Before becoming ill, I read some. I was mostly reading non-fiction accounts of polar expeditions and dog sled races with the occasional novel thrown in. Since becoming ill I read quite a lot. It's something low energy I can do lying in bed and I also read to put myself to sleep at night.
My favourite books fall into two categories. The first category is novels that make me think differently in some way. Perhaps they offer a perspective I've never considered, for example. The story/plot has to be good and fairly quick moving and most importantly the characters and relationships real. My other favourite genre is teen and young adult fantasy. Bizarre, I know. I'm not sure why but it started with the Harry Potter books (I've read the whole series more than 7 times) and branched out from there.
Most of the books I read this year were good, a few were just great. I bolded my 5 favourites of the year.
*1. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
*2. The Flying Troutmans - Miriam Toews
3. The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan
4. The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
5. Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips
6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
7. The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan
8. The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan
9. The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan
10. The wolves of Algonquin Park: A 12 year ecological study - Theberge and Theberge
11. Rainbow Boys - Alex Sanchez
12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
13. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
14. Little Bee - Chris Cleave
15. The Summer of My Amazing Luck - Miriam Toews
16. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Karl Stig-Erland Larsson
17. The Middle Place - Kelly Corrigan
18. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaimon
19. Pigs in Heaven - Barbara Kingslover
20. Slam - Nick Hornby
21. When You Are Engulfed in Flames - David Sedaris
22. I am the Messenger - Markus Zusak
23. The Gin & Tonic Gardener - Janice Wells
24. Over Sea, Under Stone - Susan Cooper
25. The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper
26. The Magician - Michael Scott
27. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Rowling
28. The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton
29. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
30. Graceling - Kristin Cashore
31. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
32. Of Wolves and Men - Barry Lopez
33. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - JK Rowling
*34. Ordinary Wolves - Seth Kantner
35. Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
36. Secret Daughter - Shilpi S. Gowda
37. Mister Pip - Lloyd Jones
38. Mocking Jay - Suzanne Collins
39. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Rowling
*40. Super Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart
41. Red Bird - Mary Oliver
42. Tomorrow When the War Began. - John Marsden
43. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Pary - M.T. Anderson
44. The Dead of Night - John Marsden
45. The Third Day, The Frost - Marsden
46. Darkness, Be My Friend - Marsden
47. Burning for Revenge - Marsden
48. The Night is for Hunting - Marsden
49. The Other Side of Dawn - Marsden
50. Drug Letting and Miraculous Cures - Vincent Lam
51. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
*52. Lullabies for Little Criminals - Heather O'Neill
53. Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris
54. Sarah's Key - Tatiana De Rosnay
55. Incarceron - Catherine Fisher
56. Artemis Fowl: The Lost City - Eoin Colfer
That's quite an impressive list! I read a few of those recently as well. Some on your list I'd never heard of; I'll have to check them out now. Thanks for the tips! Audio-books are pretty much how I pass my time these days, so I always like to hear what others are reading or listening to as well. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is an impressive list! You #1 is a great book. Love it! I have been wanting to read The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo for quite a while now so maybe is the time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that reading is one of the few things we can do when we are low on energy. I also read to go outside of my 4Walls and AView. Kind of an escape I guess.
Thanks so much for sharing you list! Awesome.
Laurel, I do read quite a lot of Canadian authors which may be why a few you haven't heard of (also, Australian, British). What were your favourite books of the year?
ReplyDeleteDominique, I agree about the escape aspect of reading....maybe that's why I read some fantasy -to live in another world for a short time. Dragon Tattoo was good - it's like a mystery thriller but well written with an intricate plot.
Wow! How'd you DO that?? :-)
ReplyDeleteI love to read, but still find concentrating enough to read more than a few pages at a time difficult. But when I was first stricken with CFIDS, I couldn't read at all for two years! So I am grateful for the improvement!
The only book I've read from your list is the first Harry Potter book (if it's in there!) Seen all the movies tho!
Right now I am slowly working my way through "Drinking, A Love Story" and "A Course In Weight Loss." Both definitely self-help books!
Judy
I'm very lucky Judy. Somehow my brain healed earlier in the illness(3-5 year period)....now I only get minor brainfog...And for some reason TV, movies, and driving are all worse than reading.
ReplyDelete