My good friend Rug's Bug has a new blog where she talks about books, movies, and recipes. I think that's a great idea, and it got me to thinking about how I've been neglecting my reading since the twins took over my life.
I have a book log, a journal where I record every book I read, the day I finished it, and some general thoughts about the book. I started keeping the log three years ago -- the first entry is June 29, 2003, the day I finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
I highly recommend keeping a book log. I find that I tend to forget what I've read once I get three or four books down the road -- the plot, characters, even whether I liked the book or not, all begin to fade from my mind. It's nice to read back through the log and remember what I was reading a month ago (or a year ago).
I used to have a goal to enter at least one new book every month, but I've struggled with that over the last year. My last entry was May 3, 2006 -- I need to get some reading done! In order to inspire myself to read more, and to share some good reading suggestions with you, dear reader, I'm going to list for you the contents of my book log (minus comments). I've marked books I'd recommend with an asterisk.
*6-29-03: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
7-15-03: The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
*7-26-03: Pattern Recognition by William Gibson
8-3-03: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
*9-22-03: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
10-5-03: The Fresco by Sheri S. Tepper
*11-30-03: Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
12-3-03: July, July by Tim O'Brien
12-9-03: Idlewild by Nick Sagan
12-31-03: The Simulacra by Philip K. Dick
*1-3-04: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
*1-25-04: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
1-28-04: Singularity Sky by Charles Stross
2-10-04: New Spring by Robert Jordan
*3-20-04: Life at Blandings by P.G. Wodehouse
4-18-04: The Memory of Whiteness by Kim Stanley Robinson
*5-30-04: The Confusion by Neal Stephenson
*6-1-04: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
*7-15-04: Ilium by Dan Simmons
7-25-04: Guardian of the Horizon by Elizabeth Peters
8-2-04: Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding
*8-22-04: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
9-6-04: Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
*10-22-04: The System of the World by Neal Stephenson
*11-24-04: The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket
*12-??-04: The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket
*12-26-04: The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket
*5-6-05: The Egyptian by Mika Waltari
*6-??-05: Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott
7-17-05: Olympos by Dan Simmons
*7-21-05: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
*9-1-05: A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
10-30-05: Latro in the Mist by Gene Wolfe
11-21-05: Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan
12-16-05: The Serpent on the Crown by Elizabeth Peters
*12-31-05: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
*1-12-06: Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right by Al Franken
2-10-06: I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away by Bill Bryson
4-11-06: Naked Pictures of Famous People by Jon Stewart
*5-3-06: The World According to Mister Rogers by Fred Rogers
Now let's all of us get reading. (I'd appreciate any reading suggestions!)
12 comments:
I tried to read the first Harry Potter book to my boys about 2 years ago (they're 8 now). It went way over their heads. I enjoyed what I started reading though. It's going to take us the rest of the year to read all the books that we ordered last school year from Scholastic Books. Not to mention the .25ers from the Thrift store. I think by next summer they'll be ready for Harry Potter. Maybe that'll be our first book club selection when school starts again.
I love the Harry Potter books. I'm dying to read them to the girls. Do you think they'll be ready in a year or two? Airan's ready to start them on the Lord of the Rings books. Maybe we'll wait until they're five for those.
RB, have your kids read the Lemony Snicket books? I think they're hilarious, although quite dark. Pick up the first one and read it yourself first. It'll take about two hours, max.
They haven't read any yet. Although I've heard they're good.
I don't think they've seen the movie yet either.
I'm about halfway through reading them "Holes." We read a lot of Judy Moody, Junie B. Jones and Horrible Harry.
We finished Holes last night. I would reccomend it.
Parts of it were a little complex for 8-yr olds. I kept having to explain the foreshadowing and some of the backstory.
Overall, they really like it. It won all kinds of awards. I think adults would like it.
I read Holes a few years ago (at Prufreedur's recommendation, if I remember correctly). I loved it. And I thought the movie was a faithful adaptation.
Sorry about the spelling error on "recommend." Yes, I do know how to spell most of the time. You can't go back and edit these comments!
I haven't seen the movie adaptation of "Holes." The boys saw it about 2 years ago (?). Tomorrow is library day and they are hoping it is in the DVD section.
I can't believe the Jon Stewart book doesn't have an asterisk beside it.
Also, what didn't you like about The DaVinci Code.
It seems either you love it or hate it. I haven't read it, and I can't decide if I want to.
As much as I adore Jon Stewart, I found Naked Pictures of Famous People to be mediocre. Funny here and there, but inconsistent and just not that good. It pains me to say so, but it's the truth.
I wouldn't say I hated The Da Vinci Code, but I definitely didn't love it. It's a page-turner, that's for sure. But the writing is really awful, and the dialog is laughable. If you want a quick, fun read, it'll do. But fine literature it ain't.
Holes was probably my recommendation. Great book, great author (though his other stuff I've read is more kidlike). Thanks for inspiring me to go back to Time Traveler's Wife. I put it down a couple of years back when I started teaching and knew I couldn't devote the attention it needed to keep straight what was going on in the story. I was utterly absorbed this time around. I'm toiling through Blue Highways now, which I think I shall soon make my secondary book and find another primary one. I can't seem to get through it!
Add another book to the log: Connie Willis's Inside Job. Short, easy read, very typical Connie Willis style. Fun. I'd recommend it.
Maybe I should give Jonathan Strange another try. It LOOKED great but it was so long. I think I'll wait for my wrist to heal so I can hold it up!
You need strong arms for Jonathan Strange. But it's so worth it! Airan and I first started reading it while I was on hospitalized bed rest, trying to keep those baby girls on the inside as long as possible. Airan would read it to me for an hour or so before heading home for the night. The girls arrived long before we finished (and long before their due date), so it took a while before I finally had time to pick the book up again and finish it (this time reading all on my own -- Airan still hasn't finished it).
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