt free this year. Saving is my main goal. If it's for the future, that's great but given i work in the public sector, 'savings' may well become living expenses!
    Hope 2011 turns out to be a great year for you :-)

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  2. MoonwavesSunday, January 02, 2011 10:44:00 am

    Georgette Heyer wrote loads of historical romances, mostly set in the Regency period. They're more Jane Austen style than bodice rippers though. I find them very funny, some of them will have me in stitches laughing (when I re-read Cotillion years after the first time I read it, I kept getting strange looks on the train because I couldn't just snigger quietly).

    She also wrote a series of contemporary (20's/30's) mystery novels but I've never gotten around to reading them.

    I first read These Old Shades when I was in 1st year of secondary school - got it in the school library. Over the years I picked up a few in second-hand shops and read loads from the library. They were re-released a few years ago though and I was able to buy my favourites.

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  3. Nikki (www.bookpunks.com)Monday, January 03, 2011 1:15:00 pm

    Nice! So happy to have a few other people's book lists to read this year. Wrote down a couple more titles on my "to find" list reading this as well. Here's wishing you lived nearby and I could borrow a few of your books. Although I do admit that I have no idea where you are and would be happily surprised to find out that you are actually my neighbor so we could lend each other books.

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  4. MoonwavesMonday, January 03, 2011 6:42:00 pm

    Unfortunately not. Otherwise I would definitely have already found some pretext or other to come and have a look at your gorgeous home. :)

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  5. MoonwavesMonday, January 03, 2011 6:43:00 pm

    Oops, left out the pertinent information. I'm in Düsseldorf. Definitely want to move south again sometime though. Used to live in and near Baden-Baden and my first ever summer in Germany was in Ober Bayern. I miss mountains!

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