The year that was
It seems like only yesterday that we were wondering what to call this decade. I guess we settled on the Noughties, but that name never really seemed to quite stick. And now the Noughties are almost over.
Lots happened for me this year, like buying a new car and promotion at work (managing a team, more work, more money). But by far the most important aspect of this year has been accompanying my dear friend Katie through pregnancy, birth and the first months of motherhood. Being with her for the birth of little Sophie was absolutely the highlight of my year. I'm really looking forward to spending more time with them next year and watching Sophie grow. This time next year she'll be walking and talking (more or less)!
I read a few books - not as many as I expected to, given that I read several in a great flurry early in the year, but petered off later. I've also half-read a few books and haven't included these here as I do mean to finish them (mostly non-fiction). You'll notice most are older titles; there was a lot of catching up with books I'd meant to read long ago. I might have forgotten one or two here but this is the list:
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
Red Dwarf by Grant Naylor
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Winter King (Book 1 of The Warlord Chronicles) by Bernard Cornwell
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Enemy of God (Book 2 of The Warlord Chronicles) by Bernard Cornwell
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
The Forest Of Hands And Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Excalibur (Book 3 of The Warlord Chronicles) by Bernard Cornwell
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Maus by Art Speigelman
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
A Book of Endings by Deborah Biancotti
Slice of Life by Paul Haines
Mostly a very enjoyable set of books. I wasn't as impressed with The Eyre Affair as most people seem to be - generally trying to be too clever, I think. Hard to pick highlights from that list though, as there are so many very good books there. For quality of writing, I'd pick Brideshead Revisited, The Road, The English Patient and The Secret History; for sheer enjoyment, Going Postal; and for rollicking sprawling adventure, the Bernard Cornwell books (this is his historical Arthurian series). Maus is moving and important and I was glad to finally read it. And of course for quality short fiction, there's the two collections at the end; always good to read new stories by Deb and Paul.
I haven't finished the other major local collection I bought this year, X6 - in the Katz story now, then the Dowling. All the rest have been really good and I'll write something about them all when I've finished the book.
Movies seen at the cinema this year (i.e. not counting DVDs, which I haven't tracked):
Ip Man
Bolt
Milk
Watchmen
Red Cliff
Cold Souls
Star Trek
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Synecdoche, New York
Terminator: Salvation
Transformers 2
Coco Avant Chanel
Coraline
Up
2012
Moon
Where The Wild Things Are
Avatar
Sherlock Holmes
Zombieland
All the best for 2010, everyone!
Lots happened for me this year, like buying a new car and promotion at work (managing a team, more work, more money). But by far the most important aspect of this year has been accompanying my dear friend Katie through pregnancy, birth and the first months of motherhood. Being with her for the birth of little Sophie was absolutely the highlight of my year. I'm really looking forward to spending more time with them next year and watching Sophie grow. This time next year she'll be walking and talking (more or less)!
I read a few books - not as many as I expected to, given that I read several in a great flurry early in the year, but petered off later. I've also half-read a few books and haven't included these here as I do mean to finish them (mostly non-fiction). You'll notice most are older titles; there was a lot of catching up with books I'd meant to read long ago. I might have forgotten one or two here but this is the list:
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
Red Dwarf by Grant Naylor
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Winter King (Book 1 of The Warlord Chronicles) by Bernard Cornwell
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Enemy of God (Book 2 of The Warlord Chronicles) by Bernard Cornwell
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
The Forest Of Hands And Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Excalibur (Book 3 of The Warlord Chronicles) by Bernard Cornwell
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Maus by Art Speigelman
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
A Book of Endings by Deborah Biancotti
Slice of Life by Paul Haines
Mostly a very enjoyable set of books. I wasn't as impressed with The Eyre Affair as most people seem to be - generally trying to be too clever, I think. Hard to pick highlights from that list though, as there are so many very good books there. For quality of writing, I'd pick Brideshead Revisited, The Road, The English Patient and The Secret History; for sheer enjoyment, Going Postal; and for rollicking sprawling adventure, the Bernard Cornwell books (this is his historical Arthurian series). Maus is moving and important and I was glad to finally read it. And of course for quality short fiction, there's the two collections at the end; always good to read new stories by Deb and Paul.
I haven't finished the other major local collection I bought this year, X6 - in the Katz story now, then the Dowling. All the rest have been really good and I'll write something about them all when I've finished the book.
Movies seen at the cinema this year (i.e. not counting DVDs, which I haven't tracked):
Ip Man
Bolt
Milk
Watchmen
Red Cliff
Cold Souls
Star Trek
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Synecdoche, New York
Terminator: Salvation
Transformers 2
Coco Avant Chanel
Coraline
Up
2012
Moon
Where The Wild Things Are
Avatar
Sherlock Holmes
Zombieland
All the best for 2010, everyone!