Books 8-17
1001 Books
2. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry. 624 pages.
Once I started reading this book I had difficulties stopping. Mistry paints a picture of 1970’s India that comes alive, and the characters make you care about them. Warning, though: this is not a feel-good novel. Exceptionally well-written and realistic, though.
3. The Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde. 208 pages.
An interesting book, to say the least. This tour into the mind of a depraved man was at times fascinating, and at other times horrifying. Though this novel was disturbing, I was pleased to find some of Wilde’s signature witty word play.
4. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami. 624 pages.
A really good book. Murakami has an interesting writing style, where he takes a normal setting and adds just a dash of the supernatural and makes that seem very ordinary and everyday. There were some rather graphic descriptions of wartime torture, which were gruesome, but they fit into the story and didn’t seem too gratuitous. I really enjoyed this, and carried it with me everywhere until I finished it.
Other Books
7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain. 305 pages.
A re-read - this is on the 1001 Books list, but since it’s a re-read I’m not counting it. I haven’t read this book since I was a teenager, and it’s interesting coming back to it as an adult. I got a lot more out of it this time. Plus, since I’m teaching it, I’ve been forced to analyse it in more depth, which was interesting. I was pleased to find out that it’s held up and that I enjoyed it just as much as an adult as I did as a teenager.
8. Daddy Long Legs, Jean Webster. 112 pages.
A cute, if somewhat predictable, young adult book about an orphan girl at the turn of the 20th century who gets a scholarship to college under the condition that she write to the man who gave her the scholarship.
9. Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare. 336 pages.
Again, a book that I haven’t read since I was a teenager. I think I actually enjoyed it more this time around than I did when I was 14. And, again, I taught it this time around, which made me look at it in a different light.
10. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett. 384 pages.
Such a funny book. The more Discworld novels I read, the more I want to read. This one had a fractured fairy tale feel to it that was just delightful and hilarious.
11. Statistics for the Utterly Confused, Lloyd Jaisingh. 352 pages.
Ugh. If you want to teach yourself statistics, pick another book. This one was cryptic and it left me more confused than when I started. My main gripe is that there were no answers for the word problems, so you had no idea if you were doing things correctly or not. Well, that and the fact that the writing made no sense. If you’re going to say that your book is for the utterly confused, you should at least try to make the reader les s confused after they’ve gone through the book and done all of the problems.
12. Knitting Without Tears, Elizabeth Zimmerman. 128 pages.
Zimmerman is a knitting guru, and this is one of her better-known books. If you’re a knitter, and you haven’t read any of her books, well, you need to, now.
13. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen.
I listened to the Librivox recording via the Craftlit podcast. I’ve read this book many times before, and listening to it helped me notice some details that I hadn’t before. Most of them were good, but unfortunately I also noticed how often Austen misuses myself/herself/himself/etc.
14. The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
I normally wouldn’t count this, because I consider it more of a long short story, but it’s on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, so I’m including it. Also through Craftlit, and again, a re-read. Creepy story.
1001 Books:
4/25 - 16%
Total Books:
17/75 - 22.7%
Total Pages:
3,913/25,000 - 15.7%
Days Passed:
128/365 - 35.1%
I need to get reading! Honestly, though, I've recently started knitting on buses instead of reading on buses, so that's really cut down on my reading time.
2. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry. 624 pages.
Once I started reading this book I had difficulties stopping. Mistry paints a picture of 1970’s India that comes alive, and the characters make you care about them. Warning, though: this is not a feel-good novel. Exceptionally well-written and realistic, though.
3. The Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde. 208 pages.
An interesting book, to say the least. This tour into the mind of a depraved man was at times fascinating, and at other times horrifying. Though this novel was disturbing, I was pleased to find some of Wilde’s signature witty word play.
4. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami. 624 pages.
A really good book. Murakami has an interesting writing style, where he takes a normal setting and adds just a dash of the supernatural and makes that seem very ordinary and everyday. There were some rather graphic descriptions of wartime torture, which were gruesome, but they fit into the story and didn’t seem too gratuitous. I really enjoyed this, and carried it with me everywhere until I finished it.
Other Books
7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain. 305 pages.
A re-read - this is on the 1001 Books list, but since it’s a re-read I’m not counting it. I haven’t read this book since I was a teenager, and it’s interesting coming back to it as an adult. I got a lot more out of it this time. Plus, since I’m teaching it, I’ve been forced to analyse it in more depth, which was interesting. I was pleased to find out that it’s held up and that I enjoyed it just as much as an adult as I did as a teenager.
8. Daddy Long Legs, Jean Webster. 112 pages.
A cute, if somewhat predictable, young adult book about an orphan girl at the turn of the 20th century who gets a scholarship to college under the condition that she write to the man who gave her the scholarship.
9. Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare. 336 pages.
Again, a book that I haven’t read since I was a teenager. I think I actually enjoyed it more this time around than I did when I was 14. And, again, I taught it this time around, which made me look at it in a different light.
10. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett. 384 pages.
Such a funny book. The more Discworld novels I read, the more I want to read. This one had a fractured fairy tale feel to it that was just delightful and hilarious.
11. Statistics for the Utterly Confused, Lloyd Jaisingh. 352 pages.
Ugh. If you want to teach yourself statistics, pick another book. This one was cryptic and it left me more confused than when I started. My main gripe is that there were no answers for the word problems, so you had no idea if you were doing things correctly or not. Well, that and the fact that the writing made no sense. If you’re going to say that your book is for the utterly confused, you should at least try to make the reader les s confused after they’ve gone through the book and done all of the problems.
12. Knitting Without Tears, Elizabeth Zimmerman. 128 pages.
Zimmerman is a knitting guru, and this is one of her better-known books. If you’re a knitter, and you haven’t read any of her books, well, you need to, now.
13. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen.
I listened to the Librivox recording via the Craftlit podcast. I’ve read this book many times before, and listening to it helped me notice some details that I hadn’t before. Most of them were good, but unfortunately I also noticed how often Austen misuses myself/herself/himself/etc.
14. The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
I normally wouldn’t count this, because I consider it more of a long short story, but it’s on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, so I’m including it. Also through Craftlit, and again, a re-read. Creepy story.
1001 Books:
4/25 - 16%
Total Books:
17/75 - 22.7%
Total Pages:
3,913/25,000 - 15.7%
Days Passed:
128/365 - 35.1%
I need to get reading! Honestly, though, I've recently started knitting on buses instead of reading on buses, so that's really cut down on my reading time.