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New Year book thoughts.
Dec. 30th, 2008 10:02 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
chestnutcurls.livejournal.comI don't think I've ever posted to this community, even though I joined a long time ago. I'm Brenda and I can't remember a time when books weren't a huge part of my life. I post monthly book lists at my LJ, but haven't gotten into the habit of re-posting them here, partly because I already know most of the people here and don't want to annoy them with duplicate entries. :)
This will sound familiar to those people I already know, but here are a few of my favorite books from 2008. I'm sort of copying Lizzi's category format.
Best fiction: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. It's a lot like Mitford, only set in Africa and with more women. I love it.
Runner-up: Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald. A very believable novel about a young Iranian woman who comes to America to find a husband. Really interesting. I like books about other cultures.
Best non-fiction: The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner. The author visits the world's happiest and unhappiest places and writes about his experiences. Each chapter is about a different country. It's fascinating and I'm looking forward to reading it again.
Runner-up: The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer. It's not about being a good housewife, but about bringing art and creativity into your everyday life, in big and small ways, for your own benefit and others'. It's about setting the creative part of yourself free, instead of waiting for the perfect circumstances to express it. I need that.
Most mixed feelings: Breaking Dawn. I have friends who loved it and friends who hated it, with equal passion. I seem to be the ultimate objective reader on this one because I can see both sides. I loved and hated it in parts. If I said more I'd need a spoiler warning, so I'll leave it at that.
Best YA: Airhead by Meg Cabot. It was so much fun to read. I'm excited that a sequel is coming.
Most unexpected: Lightning by Dean Koontz. It was a present from a friend. I've never read any other Dean Koontz and don't really plan to, but this book is really cool and highly recommended for those who like Sarah Connor-esque characters. :)
Biggest tearjerker: Listening Is An Act of Love, edited by Dave Isay. This book is a collection of transcripts from the StoryCorps project, which travels around the country recording interviews between any two people who want to interview each other (usually family or friends). Some of the interviews revolve around historical events, like 9/11, and some are about family stories and everyday life. It's all very touching.
Best new fantasy: Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen by Garth Nix. It's hard for me to summarize the plot, plus I think it's better if you go into it with no expectations (as I did). Also, the books are YA so they're a pretty easy read.
My reading goals for 2009: I want to find more Edith Schaeffer and Madeleine L'Engle. Their writing really speaks to me and makes me want to live a more creative, vibrant life. I also need to finish The Right to Write by Julia Cameron, which I started while I was doing NaNoWriMo but stopped when I dropped out. Also plenty of fiction, since I prefer it to non- most of the time, but I don't have too many specific books in mind.
This will sound familiar to those people I already know, but here are a few of my favorite books from 2008. I'm sort of copying Lizzi's category format.
Best fiction: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. It's a lot like Mitford, only set in Africa and with more women. I love it.
Runner-up: Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald. A very believable novel about a young Iranian woman who comes to America to find a husband. Really interesting. I like books about other cultures.
Best non-fiction: The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner. The author visits the world's happiest and unhappiest places and writes about his experiences. Each chapter is about a different country. It's fascinating and I'm looking forward to reading it again.
Runner-up: The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer. It's not about being a good housewife, but about bringing art and creativity into your everyday life, in big and small ways, for your own benefit and others'. It's about setting the creative part of yourself free, instead of waiting for the perfect circumstances to express it. I need that.
Most mixed feelings: Breaking Dawn. I have friends who loved it and friends who hated it, with equal passion. I seem to be the ultimate objective reader on this one because I can see both sides. I loved and hated it in parts. If I said more I'd need a spoiler warning, so I'll leave it at that.
Best YA: Airhead by Meg Cabot. It was so much fun to read. I'm excited that a sequel is coming.
Most unexpected: Lightning by Dean Koontz. It was a present from a friend. I've never read any other Dean Koontz and don't really plan to, but this book is really cool and highly recommended for those who like Sarah Connor-esque characters. :)
Biggest tearjerker: Listening Is An Act of Love, edited by Dave Isay. This book is a collection of transcripts from the StoryCorps project, which travels around the country recording interviews between any two people who want to interview each other (usually family or friends). Some of the interviews revolve around historical events, like 9/11, and some are about family stories and everyday life. It's all very touching.
Best new fantasy: Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen by Garth Nix. It's hard for me to summarize the plot, plus I think it's better if you go into it with no expectations (as I did). Also, the books are YA so they're a pretty easy read.
My reading goals for 2009: I want to find more Edith Schaeffer and Madeleine L'Engle. Their writing really speaks to me and makes me want to live a more creative, vibrant life. I also need to finish The Right to Write by Julia Cameron, which I started while I was doing NaNoWriMo but stopped when I dropped out. Also plenty of fiction, since I prefer it to non- most of the time, but I don't have too many specific books in mind.
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