I can hardly believe that another year has gone by already, but having seen Kiersten and Mary's reading lists for 2011 pop up, I realized it was time to throw mine out there, although I don't think it is nearly as interesting as either of those. I seem to be a very systematic reader, something I don't think I'd realized before I started keeping track of what I've been reading. I like to read a lot of stuff from the same author in somewhat consecutive fashion. In any case, this is what I read this year:
January
All's Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
Measure For Measure by William Shakespeare
February
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The First Part of King Henry the Sixth by William Shakespeare
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
March
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Second Part of King Henry the Sixth by William Shakespeare
The Third Part of King Henry the Sixth by William Shakespeare
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Tragedy of King Richard the Third by William Shakespeare
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
April
The Life and Death of King John by William Shakespeare
Estate Planning Basics by Denis Clifford
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
The Tragedy of King Richard the Second by William Shakespeare
May
Estate Planning Strategies by the Wealth Counsel
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
The First Part of King Henry the Fourth by William Shakespeare
June
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth by William Shakespeare
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
The Life of King Henry the Fifth by William Shakespeare
July
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Life of King Henry the Eighth by William Shakespeare
Death to the BCS by Dan Wetzel, Josh Peter, & Jeff Passan
Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare
August
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
September
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare
October
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
King Lear by William Shakespeare
November
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
December
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Quite a drop off toward the end of the year. I have been quite busy at work, and I find when I'm feeling some stress in that area I read less. Somewhat ironic since that's probably the best way for me to relax. In total, I read 42 books this year, which is 7 more than last year, so that makes me happy. The more, the better.
Of course, still compared to Kiersten I look like a third grader, but oh well. We can't all be awesome. I am hopeful to finish the complete works of Shakespeare sometime during the course of 2012. I already have a plan to shift to historical biographies in lieu of those, and I have approximately 60 books to read in that list.
I feel like I should offer some thoughts on each of the works I read, but I fear that my natural incapacity at brevity renders that a bad idea. Probably not many people still reading at this point. But here are a few quickhitters:
Really enjoyed Shakespeare's histories. A lot more than I thought I would. The tragedies are obviously some of the best things ever written.
Tolkien is a genius. Rowling is a genius. Both deserve to be reread on a regular basis.
I liked the Hunger Games trilogy more than I thought I would. Although the third book was a bit of a letdown.
I did not like Moby Dick as much as I expected I would. I am generally a big fan of 19th century literature, but I didn't find it as compelling as I thought it would be. I suppose that's what you get for a lifetime of buildup before finally reading it. On the other hand, I really liked the Scarlet Letter. Both classic works I had never read.
I loved Black Hawk Down. I don't think I've ever read a book that had me saying "holy cow!" in my mind as much as that one. Great book.
During High School I read Anthem by Ayn Rand and found that really thought provoking. So I joined the renewal of Atlas Shrugged. While there are a number of things I don't like about her philosophy, there are a lot more things that I think she was really on to something.
Finally, at the very end of the year I read the Terry Pratchett book on the recommendation of a coworker. It was weird, but in a good way. I understand there are several dozen novels in the series, so I will probably be reading a lot of those this coming year.
Outside of my Shakespeare queue, the following will be among the first in the new year: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, South: The Endurance Expedition and The Passage, along with some other Pratchett books, all assuming I can get my hands on them.
If you read this far you are officially among my very best friends and I think you are the greatest.
The End
January
All's Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
Measure For Measure by William Shakespeare
February
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The First Part of King Henry the Sixth by William Shakespeare
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
March
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Second Part of King Henry the Sixth by William Shakespeare
The Third Part of King Henry the Sixth by William Shakespeare
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Tragedy of King Richard the Third by William Shakespeare
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
April
The Life and Death of King John by William Shakespeare
Estate Planning Basics by Denis Clifford
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
The Tragedy of King Richard the Second by William Shakespeare
May
Estate Planning Strategies by the Wealth Counsel
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
The First Part of King Henry the Fourth by William Shakespeare
June
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth by William Shakespeare
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
The Life of King Henry the Fifth by William Shakespeare
July
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Life of King Henry the Eighth by William Shakespeare
Death to the BCS by Dan Wetzel, Josh Peter, & Jeff Passan
Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare
August
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
September
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare
October
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
King Lear by William Shakespeare
November
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
December
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Quite a drop off toward the end of the year. I have been quite busy at work, and I find when I'm feeling some stress in that area I read less. Somewhat ironic since that's probably the best way for me to relax. In total, I read 42 books this year, which is 7 more than last year, so that makes me happy. The more, the better.
Of course, still compared to Kiersten I look like a third grader, but oh well. We can't all be awesome. I am hopeful to finish the complete works of Shakespeare sometime during the course of 2012. I already have a plan to shift to historical biographies in lieu of those, and I have approximately 60 books to read in that list.
I feel like I should offer some thoughts on each of the works I read, but I fear that my natural incapacity at brevity renders that a bad idea. Probably not many people still reading at this point. But here are a few quickhitters:
Really enjoyed Shakespeare's histories. A lot more than I thought I would. The tragedies are obviously some of the best things ever written.
Tolkien is a genius. Rowling is a genius. Both deserve to be reread on a regular basis.
I liked the Hunger Games trilogy more than I thought I would. Although the third book was a bit of a letdown.
I did not like Moby Dick as much as I expected I would. I am generally a big fan of 19th century literature, but I didn't find it as compelling as I thought it would be. I suppose that's what you get for a lifetime of buildup before finally reading it. On the other hand, I really liked the Scarlet Letter. Both classic works I had never read.
I loved Black Hawk Down. I don't think I've ever read a book that had me saying "holy cow!" in my mind as much as that one. Great book.
During High School I read Anthem by Ayn Rand and found that really thought provoking. So I joined the renewal of Atlas Shrugged. While there are a number of things I don't like about her philosophy, there are a lot more things that I think she was really on to something.
Finally, at the very end of the year I read the Terry Pratchett book on the recommendation of a coworker. It was weird, but in a good way. I understand there are several dozen novels in the series, so I will probably be reading a lot of those this coming year.
Outside of my Shakespeare queue, the following will be among the first in the new year: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, South: The Endurance Expedition and The Passage, along with some other Pratchett books, all assuming I can get my hands on them.
If you read this far you are officially among my very best friends and I think you are the greatest.
The End
6 comments:
Terry Pratchett is one of my favorites! He's got about 40 books in his Discworld set (I'd lend any of them to you if you lived closer), and they grow more and more hilariously satirical as he goes along.
The thing I love the most is his descriptions: The orangoutang landing like a bag of soup... The rain pattering incestuously into the ocean... Negli-jiggles... Anything having to do with dwarf bread. It's quite delightful. :)
I once heard that the difference between Terry and Douglas Adams is that Doug didn't like to write, and Terry does. You sure can tell, if you spend enough time reading his stuff. Enjoy!
Oh give credit where credit is due! :) I love to read but must lack the attention span (or maybe something else) to even come close to reading this many books. For what its worth I think you are pretty awesome! :)
Wow! I'm really impressed. How did you do that woth two little children at home? I have only one (which is very demanding and lively, I admit) and there is no way I could have read that many books this year.
And quite funny: Just unlike you I really liked Moby Dick but thought that The Scarlett Letter was so extremely boring that I couldn't even finish it.
Keep on reading! xxx
Arrgggh, my first comment got deleted, but I am impressed. Definitely read the Passage then get ready for Mr. Cronin's next work. I also recommend anything by Neal Stephenson but particularly the Baroque cycle and Cryptonomicon. Both of these authors works are Tolkienesque in the worldview that despair is the greatest sin.
Had you not read the Harry Potter books up until this year?! Shame!
Just kidding. Sort of.
If Kiersten's list makes you feel like a 3rd grader, your list makes me like a Kindergartener or less. Haha! I guess I still watch too much TV. Maybe someday I'll be as cool as you guys. :)
Jessica: I liked the first one, but it is a little odd. I will probably read a few more, and maybe all of them.
Russ and/or Heidi: Thanks!
Judith: I liked Moby Dick, but I was expecting to be amazed by it. The Scarlet Letter is so short...although the first part is a bit of a chore, no doubt.
Dan: The Passage made the list from your recommendation. We have also discussed the Stephenson books, but I could never remember his name or the titles. I'll have to add those on somewhere.
Mary: Actually I think it was either my seventh or eighth time reading the Potter series. I wanted a fresh rereading so I could be uber critical of Deathly Hallows Part 2 the movie. :-)
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