Reading Roundup 2007
This won't be a very accurate picture of what I read last year, since I didn't write down books for January and February. But I think I will keep up my monthly reading summaries. It's mainly for myself; I'm looking forward to seeing how 2008 compares with 2007. I've been trying to be better about labelling posts, so if you click on "books" that will show you what I've been reading.
According to my blog, I read 96 books last year. I can think of at least 5 more that I read in January and February, so I probably read somewhere between 100 and 110 books in 2007. There were also some that I started and didn't finish; I've learned not to be afraid of doing that if I don't like something.
I read 46 fiction and 50 nonfiction books.
I read 58 books by women and 38 books by men. I know that I have a tendency to gravitate more towards female authors. I think this has more to do with subject matter--I like to read about women. It's more familiar and comfortable to me.
Almost all of the books I read were published during the later half of the twentieth century. They are also almost all by writers who write in English. I think next year I should try to read more books in Spanish (I didn't read any this year!) and more classics that I haven't read in a while or that I haven't ever read.
A few of the books that stand out to me from this year are:
Fiction
Never Let You Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Finding Daddy by Louise Plummer
Nonfiction
Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Jentz
A Girl Named Zippy and She Got Up Off the Couch by Haven Kimmel
Falling Through the Earth by Danielle Trussoni
Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
I also watched 31 movies, but I didn't start writing those down until May so the number is probably closest to 40. At least I watch a lot of movies in foreign languages. The standouts for me were:
The Motorcycle Diaries
The Lives of Others
Volver
Todo sobre mi madre
Maria Full of Grace
American Beauty
States of Grace
Pan's Labyrinth
According to my blog, I read 96 books last year. I can think of at least 5 more that I read in January and February, so I probably read somewhere between 100 and 110 books in 2007. There were also some that I started and didn't finish; I've learned not to be afraid of doing that if I don't like something.
I read 46 fiction and 50 nonfiction books.
I read 58 books by women and 38 books by men. I know that I have a tendency to gravitate more towards female authors. I think this has more to do with subject matter--I like to read about women. It's more familiar and comfortable to me.
Almost all of the books I read were published during the later half of the twentieth century. They are also almost all by writers who write in English. I think next year I should try to read more books in Spanish (I didn't read any this year!) and more classics that I haven't read in a while or that I haven't ever read.
A few of the books that stand out to me from this year are:
Fiction
Never Let You Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Finding Daddy by Louise Plummer
Nonfiction
Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Jentz
A Girl Named Zippy and She Got Up Off the Couch by Haven Kimmel
Falling Through the Earth by Danielle Trussoni
Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
I also watched 31 movies, but I didn't start writing those down until May so the number is probably closest to 40. At least I watch a lot of movies in foreign languages. The standouts for me were:
The Motorcycle Diaries
The Lives of Others
Volver
Todo sobre mi madre
Maria Full of Grace
American Beauty
States of Grace
Pan's Labyrinth
Comments
I've enjoyed your reading roundups and look forward to reading more of them. Every once in a while I consider doing something similar on my blog...maybe one of these days I will.
Anyway, I hope you are able to read and watch them all and that you find them at least interesting, if not enlightening.
I've been wanting to talk about my list; maybe I still will....
I want to keep track of movies to, but am not sure I feel up to it.
I admire catalogues though.....