2011: Bookish thoughts

I love looking back at the memories of 2011, particularly the bookish ones. I think  it was a great reading year, although perhaps not so much in numbers. I read some great books and I can honestly say I didn’t dislike any. Of course that doesn’t mean I loved each and every one, you can see my top 5 favourites of the year here.

In keeping with my habit of being behind the book blogging world’s trends, I read absolutely zero books published in 2011. However, rather surprisingly, I only read two books written in the 19th century, Cranford by Elizabeth C. Gaskell and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. (And another one set in the 19th century, The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber).

And how about that? I actually read War and Peace! I’ve been meaning to read this for quite some time. It took me about three months and quite a few renewals at the library but I did it. I actually enjoyed it for the most part; I just had a few issues with some very slow chapters about war manoeuvres or philosophy.

2011 was also the year of great discoveries. I finally read some Isabel Allende (here) after years of ignoring my mum’s recommendations and reluctantly had to admit she was right. Which is why I promptly read two more of her books (here and here). I also read my very first Margaret Atwood book, The Blind Assassin, which I really liked, so I’ll make it a point to read more of her books this year.

I tried to step out of my comfort zone and read books I wouldn’t normally choose. This is probably in part because of The Boy. He’s the reason I started reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a quite funny “trilogy of five” science fiction books which I’m really enjoying.

Unfortunately, in 2011 I read the last of my beloved Jeeves and Wooster novels, called Aunts aren’t Gentlemen, which I predictably adored. I plan on exploring more of P. G. Wodehouse’s books in 2012 because he is still the best way I can think of to lift my spirits no matter how low.

I’m sure this year will be even better reading-wise. I’m very excited to be hosting my very first reading challenge, have a look here and if you fancy it, join me!

What was your bookish 2011 like? Did you make any book related resolutions for this year?

Bookworm’s best books of 2011

Everyone who knows me, knows I can’t make a decision to save my life so choosing my favourite books from 2011 is truly very hard.It’s been a very good year reading-wise, and I can’t really say I disliked any of the books I read (see the full list here).

But anyway, these are my top five books of 2011:

5. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I felt like I was the last person in the world to read this. I tend to avoid books that have a lot of hype around them but I’m really glad I read this one.

4. The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

This was a very pleasant surprise. I picked it up at the library, because I liked the cover. I mean, it’s a girl in a pretty dress lying on the floor, surrounded by books and the quote in the back says something like “There’s no problem a library card can’t solve.” How was I supposed to resist? Anyway, I really enjoyed reading this very bookish story and am looking forward to reading more by Brown.

3. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

Atwood is a new to me author that I really liked. This isn’t a happy, pleasant story but it is beautiful nonetheless. Plus, I really liked the fact that there’s a book interwoven within the book, making it an even more interesting story.

2. The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber

I liked this book even though it was disturbing and grim at times. It’s really quite a story, and despite its size it kept me interested and eager to find out what happened to the very memorable characters. I also really loved all the little details of everyday Victorian life that went into it.

1. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

This was the first book I read in 2011, and the first book by Allende I ever read. It’s a masterpiece and I loved it. I thought it was a great story, was brilliantly written and if you haven’t read it I recommend that you do as soon as possible.

What were your favourite books of 2011? Have you read any of my best books? What did you think of them?

My adventures in 2011

Only a few hours left until 2012 is here and I’ve been going through my archives, thinking about what I got up to in 2011. I have to say it has been a very good year. In 2011 I…

Got a Master of Science. Woohoo!

Fell in love with Tuscany (read my posts here, here and here).

Played out my 19th century fantasies in The Georgian House and Cliveden House.

Spent blissful days pottering about in the beautiful english countryside in the spring (here) and in the autumn (here and here).

Finally met Michelle in real life and she is as lovely as I expected her to be.

Swam in clear, turquoise waters and had some delicious food back home (see my pictures here).

Discovered more lovely places in London, like the wonderfully victorian Highgate village (follow my steps here).

Embraced the festive spirit all December long (check out my twitter for #Christmas).

I can’t wait for the new year, I’m hoping it will be even more exciting! What was the most memorable experience of 2011 for you? What are you looking forward to in 2012?

Presenting: The Russians – Reading Challenge for 2012

I’ve been thinking about creating my own reading challenge for the new year. It’s not going to be particularly strict and structured, I just hope it will be an incentive to read the books I’ve been meaning to read for a while but never actually got to it. I would be thrilled if other people joined me as well. So, without further delay, here are The Russians!

What is this challenge about? I’ve selected six important (in my opinion) Russian authors. I plan on devoting two months of the new year on each one, which, since I’ll be reading other books as well, means that I’ll probably read a couple of novels or a handful of short stories by each author. In a couple of cases, I have already read perhaps the more famous works by some so I’ll be exploring some of their less known ones. Here is the schedule along with a -very tentative- reading list:

January – February: Alexander Pushkin

• Eugene Onegin
• Boris Godunov
• The Captain’s Daughter

March – April: Nikolai Gogol

• How Ivan Ivanovich Quarrelled with Ivan Nikiforovich
• The Portrait
• The Nose

May – June: Fyodor Dostoyevsky

• Crime and Punishment
• The Idiot
• The Brothers Karamazov

July – August: Leo Tolstoy

• Anna Karenina
• The Death of Ivan Illyich

September – October: Anton Chekhov

• The Seagull
• Uncle Vanya
• Three Sisters
• The Cherry Orchard

November – December: Anna Akhmatova

• Requiem
• Poem Without a Hero

Bonus: Mikhail Lermontov

• A Hero of our Time
• Demon

I’m very excited to start this challenge, I have only ever loved all the books by Russian authors I’ve read. I’d love it if you are keen on joining me. Feel free to choose any or all the authors I’ve selected and pick any of their works that you want to read. You can use the icon above in your reviews or discussion posts. Any comments, suggestions or questions you have are welcome in the comments below. Here’s to discovering more great russian literature in 2012!

Bookmarked: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams

This made me laugh this morning.

“I am so amazingly cool you could keep a side of meat in me for a month. I am so hip I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis.”

-p. 31, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams

 

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Ah, my readathon book. I didn’t actually finish this during the readathon, I read the last 40 pages a few hours after the readathon was over but anyway. I liked this out-of -the-ordinary, little love story, I thought the book was utterly charming.

This book is about family and tradition, and love at perhaps a latter time in life than is common in books and movies. I think this makes it quite special. I can’t think of another book I’ve read with a similar topic. The fact that it’s set in a small English village alone was enough to win me over. Major Pettigrew, the hero, is adorable, a proper gentleman, with impeccable manners, very considerate and caring. And, just like the general feel of this novel, so characteristically English. This is a book where people boil the kettle and have tea on every other page. The plot did have some cheesy twists, but overall it’s a very well written and enjoyable book.

Thoughts on the Readathon

You know, I really love the Readathon, however I think I don’t actually like reading books this fast.

I prefer spending a few days with a book, reading a bit every day.  I’ve realised that reading quickly, trying to read as many pages as I can in a day, stresses me out and I don’t enjoy the book as much. Also, I’ve noticed that I have trouble remembering a lot about a book if I didn’t spend a lot of time with it.

I understand that there is a big sense of achievement in reading so many pages in one day (some amazing readathoners read more than 1000 pages which just blows my mind). But we all read books because we enjoy to, and it would be silly to let stressing over stats and numbers take that enjoyment away. So, I think for the future readathons, I’ll stick to cheerleading and maybe hosting giveaways and challenges instead.

White Powder, Green Light by James Hawes

This one was definitely an unusual choice for me. I don’t usually read books from The Boy’s collection, it’s often the other way around with me making him read books I love. But I’m glad I read White Powder, Green Light.

It is a very amusing book, I found the plot interesting and fast-paced. It offers a satirical view of the media world and the people who spend their lives mostly in the W1 postcode of London. I laughed while reading certain parts and I really liked that the people in it actually talk like real people do, with differences in their backgrounds and education reflected in their way of speaking.

While I enjoyed reading this book, I do think it might be more geared towards men. It’s not a girly book, the way it’s written feels to me like what 20-something boys would like. It has a few graphic scenes and, being set in the Soho media life, drugs and sex are big themes in it, not that I was bothered by this.