Books of 2003
Jan. 3rd, 2004 09:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pixiecrinkleSomeone recently posted about a goal of reading 50 books in a year, and I was thinking about what I'd read this past year. I think I may have hit it. I had to look through the half.com pile, so I know there are some that sold already that I didn't include here, but this is pretty close.
Fair warning: small spoilers may appear within.
For book club:
1. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (incredible book)
2. The Hours, by Michael Cunningham (I liked the movie, but the book is so much richer)
3. The Dive from Clausen's Pier, by Ann Packer (not the best thing ever)
4. Three Junes, by Julia Glass (loved it)
5. The Red Ten, by Anita Diamant (I liked this a whole lot better than I'd expected to)
6. Bag of Bones, by Stephen King (our Halloween selection - I hadn't read any SK in a while, but I liked this, for nostagia's sake. This is actually a more "literary" book than a lot of his other stuff.)
For fun:
7. Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides (I've droned on about this one enough - I love it!)
8. Unless, Carol Shields (wonderful!)
9. The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenides (I had seen the movie a few months ago, so it was very interesting to see how it was adapted. They did a very good job.)
10. Oryx & Crake, Margaret Atwood (Not my favorite thing by her, just because of the ending, but still worth it.)
11. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (This was a re-reading, just finished it a few days ago. I wish I had the kind of brain that could come up with something as far-reaching as this.)
12. How to Buy a House with Little or No Money Down (I think it's already outdated)
13. Wings of the Dove, Henry James (It took me forever to get into this, and I didn't love it. _What Maisie Knew was Better_.)
14. What Maisie Knew, Henry James (Recommended)
15. Dressing for the Carnival, Carol Shields (Short stories, most very good.)
16. Pure, Rebecca Ray (RR dropped out of high school to write this book. It's incredibly well-written, especially for a first novel of someone so young. Disturbing subject matter though (adolescents coming of age, and experimenting with drugs, sex, etc.)
17. The Dress Lodger, Sherri Holman (I think this is remaindered everywhere, but it's very good. It's a good historical novel, about the origins of modern Western medical research.)
18. Valencia, Michelle Tea (After a while, I felt like each chapter was the same story, with a different drug and a different girl, but overall, it's a fun read, with lots of "indie" culture references.)
19. The Last Time They Met, Anita Shreve (I don't know why I keep reading AS. I always feel jerked around by the end. She's a good writer, but I find her plots manipulative.)
20. Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda (I read this while at Kripalu in February. It does provide some insight on yoga's movement to the West.)
21. Nine Objects of Desire, Chitra Divakaruni (I really really liked this book -- it's kind of a tragic story because all of the characters undergo such major change from where they though they'd end up, but it's ultimately hopeful. I think this is a second book with the same characters. I need to read the first one.)
22. The Death of Vishnu, Manil Suri (I loved this one too -- it all takes place in one apartment building in Bombay. I also learned a bit of Indian religious practices from Vishnu's flashbacks.)
23. Getting Real About Running (Still working on it. I'm going to start doing the programs for building up endurance once the incessant rain stops.)
24. Jivamukti Yoga, David Life and Sharon Gannon. (This is a good book to use to move further into poses, and yogic philosophy, but probably not for beginners. I was reading it when I was taking an arm balance class and it was good to be able to see photos of some of the things we were working towards.)
25. The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd (This is the first 2004 book club book. In retrospect, there's a lot of convenient coincidences in the plot, but it worked and didn't bug me while I was reading it.)
26. Edith Wharton: A Biography, R. W. B. Lewis (This is a very thorough book, and was very interesting as far as putting her novels in perspective. It also talked about her house in Lenox, MA, which I was only able to see from the road. I *must* visit it!)
27. Twilight Sleep, Edith Wharton (This is not regarded as one of her best novels, but it was fun. It's a "literary beach read.")
28. Sea Glass, Anita Shreve (This was for book club too -- probably my favorite AS book of those I've read, if just in that is has a definite historical setting that gives it some substance.)
29. The Autograph Man, Zadie Smith (This was not as good as _White Teeth_, but I liked it much better than most of the reviewers did. Still, I'd recommend it, especially if you liked _High Fidelity_ or any discussion of fandom.)
30. Little Ice Age, Maureen Seaton (The only poetry book I picked up this year. She's got a good sense of wit in her writing, which I enjoy immensely.)
31. In the Name of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez (I love JA, and this is a novel that I put off reading for a while because I had read a lot about the amount of research she put into it and I guess I wanted to save it until I had a proper amount of time to give it. This is definitely a book I will re-read.)
32. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald (I don't know how I got this far without reading this book. I love it.)
33. Atonement, Ian McEwan (I didn't expect to like this book for whatever reason, but it is a very very good story.)
34. Prague, Arthur Phillips (This book reminded me a lot of the characters in Whit Stillman's films - just after college, trying to find themselves. It's interesting in that it's essentially a character study of a group.)
35. Lucky, Alice Sebold (Anyone who has trouble reading about sexual violence should approach this book with caution. It's the true story of the attack the author survived. It's an incredibly powerful book.)
36. Happenstance, Carol Shields (This had a very retro feel to it, in that it was a feminist novel written in the 70s.)
37. I Knew a Woman, Courtney Davis (A health care practioner's look at women's health. Very interesting.)
38. Virginia Woolf, Nigel Nicholson (A short bio, written by her nephew. I needed to read that after reading The Hours.)
39. Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf (I read this one after reading/seeing The Hours too. I had a very hard time with this book, despite having seen the movie version of it a few years ago as well. It's a good story, but it is a difficult read.)
40. Madame de Treymes, Edith Wharton (I love anything I read by her.)
41. Best American Erotica, 2003 (Good collection, but I think the prior year's was better.)
42. Barchester Towers, Anthony Trollope (I only read half of this book, because I just couldn't get into it. I normally eat up Victorian novels, barring Dickens, like candy, but there was a huge religion plotline I just didn't have the historical background to understand.)
43. The Secret History, Donna Tartt (I don't recommend this book at all. I got through it, because I had huge chunks I hated, then would find a huge chunk I liked. Ultimately, the character you're supposed to identify with, I think, is just terribly vile, and I felt very weird about the whole story.)
So, not quite 50, but pretty darn close, especially since I was in school for the entire year too.
Fair warning: small spoilers may appear within.
For book club:
1. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (incredible book)
2. The Hours, by Michael Cunningham (I liked the movie, but the book is so much richer)
3. The Dive from Clausen's Pier, by Ann Packer (not the best thing ever)
4. Three Junes, by Julia Glass (loved it)
5. The Red Ten, by Anita Diamant (I liked this a whole lot better than I'd expected to)
6. Bag of Bones, by Stephen King (our Halloween selection - I hadn't read any SK in a while, but I liked this, for nostagia's sake. This is actually a more "literary" book than a lot of his other stuff.)
For fun:
7. Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides (I've droned on about this one enough - I love it!)
8. Unless, Carol Shields (wonderful!)
9. The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenides (I had seen the movie a few months ago, so it was very interesting to see how it was adapted. They did a very good job.)
10. Oryx & Crake, Margaret Atwood (Not my favorite thing by her, just because of the ending, but still worth it.)
11. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (This was a re-reading, just finished it a few days ago. I wish I had the kind of brain that could come up with something as far-reaching as this.)
12. How to Buy a House with Little or No Money Down (I think it's already outdated)
13. Wings of the Dove, Henry James (It took me forever to get into this, and I didn't love it. _What Maisie Knew was Better_.)
14. What Maisie Knew, Henry James (Recommended)
15. Dressing for the Carnival, Carol Shields (Short stories, most very good.)
16. Pure, Rebecca Ray (RR dropped out of high school to write this book. It's incredibly well-written, especially for a first novel of someone so young. Disturbing subject matter though (adolescents coming of age, and experimenting with drugs, sex, etc.)
17. The Dress Lodger, Sherri Holman (I think this is remaindered everywhere, but it's very good. It's a good historical novel, about the origins of modern Western medical research.)
18. Valencia, Michelle Tea (After a while, I felt like each chapter was the same story, with a different drug and a different girl, but overall, it's a fun read, with lots of "indie" culture references.)
19. The Last Time They Met, Anita Shreve (I don't know why I keep reading AS. I always feel jerked around by the end. She's a good writer, but I find her plots manipulative.)
20. Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda (I read this while at Kripalu in February. It does provide some insight on yoga's movement to the West.)
21. Nine Objects of Desire, Chitra Divakaruni (I really really liked this book -- it's kind of a tragic story because all of the characters undergo such major change from where they though they'd end up, but it's ultimately hopeful. I think this is a second book with the same characters. I need to read the first one.)
22. The Death of Vishnu, Manil Suri (I loved this one too -- it all takes place in one apartment building in Bombay. I also learned a bit of Indian religious practices from Vishnu's flashbacks.)
23. Getting Real About Running (Still working on it. I'm going to start doing the programs for building up endurance once the incessant rain stops.)
24. Jivamukti Yoga, David Life and Sharon Gannon. (This is a good book to use to move further into poses, and yogic philosophy, but probably not for beginners. I was reading it when I was taking an arm balance class and it was good to be able to see photos of some of the things we were working towards.)
25. The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd (This is the first 2004 book club book. In retrospect, there's a lot of convenient coincidences in the plot, but it worked and didn't bug me while I was reading it.)
26. Edith Wharton: A Biography, R. W. B. Lewis (This is a very thorough book, and was very interesting as far as putting her novels in perspective. It also talked about her house in Lenox, MA, which I was only able to see from the road. I *must* visit it!)
27. Twilight Sleep, Edith Wharton (This is not regarded as one of her best novels, but it was fun. It's a "literary beach read.")
28. Sea Glass, Anita Shreve (This was for book club too -- probably my favorite AS book of those I've read, if just in that is has a definite historical setting that gives it some substance.)
29. The Autograph Man, Zadie Smith (This was not as good as _White Teeth_, but I liked it much better than most of the reviewers did. Still, I'd recommend it, especially if you liked _High Fidelity_ or any discussion of fandom.)
30. Little Ice Age, Maureen Seaton (The only poetry book I picked up this year. She's got a good sense of wit in her writing, which I enjoy immensely.)
31. In the Name of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez (I love JA, and this is a novel that I put off reading for a while because I had read a lot about the amount of research she put into it and I guess I wanted to save it until I had a proper amount of time to give it. This is definitely a book I will re-read.)
32. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald (I don't know how I got this far without reading this book. I love it.)
33. Atonement, Ian McEwan (I didn't expect to like this book for whatever reason, but it is a very very good story.)
34. Prague, Arthur Phillips (This book reminded me a lot of the characters in Whit Stillman's films - just after college, trying to find themselves. It's interesting in that it's essentially a character study of a group.)
35. Lucky, Alice Sebold (Anyone who has trouble reading about sexual violence should approach this book with caution. It's the true story of the attack the author survived. It's an incredibly powerful book.)
36. Happenstance, Carol Shields (This had a very retro feel to it, in that it was a feminist novel written in the 70s.)
37. I Knew a Woman, Courtney Davis (A health care practioner's look at women's health. Very interesting.)
38. Virginia Woolf, Nigel Nicholson (A short bio, written by her nephew. I needed to read that after reading The Hours.)
39. Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf (I read this one after reading/seeing The Hours too. I had a very hard time with this book, despite having seen the movie version of it a few years ago as well. It's a good story, but it is a difficult read.)
40. Madame de Treymes, Edith Wharton (I love anything I read by her.)
41. Best American Erotica, 2003 (Good collection, but I think the prior year's was better.)
42. Barchester Towers, Anthony Trollope (I only read half of this book, because I just couldn't get into it. I normally eat up Victorian novels, barring Dickens, like candy, but there was a huge religion plotline I just didn't have the historical background to understand.)
43. The Secret History, Donna Tartt (I don't recommend this book at all. I got through it, because I had huge chunks I hated, then would find a huge chunk I liked. Ultimately, the character you're supposed to identify with, I think, is just terribly vile, and I felt very weird about the whole story.)
So, not quite 50, but pretty darn close, especially since I was in school for the entire year too.
