Inver Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 (edited) My Reading List 2012 My wish for this year is to increase the number of books read. I am sure I could have read more last year. I seemed to be very lazy, with only a total of 20! If I could only double that this year! List from 2011 (20) List from 2010 (22) List from 2009(24) Lists from 2005-2008 Wishlist/To Buy 'A Place of Secrets' by Rachel Hore 'Gone with the Wind' by Margaret Mitchell (maybe a classic I should try) 'The Winter House' by Nicci Gerrard (Esiotrot recommends) 'Goodnight, Beautiful' by Dorothy Koomson (Katie recommends) 'The Postmistress' by Sarah Blake (bdy book Aug) 'Sing You Home' by Jodi Picoult (bought 7/2) 'Lone Wolf' by Jodi Picoult (Angel recommends) 'The Shoemaker's Wife' by Adriana Trigiani (good review via Goodread) 'Peaches for Monsieur le Curé ' by Joanne Harris (a must buy in p'back) 'Me Before You by Jojoy Moyes TBR List I will be adding to this when I get around to choosing the books from my shelves that I really want to try and read this year. 'Return to the Olive Farm' ~ Carol Drinkwater 'Left Neglected' ~ Lisa Genova 'Someone Else's Son' ~ Sam Hayes Read January - 'This Year It Will Be Different' by Maeve Binchy 'The Cave' by Kate Mosse (Quick Reads ~97pgs) 'The Necklace' by Cheryl Jarvis 'Still Alice' by Lisa Genova 'Birdsong' by Sebastian Faulks (read most of Jan but finsished 4/2/12) February 'A Simple Life' by Rosie Thomas 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' ~ Khaled Hosseini(started) March 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' ~ Khaled Hosseini(finished) 'Buddha Da' ~ Anne Donavan April 'Rescue' ~ Anita Shreve 'Vanishing Acts' by Jodi Picoult (but didn't finish) 'Dancing in a Distant Place' ~ Isla Dewar May 'Slippery When Wet' ~ Martin Goodman 'I Capture the Castle ~ Dodie Smith (didn't finish) June 'Friends,Lovers,Chocolate' ~ Alexander McCall Smith 'The Hunger Games' ~ Suzanne Collins July 'Turning Point' by Bowering Sivers 'Tell Tale' by Sam Hayes August 'Home to Big Stone Gap' By Adriana Trigiani 'That Certain Age' by Elizabeth Buchan (started) September 'That Certain Age' by Elizabeth Buchan (finished) 'One Good Turn' by Kate Atkinson 'The Hunger Games - Catching Fire' by Suzanne Collins(started) October 'The Hunger Games - Catching Fire' by Suzanne Collins(finished) 'Afterwards' by Rosamund Lupton November 'The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price PUrveyor of Superior Funerals' by Wendy Jones 'Her Fearful Symmetry' by Audrey Niffenegger 'Keeping Up With Magda' by Isla Dewar(started) December 'Keeping Up With Magda' by Isla Dewar(finished) 'House of Silence' by Linda Gillard 'Last Christmas' by Julia Williams Reading at the moment 'My Dear, I wanted to tell you' by Louisa Young Bookrings/rays from Bookcrossing or BCF members. 'The Necklace' by Cheryl Jarvis 'Still Alice' by Lisa Genova (recommend) Edited December 30, 2012 by Inver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 A Thousand Splendid Suns is a great read Inver hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Happy reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I have A Thousand Splendid Suns ony TBR pile too Inver, that's one I am definitely looking forward to. I can highly recommend Afterwards, it was a great read, as enthralling as Sister but very different, enjoy! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share Posted January 2, 2012 'This Year It Will Be Different' by Maeve Binchy I started this in December as it was a Christmas themed book and thought I would be nice to read up until Christmas. Small chapters which were easy to dip in and out of. Although each short chapter had a Christmas theme to it, it wasn't the cheery, Christmas feel good read I hoped it would be. Some of the chapters were unfinished and seemed to come to an abrupt end and on more than one occasion I said ' is that it' and wanted more. I have to say I skimmed over, even skipped some of dsthem. Not the read I expected from an author I have really enjoyed in the past. 2.5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I have A Thousand Splendid Suns ony TBR pile too Inver, that's one I am definitely looking forward to. I can highly recommend Afterwards, it was a great read, as enthralling as Sister but very different, enjoy! :-) I have Sister on my pile, I've never read anything by Rosamund Lupton so good to hear you enjoyed it so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Happy reading for 2012 Inver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 I was going to mention A Thousand Splendid Suns too - it's a fantastic book. I hope you love it as much as I did when you get to it. (I'm impatiently waiting for Mr Hosseini to write something else!!). Good luck in 2012. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 The very best of luck with your reading goals in 2012 Diane. I agree with your review of This Year it will be Different though I liked it a wee bit more than you did. Some of the stories didn't work as well as others and some were downright depressing which you don't want at Christmas. The weird thing about the book is that I have it on audiobook (read by her cousin Kate Binchy) and for years I had it on cassette. When I bought it on CD some of the stories had changed, for instance the one set in the care home, and not for the better either. I was so disappointed. I think my favourite is still the title story .. where the lady thinks her family are going to step in for once and help with all the Christmas prep and all they do is buy her an old b&w TV for the kitchen so that she doesn't miss anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Thank you for the magical to-be-boxed-up mojo wish! I send the very same back to you, along with a rather lovely virtual box, inlaid with sparkly jewels into which you can place yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Good luck Inver,and may I also wish you luck in reaching and even exceeding your goal this year . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 'The Cave' by Kate Mosse (Quick Reads ~97pgs) Easy read, not overly taxing, intriguing wee story. It is March 1928. Freddie crashes his car, stumbles to near by village to seek help, meets a girl who tells of a strange story of her family and seeking refuge in the caves in the hills. Can this be true! He goes in search and finds the secret of the caves. 3/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopeanha Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Wish you a great reading year with lots of reading mojo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 'The Necklace' by Cheryl Jarvis An uplifting book about friends brought together by a diamond necklace. They have little in common, but they agree to buy into 'The Necklace' organised by Jonell McLain. This is a true story. Each member has the necklace for a month and it is theirs to wear for whatever reason they choose, shopping, birthdays, special anniversaries etc. They have a get together at the end of each month to pass it on to the next member and discuss what they have done. Each chapter is written by each member and what they loved about owning the necklace. The group go on to achieve fundraising activities from this simple ownership and friendships that will last a lifetime. It is not all plain sailing and there are differences of opinion throughout, but all in all a lovely read. 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Hi Diane, Happy reading for 2012. The Cave sounds interesting. Also The Necklace - I had started reading this true story some years ago but I can't remember why I did not finish it. Might look it up again, it was unusual. Ah- stop the press- my memory cells are working- I know why- It was an excerpt from the book in Readers Digest and I read it while sitting in a hospital waiting room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 'Still Alice' by Lisa Genova What a wonderful book. Very well written and very touching. Had me shed a tear on more than one occasion. Alice is Harvard professor, married with three grown up children and a busy life. She starts to become forgetful, but dismisses it. An event takes her by surprise when one day on route home from work she gets lost and can't remember the way back to the house. She is disturbed by this and begins to wonder if there is something more to the forgetfulness. She is finally diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. She if only 50 years old. How could this happen to her. She has to tell her family and re-evaluate her career and family relationships. This is a touching story of how they cope and how they deal with the inevitable progress of this horrible disease that steals away your very living. I related to this book with some sadness, given my dad had dementia and passed away. It helped answer questions we asked before and probably had prior to his diagnosis too. Thank you Lisa Genova for this touching read from the view point of a sufferer rather than a carer. The most touching chapter for me was March 2005. 5/5 (Recommend) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 It's strange that some of the most wonderful reads can also be the most painful to read. I will have to get this based on your review here Inver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Sounds like a very moving book. I have added it to my wishlist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted February 4, 2012 Author Share Posted February 4, 2012 'Birdsong' by Sebastian Faulks Wow...what a great read. One of those books I should have read a long time ago. Prompted to read by it being on the TV. So glad I picked this up to read. The love story between Stephen and Isabelle was sensitively written and I am sure there were many more of these relationships throughout the war. But for me the heartbreaking detail of what our boys went through in WW1 was unbelievable but unfortunately true. I was totally unaware of all these underground tunnels. The relationship between Stephen and his men was touching although he didn't show a lot of his true feelings. He didn't come through it all unscathed by any means, but it made me think to have gone through such a lot and survive or die in action, what would be the best way. Sebastian Faulks is a great storyteller. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 I read 'Birdsong' a while ago and loved it, and I have no plans to watch the tv adaptation. Have to agree that Sebastian Faulks is a good story teller. Have you read 'Charlotte Gray'? If not, I would recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Birdsong was a wonderful reading wasn't it? I gave up very early with the tv adaptation as it was just so slow and didn't capture the book at all in my opinion... My other favourite Sebastian Faulks is Human Traces - I may have mentioned this a few times before ;-). I couldn't get on with Charlotte Gray despite trying a few times, I suppose it may be worth giving it another go some day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooshie Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 I have Birdsong on my shelf to read, and haven't been quite sure if it would be my thing, thanks for the review Inver - it has helped me decide that it is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 Thanks for the comments re Birdsong everyone. Ooshie I wasn't sure it would be my thing either but I have to say they chapters about the war were quite compulsive reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 (edited) 'A Simple Life' by Rosie Thomas Dinah and Matthew have a hidden secret. They never speak of the child they gave up 14yrs ago, until a meeting with an adopted child of friends plant the seed that Dinah wants to see her child again. Easy read and deals with the emotions of giving up a child for adoption (a Down's syndrome baby). 3/5 Edited February 17, 2012 by Inver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hossein Borrowed from my sister ages ago and I have finally read it. Quite a harrowing read but glad I read it. What I couldn't get my head around was that it was in the present day and age and how these women were treated. On a par with The Kite Runner I think. 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted April 1, 2012 Author Share Posted April 1, 2012 'Buddha Da' by Anne Donovan Finally finished it. Took a while but my readng mojo deserted me when reading this one. It wouldn't suit everyone given how it is written as it reads as it is said, bits of Scot's dialect all the way through. Story is basically of Jimmy who is a working class Glaswegian who discovers Buddhism and decides to find out more and how it changes his life. His long suffering wife and daughter have to put up with this change and it doesn't all go smoothly. Laughter and tears along the way for everyone. Each chapter in one of the character's voice. 3.5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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