more books

As most of you know, I’m an avid reader. I can’t even tell you how many books I’ve read in my lifetime, but way too many to count.

Last year I chronicled the 10 classics I read throughout the year. I don’t have any books on my list for 2012, but I still want to highlight any good books I read throughout the year. As a personal goal, I’d like to do what my friend Andrea does every year—read at least 30 books. So far I haven’t started and finished any books in 2012—it is only the 6^th. But in the last couple of months, I’ve read some good ones and want to share.  

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

As a reward for reading 10 classics last year, I took a break from literature and enjoyed some Young Adult fiction. Most of you have heard about the trilogy and have read them, but if you happen to live in a bubble, you need to read them—asap.

A teenaged girl takes the place of her sister in the Hunger Games—a yearly challenge that the government orchestrates in order to keep society in check. Districts have to provide 2 tributes—a male and female—and one person comes out as winner. To become the winner, you have to kill off the other competitors. Yeah, sounds messed up. And it is. Oh and they televise it—talk about reality TV at its worse.

The books were a quick read, with a combination of love, war and revenge — typical literature themes. Definitely a page turner. I’m really looking forward to the film release in March. I already put the date in my blackberry.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

My friend Pam and her book club chose to read The Night Circus last month. Since I was able to attend, I downloaded it and read it in a week. This was noted on many sites as one of the top books of 2011, and I was definitely a fan of it.

Two competitors are chosen to magically compete in an arena—the night circus—and again, only one is able to live, however love gets in the way. The book goes back and forth between different points during the 30 year span. I wasn’t paying too much attention to the flip flop of years at the beginning, but started paying attention and got a handle on it.  

This was just a good overall read and I recommend it. I do like stories that go back and forth at various time points and gradually come together—something like The Time Traveler’s Wife. Some think there may be a sequel but I’m not so sure.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

My friend Sandra put Dracula on her 30 list and since I had downloaded it on my Kindle, I decided to read it at the same time. We both finished within 12 hours of each other. I’ve never seen the movie or read the book, but everyone knows it’s about hunting vampires. And who doesn’t like vampires?

The book was actually relatively easy to get through, after you get used to the style of writing. The book is comprised of letters, diaries, ect from the different characters and all comes together to form the story. I learned a new word and this type of format is called epistolary.

Like with many books, I now want to see the movie. Good thing it’s winter!

Next up is finishing Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (I’ve read this like a million times) and Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua (going to see a discussion with the author later this month).

Here are a few books I’ll attempt to read this year:

-       The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

-       The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

-       The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

-       The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet

-       Anthem by Ayn Rand

-       1984 by George Orwell

If you have any recos, please send them my way!