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Feb. 5th, 2006 12:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selene_13Hey, I get to use 6 LJ icons now? How come I didn't notice that happening?
I'm sort of adapting the "50 books a year challege" to suit my fancy, which is simply "read a book a week." So, this year I want to read 52 books (if I can. I'm not going to force it because reading is supposed to be fun, but then, I have fun reading so I don't see how it could go wrong).
When I was a kid I used to go to the library a few times a week (it's right next door), taking three books a go (which was the limit). I used to use my lunchbreak to read books.
I haven't read that much lately. Being a booknerd I write down everything I read, and last year I read a whopping 16 books. I did read large amounts of non-fic for my thesis though (which I don't count as I read it choppily at best), and wrote that darn thing, but still...
I blame this. The internet. The fanfic and the forums. The fandoms and discussions. The essays and the specs. Oh, watching DVD's and TV shows doesn't help either. I believe there's too much distraction, and it's distracting me from the goodness that is reading, and I need to be reaquanted.
I also think HBP kind of kicked my ass. I haven't anticipated a book as much for a long time, and time is jading me to series. Lately, a lot of authors have disappointed me with the directions they chose to take their books. I want something to blow me off my feet again. Of course, I'll only find it if I keep looking for it!
So, fifth week of the year, and I've read (with v. short reviews and stars out of five):
The Robber Bride, by Margaret Atwood.
I love Atwood's novels, and this was a great one. It manages a mystery in present time, but the best is when the histories unfold, because then the depth and amazing characterisations appear. Captivating. ****
The Paper House, by Carlos Maria Dominquez.
A book only interesting to bibliophiles, as it makes some astute observations about the nature of that particular group of people. Short thus easily read, nodded at, and put aside. **
The Wraeththu Trilogy, by Storm Constantine.
Interesting concept, esp. considering the gender issue. Started very aloof (glosses over a large part of the new species she creates with the easy words that we wouldn't understand anyway), and takes some time to get into. Lots of pretty hermaphrodites is not bad canon fodder though. It didn't really catch me until the second novel, but it takes off then. I'm finishing up the third book, which appears to be the best of the bunch; it's definitely more suspenceful. ***
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I'm sort of adapting the "50 books a year challege" to suit my fancy, which is simply "read a book a week." So, this year I want to read 52 books (if I can. I'm not going to force it because reading is supposed to be fun, but then, I have fun reading so I don't see how it could go wrong).
When I was a kid I used to go to the library a few times a week (it's right next door), taking three books a go (which was the limit). I used to use my lunchbreak to read books.
I haven't read that much lately. Being a booknerd I write down everything I read, and last year I read a whopping 16 books. I did read large amounts of non-fic for my thesis though (which I don't count as I read it choppily at best), and wrote that darn thing, but still...
I blame this. The internet. The fanfic and the forums. The fandoms and discussions. The essays and the specs. Oh, watching DVD's and TV shows doesn't help either. I believe there's too much distraction, and it's distracting me from the goodness that is reading, and I need to be reaquanted.
I also think HBP kind of kicked my ass. I haven't anticipated a book as much for a long time, and time is jading me to series. Lately, a lot of authors have disappointed me with the directions they chose to take their books. I want something to blow me off my feet again. Of course, I'll only find it if I keep looking for it!
So, fifth week of the year, and I've read (with v. short reviews and stars out of five):
The Robber Bride, by Margaret Atwood.
I love Atwood's novels, and this was a great one. It manages a mystery in present time, but the best is when the histories unfold, because then the depth and amazing characterisations appear. Captivating. ****
The Paper House, by Carlos Maria Dominquez.
A book only interesting to bibliophiles, as it makes some astute observations about the nature of that particular group of people. Short thus easily read, nodded at, and put aside. **
The Wraeththu Trilogy, by Storm Constantine.
Interesting concept, esp. considering the gender issue. Started very aloof (glosses over a large part of the new species she creates with the easy words that we wouldn't understand anyway), and takes some time to get into. Lots of pretty hermaphrodites is not bad canon fodder though. It didn't really catch me until the second novel, but it takes off then. I'm finishing up the third book, which appears to be the best of the bunch; it's definitely more suspenceful. ***
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