Ben's Reading 2012

[Ben]

I did the same with my holiday, took one tree-book and my kindle, really helped to get so much reading done!

 

Hope you had a great holiday Ben.

 

It was just ideal for what I needed, really. It didn't boost my reading because I'm in a bit of a drought but it's certainly great.

 

My holiday was great thanks!

 

Ben

Have fun on your trip. I hate reading droughts, don't you ?

And yes, the Kindle does spoil you rotten. It's made me so lazy, you can prop it in your lap when reading ,and also do other stuff,then just reach down to flip the page. Makes you get kinda lazy about holding onto a book.

and yes, it'd definitely fit under the weight limit !

 

Thanks. I most certainly do hate reading droughts, and I regret to say that even the laziness and relaxation of the holiday struggled to free me from my plight at the moment. As for the Kindle I think it's an absolute god-send. I had my reservations at first, being such a fan of the feel of real paper pages. Yet it managed to surprise me and I've loved it ever since. It's easy to use, space-saving, time-saving, and although I'll always buy books I think my Kindle will start to take over bit by bit.

 

In any case, I'll write my holiday reading news in the next post - what little of it there is.

Edited August 17, 2012 by Ben

[vodkafan]

Hi Ben glad you had a good holiday

[Ben]

Hi Ben glad you had a good holiday

 

Thanks VF mate, hope everything is good with you.

[Ben]

"Everything happens for a reason, enjoy it while it lasts because you never know when it'll be over."

 

I heard someone say that earlier today, and it reminded me, for some reason, of my poor neglected book thread, here on BCF. Of course, it's melodramatic; my reading is far from 'over', it just took an extended holiday, but the point remains the same. I'm delighted that I've had some excellent books so far this year, because I'm very disappointed in how the second half of the year has gone, reading-wise. From July onwards I let myself become dragged in by a lazy 'summer', and as a result I have read very thinly in the past few months.

 

With the return of university, I have picked things up a little, and I hope that's a sign of things getting back on track. In the past couple of weeks my desire to read has returned, and I'm excited to see what will come from the rest of the year. I have, however, waffled on far too long. Mainly because I'm finding a multitude of different ways to procrastinate when I'm supposed to be studying, I will offer some brief thoughts on some of the texts I've not commented on this year, as of yet (over the next couple of posts).

 

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

 

The first novel on my post-colonial module this year, Rhys' tale is a fantastic reworking of Charlotte Bronte's well-known and much-loved Jane Eyre. I confess at the time of starting I hadn't heard of this prequel, as such, and I was rather apprehensive at the thought of Rhys' rather challenging undertaking. In essence, I needn't have worried; the author manages to weave a wonderful journey of a young girl growing up in a place full of tension and racial anxieties, who meets a young Englishman. Bronte's story of the savage and insane woman in the attic is torn up, and instead the author illuminates the darkness of her prison to the readers; 'Bertha', or 'Antoinette' as she is known in Rhys' tale, is finally given a voice. The figure of Mr Rochester, who through Jane's narrative voice in Jane Eyre we become inclined to sympathise with, reveals a personality merely hinted at in Bronte's text. His own somewhat vicious need for control and power gives rise to anxious questions within the confines of his mind, which he cannot banish. Rhys' text is marvellous reworking that offers a fresh perspective on Bronte's famous novel, and leaves the reader with a whole host of new, intriguing questions.

 

5/5.

[Ben]

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

 

To review this novella is admittedly rather strange for me, as I've come to recognise it for it's standing in the Gothic fiction cannon, rather than on its merits as a tale. By all means, it excels in setting and atmosphere; the castle is intimidating, creepy, and of course haunted. It's villain Manfred is marvellous; loud, authoritative, and as in the same vein as Macbeth in Shakespeare's classic play, doomed inevitably to fail, as he continuously loses his grip on his position. Add a sprinkle of frantic chases through the night, torn lovers, jealousy and death, and you would think that it was a recipe for success. Alas, I can't agree; it's characters are too laughably pathetic to invest in, and every potentially gripping moment descends into a farce. Perhaps I expected more, and others will enjoy this light-hearted, comical, Gothic romp of a book - but it wasn't for me. Walpole, with The Castle of Otranto, arguably wrote the first Gothic novel, and credit where credit is due - but this genre has so much more to offer than giant helmets falling from the sky.

 

2/5.

[Ben]

Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell

 

One reviewer once called this Victorian novel a 'labour of love', and I'd be inclined to agree. Gaskell writes with eager enthusiasm, tackling the fascinating subject of the working-classes; their sufferings, their wonderful tenacity and hope - their everyday lives. Her work reflects her own pondering of the situation that these people were in, and it shows. As with other fiction from this period, the desire to write lengthy descriptions - of the factories, the countryside, the 'homes' and the people that live there - means that the thick of the action certainly takes a while to get going. Gaskell writes with an absolute realism that at times can be disconcerting to the reader, but it's truthfulness is what makes you invest in the characters' lives. A young man imprisoned for a crime that his mother swears he didn't commit, but one which he refuses to deny. A love triangle between different classes of people, who at any other time would live their lives well apart. Yet the workers grow restless, and vow to take action. It's a wonderfully crafted tale of the rich and poor, of death and life, and of hope and damnation. Stick with it if at first it seems sluggish, it's more than worth persevering with.

 

4/5.

Edited September 28, 2012 by Ben

[Ben]

I er, updated my book thread, which is substantially more reads than I had before. I'll try get some more thoughts on each one in the next few days.

[Ben]

For the minute I've decided to sit down and read The Hobbit. I don't plan on reading heavily and engrossing myself in challenges over the final days of the year, and this is a perfect solution. I'm probably going to see the film adaptation very soon, and so this seemed like a good opportunity to refresh myself with the goings on in Mr Bilbo Baggins' adventures.

 

So far so good, love me some high-fantasy to wile away the hours.

[Ben]

Finished The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and it was as thoroughly entertaining as I remembered.

 

Thoughts:

In a novel and a series that is filled with battles, it is somewhat ironic that a few years ago my relationship with this book started off as a bit of a 'battle', if you like. It took me three attempts, stop-start over the following months, before I finally reached its end. I'm not sure what it was that made me struggle, perhaps it was the tone that I couldn't get used to, or maybe even the genre itself (I'm not a big fantasy reader, and wasn't back then either). In the end I never understood why I'd had to start this three times, as I enjoyed it immensely. Now as a re-read, the magic remains. Bilbo Baggins' journey from his quiet, comfortable hobbit-hole to the fiery depths of the Lonely Mountain where the fearsome dragon Smaug resides, is one of endless excitement and fantastic entertainment. Tolkein writes with witty brilliance, painting his world of grumpy trolls, bold eagles who aren't battle shy, and Bilbo's cohort of mischievous dwarves, who are simply wonderful. Shape-shifters, eyes that shine from the menacing darkness of Mirkwood forest, spiders that spin their webs to slyly capture their foes; The Hobbit has it all. Tolkien leaves you wanting more, and as a fantastic prequel to the famous Lord of the Rings and a marvellous introduction to the adventures of Middle Earth, you just know that there's many more exciting and dangerous adventures to come.

Edited December 24, 2012 by Ben

[Ben]

Finishing a much better final third of the reading year with a bit of a flourish. Finished two novels in the last few days, and in the spirit of keeping things light-hearted during the Christmas period and towards the end of the year, I've decided against going on with the ambitious Lord of the Rings and instead I'm going to go back through Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy or rather Sequence as I believe it's known as now.

 

The first of these is The Amulet of Samarkand and I'm looking forward to getting started. I love these books.

[Ben]

Finished Jonathan Stroud's excellent The Amulet of Samarkand and have made a start on the second in the series which is entitled The Golem's Eye. I don't really have time to be writing out thoughts on these, and as I've read them so many times that it should evidently indicate how great they are, and that everyone should read them.

 

I also currently have The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger on the go, but this might take the back-burner until next year, unless I get time to finish it as well. Currently debating with myself whether to make my 2013 reading lists yet, as I got excited seeing everyone else's lists popping up all over the forum. I think I'll do it in the next couple of days, so look out of that. I'm hoping to be much more organised in my reads.

[Ben]

Having a spring clean of my book lists in preparation for the new thread, updated my quite frankly terrifying to-be-read pile. With the addition of my books that I've just purchased for next semester, which I'll list below, the list stands at 235. It started the year at 219, and therefore has disappointedly increased. However in my defence I have bought 64 books, so don't think I've done too badly.

 

Semester Two:

 

African Dispora:

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

The River Between by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o.

Crick Crack, Monkey by Merle Hodge.

Beloved by Toni Morrison.

The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon.

 

Theory into Practice:

Modern Criticism and Theory: A Reader by Lodge & Wood

 

Contemporary British Literature:

The Remains of the Day by Kazuro Ishiguro.

The Black Album by Hanif Kureishi.

White Teeth by Zadie Smith.

A Distant Shore by Caryl Phillips.

Saturday by Ian Mcewan.

 

Literary Modernisms:

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.

The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford.

A Passage to India by E.M. Forster.

Selected Stories by Katherine Mansfield.

Selected Poems by T.S. Eliot.

Orlando by Virginia Woolf.

Selected Poems by W.B. Yeats.

 

Anyone any thoughts on any of these? I have a feeling semester two shall have some cracking reads.

[bobblybear]

Of those, I've only read White Teeth, which I loved, and Saturday, which I enjoyed except for the preposterous ending.

[Ben]

Of those, I've only read White Teeth, which I loved, and Saturday, which I enjoyed except for the preposterous ending.

 

Ah I hate endings that suck, damn. White Teeth looks promising now though, I actually thought it looked good when I read the blurb.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Ben

[Ben]

Well, I've just finished Jonathan Stroud's rather excellent The Golem's Eye, the second book in the original Bartimeaus trilogy, and with it my total books for the year rests at a respectable 81. I have really enjoyed this series but as I can remember exactly what happens in the final book, and have many university books to read, I think that I'll leave this series there.

 

Now all that's left to do is write my reading review for the year in the following post, and to get choosing my first book of 2013.

[Ben]

2012 Reading Review

 

Being a huge lover of ridiculous rants about books and all the weird and wonderful things they entail, I always take pleasure in writing my end-of-year reading review (even if isn't read by anyone I enjoy writing it, which is the most important thing). I'm delighted to first and foremost announce that this was my best reading year since I started keeping track, with a respectable total of 81 books completed.

 

January and February started exceptionally well despite juggling the usual revision, and the latter month was my biggest ever with a total of 19 books completed. Some of my favourites included A Room With A View by E.M. Forster, and a book that shoots into my top ten of all-time, Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. I also enjoyed amongst others, a number of Sherlock Holmes stories, the majority of the Darren Shan saga, and Alex Connor's second thriller Legacy of Blood. That's not to mention Stoker's Dracula and Dickens' Great Expectations.

 

All in all then, an exceptional start to the year, and March, although slower, still presented me with some good reads. Principally, I tackled the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, which I enjoyed immensely, and which I think deserved the attention and the subsequent film adaptations. My Shakesperian education continued from February's A Midsummer Night's Dream to include Much Ado About Nothing and Love's Labour's Lost, amongst others on my university module. Netherland by Joseph O' Neil was an excellently unique novel to top off another good month.

 

April involved a heavy start with D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers which although wasn't terrible, it didn't make me feel like I'd be leaping back into her novels any time soon. I read some crime fiction with Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely and Devil In A Blue Dress by Walter Mosley, both of which were decent reads. Jane Eyre was excellent, as was Percy Bysshe Shelley's Zastrozzi. I wrapped up the month with the last three books in the Darren Shan saga.

 

May and June were excellent reading months, a mixture of review books and classics. The Good Father was the pick of the review books for me, an excellent tale of the importance of journeys, and a search for identity. Yet Andrew Nicoll's rip-roaring comedy If You're Reading This I'm Already Dead ran it an entertainingly close second. Interspersed with these, I read some outstanding classics. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, the wonderful and sprawling The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, the exceptional To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Joseph Heller's utterly brilliant Catch-22.

 

With July a disappointing and unacceptable zero-books-read month, when August rolled around I continued George R. R. Martin's epic fantasy series, which I started in June with A Game of Thrones. Second in the series, A Clash of Kings really starts to get the narrative moving, and I'm excited to get to Storm of Swords in the following twelve months. In August I also read the book that took the world by storm: E. L. James' terrible 50 Shades of Grey. To wrap up the month I started on some of my university books; thoroughly entertained by Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea but not so much by Horace Walpole's Castle of Otranto.

 

September and October was go-go-go university reading, and so I tackled it furiously. My post-colonial module delivered the best books: Foe by J. M. Coetzee, Shame by Salman Rushdie (definitely need to read more of him sooner rather than later), The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje, and finally the excellent Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga. Nothing exceptional stood out to me in the other modules, only my re-read of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley which is one of my favourite classics. The highlight of the Victorian module was definitely Tess of the D'urbervilles which I found to be a great read, but the rest on the course were hard-going and mostly disappointing (particularly George Eliot's arduous Felix Holt: The Radical).

 

Novemer was a slow both due to finishing assingments and revision for my December exams, and as a result I only read the rather marvellous The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (a book I've wanted to read for a while, and most certainly did not disappoint). I eased out the year with some light-hearted reads, namely The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, and the opening two novels of the Bartimeaus trilogy by Jonathan Stround (which begins with the brilliant Amulet of Samarakand). I also thouroughly enjoyed Alex Connor's latest offering, The Memory of Bones which could even be her best yet.

 

All in all then, no complains. I've had some absolutely marvellous books this year, and although I had long periods of non-reading time, I finished with a solid total. With the exams out of the way in December, I should hit the ground running, beginning with a splurge of university reads in the coming months. It's been a brilliant year, and here's to 2013. Hoping it's a great one for all. Let's see if I can finally track that elusive 100-book total down.