The bar has definitely been set high by the likes of J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, A.A. Milne (I'm sensing a trend in pen names here), Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Diana Wynne Jones... the list goes on.
Lately I've noticed how a good 80% or so of the books I've read so far this year are children's books or young adult books (and usually involving some sort of supernatural element). I have to study the craft, after all. However, for being such easy reads, I've only a pathetic list to show for it. Since the year isn't over yet, my hope is to double, maybe even triple this list... and add some variety while I'm at it. Maybe go crazy and throw some non-fiction into the mix. I plan to revisit this post on January 1, 2011 to see how I did.
For the record, here is a list of all the books I recall reading this year thus far (most recent listed first). The star rating is merely an indication of my excitement level after reading the book. As you can see, they were all really good...
★★★★★ Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
★★★★★ The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
★★★★☆ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
★★★★☆ Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
★★★☆☆ Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
★★★☆☆ The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau
★★★☆☆ The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
★★★★☆ Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
★★★☆☆ Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
★★★★★ Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
★★★★★ The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
★★★☆☆ Graceling by Kristin Cashore
★★★★☆ Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
★★★☆☆ The Thief (Book 1) by Megan Whalen Turner
Books I have started this year but have yet to finish:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels
Artemis Fowl (Book 1) by Eoin Colfer
The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
I think tomorrow I'll try hitting up the public library. I would love suggestions if you've got them.
oo,
Teehehehe...book it. I get it!
ReplyDeleteAnd from our convo this morning, I think you have enough on your list to keep you busy for awhile!
Here is my suggestion:
ReplyDeleteDrink an entire bottle of wine. Then, it should be self-explanatory.
Here is your brother's suggestion:
Anything by Terry Brooks...I think you should start with the Shannara series. The first book is a little rough, considering that it's over 700 pages. But the rest of them are easy reads.
Or, as a side thought...do both.
Maybe I will give that a try... haha!
ReplyDeleteI actually have the Terry Brooks "Wishsong of Shannara" book that I stole from Taylor who likely got it from Marcus. I've had it forever and just haven't opened it yet. I'm planning on digging into it soon though. Thanks for the suggestions! :)
Oh Hooray! I can't wait to hear more about this! I am currently making my way through The School of Essential Ingredients, and I HIGHLY recommend it. It's not a children's book at all, but it is a fictional story centered around a cooking school, so I think you will like it. And the writing is just so good!
ReplyDelete