Bookwormish, first quarter of 2015
Apr. 6th, 2015 11:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starfishstarAh, well, I fell one book short of reading 30 books in the first 3 months of the year. (Yes, I have been unemployed, can you tell?) I finished two more in the first two days of April, though, so maybe that makes up for it?
FAVORITE BOOK out of those 30-ish books:
Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers
I think Dorothy Sayers is now my hero. HOW was she this smart, thoughtful, progressive and forward-thinking in the 1930s? This book has it all, well-developed characters, strong prose, fun interactions, an intricate mystery plot which itself pales in comparison to the other aspect of the book that unfolds in parallel: a complex, incisive, yet quite delicate examination of what it means to be a woman in the 1930s. And on top of it all, there's a romance so passionate and yet so restrained, it will melt your heart. Dorothy Sayers! Brilliance in action!
RUNNERS-UP:
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (super charming story with a sweet, no-nonsense prose style; a breezy, quick read with an emotional point, and a little tiny touch of magical realism)
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling) (wrote about this one already; JKR just gets better and better!)
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman (I've been gradually reading my way through Gaiman's body of work over the last year or so, trying to figure out what all the fuss is about; this is going to sound goofy since this one's "just" a short children's book (with fun illustrations!), but this might actually be my favorite. SO SILLY and so delightfully comfortable with being silly. You totally picture Gaiman, as a dad, spinning this yarn to his own kids, and his kids rolling their eyes at their dorky dad.)
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine (nonfiction book of advice on how to write stories; aimed at an audience of kid-aged writers, but a delightful read for an adult, too, because GCL is just so warm and confident and totally 100% believes in you)
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers (this one felt much quieter than her other Peter Wimsey mysteries, and is set in the part of England Sayers herself was from; when I think back on the book I think less about the plot and more about the lovely, peaceful feeling of the bells and the church and the countryside)
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (liked this one a lot! classic Gaiman, an urban fantasy tale with horror elements, an everyman character shifting between real world and parallel "other" world, secondary characters with fascinating, detailed stories, very clever wordplay)
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (a very fine example of exactly how to write a YA/middle grade book)
Howards End by E. M. Forster (how is he so brilliant and captivating, even when writing about small-scale, daily life things?)
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (short, vignette-like chapters that add up to tell a story that's bigger than its parts seemed)
The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill (another author who keeps his story engaging even as he's relating the very small, precise details of a day-to-day life)
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (people have hailed this as his best, but I found it didn't draw me in nearly as much as his Thursday Next world does; definitely very, very inventive, though)
LOOKING AHEAD:
Currently scattered around my living space in various stages of partially-read-ness: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Bad Feminist (essays) by Roxane Gay, Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers, The Longest Journey by E. M. Forster.
On the horizon: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman!
Oh, and I now have a part-time job, plus the various odd-jobs/teaching I was already doing, plus a possible summer job, plus OMG SO MANY HOBBIES and music and songwriting and performing. And trying to dig back into revising Be the Light in My Lantern, Part 2. No lack of stuff to do around here. So maybe I won't spend quite as much of my time reading, these next months...
FAVORITE BOOK out of those 30-ish books:
Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers
I think Dorothy Sayers is now my hero. HOW was she this smart, thoughtful, progressive and forward-thinking in the 1930s? This book has it all, well-developed characters, strong prose, fun interactions, an intricate mystery plot which itself pales in comparison to the other aspect of the book that unfolds in parallel: a complex, incisive, yet quite delicate examination of what it means to be a woman in the 1930s. And on top of it all, there's a romance so passionate and yet so restrained, it will melt your heart. Dorothy Sayers! Brilliance in action!
RUNNERS-UP:
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (super charming story with a sweet, no-nonsense prose style; a breezy, quick read with an emotional point, and a little tiny touch of magical realism)
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling) (wrote about this one already; JKR just gets better and better!)
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman (I've been gradually reading my way through Gaiman's body of work over the last year or so, trying to figure out what all the fuss is about; this is going to sound goofy since this one's "just" a short children's book (with fun illustrations!), but this might actually be my favorite. SO SILLY and so delightfully comfortable with being silly. You totally picture Gaiman, as a dad, spinning this yarn to his own kids, and his kids rolling their eyes at their dorky dad.)
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine (nonfiction book of advice on how to write stories; aimed at an audience of kid-aged writers, but a delightful read for an adult, too, because GCL is just so warm and confident and totally 100% believes in you)
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers (this one felt much quieter than her other Peter Wimsey mysteries, and is set in the part of England Sayers herself was from; when I think back on the book I think less about the plot and more about the lovely, peaceful feeling of the bells and the church and the countryside)
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (liked this one a lot! classic Gaiman, an urban fantasy tale with horror elements, an everyman character shifting between real world and parallel "other" world, secondary characters with fascinating, detailed stories, very clever wordplay)
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (a very fine example of exactly how to write a YA/middle grade book)
Howards End by E. M. Forster (how is he so brilliant and captivating, even when writing about small-scale, daily life things?)
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (short, vignette-like chapters that add up to tell a story that's bigger than its parts seemed)
The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill (another author who keeps his story engaging even as he's relating the very small, precise details of a day-to-day life)
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (people have hailed this as his best, but I found it didn't draw me in nearly as much as his Thursday Next world does; definitely very, very inventive, though)
LOOKING AHEAD:
Currently scattered around my living space in various stages of partially-read-ness: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Bad Feminist (essays) by Roxane Gay, Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers, The Longest Journey by E. M. Forster.
On the horizon: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman!
Oh, and I now have a part-time job, plus the various odd-jobs/teaching I was already doing, plus a possible summer job, plus OMG SO MANY HOBBIES and music and songwriting and performing. And trying to dig back into revising Be the Light in My Lantern, Part 2. No lack of stuff to do around here. So maybe I won't spend quite as much of my time reading, these next months...
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Date: 2015-04-08 02:22 am (UTC)Yes! And there's some wonderful balanced relationship-building in Busman's Honeymoon. Also some Shrewsbury College-folk cameos, and a wonderful set of diary entries from the Dowager Duchess. You're making me want to go off on a two-book reread right now, heh.
A songwriters' workshop sounds like great fun! Do you play guitar? I've always wanted to learn.
Yep, I did the band thing at school with flute (including Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble while in college in your fair town), but now I just play in Irish trad (pub and house) sessions. There's occasionally some raised eyebrows at the fact that I play "modern" flute, but so does Joanie Madden of Cherish the Ladies, and -- my other favorite argument -- the "modern" flute is older than the concertina, which is considered legit at sessions, so people need to chill. ;) Most sessions around here are actually fine with it, and other people seem to calm down when it becomes obvious I'm not just a classical musician crashing the party but actually know a fair few trad tunes and work seriously at playing in an Irish style. It's fun!
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Date: 2015-04-10 03:10 pm (UTC)I play guitar at a basic, not-very-good level; I play piano slightly better than that, but in both cases pretty much just enough to accompany singing, which is mainly what I can do.
Playing a slightly unexpected instrument in a traditional setting, neat! I unusual combinations like that.