| 2007 Reading List |
[Mar. 5th, 2007|08:12 pm] |
1. Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
2. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffery Chaucer
3. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
4. Tartuffe by Moliere
5. The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
6. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien
7. The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
8. Memories of my Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia M
9. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
10. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
11. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
12. Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
13. Your Mouth is Lovely by Nancy Richler
14. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
15. White Oleander by Janet Fitch
16. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
17. Pigtopia by Kitty Fitzgerald
18. Elle: A Novel by Douglas Glover
19.Namako: Sea Cucumber by Linda Watanabe McFerrin
20. Hullaballoo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai
21. Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre
22. Animal Farm by Goerge Orwell
23. Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
24. Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah
25. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
26. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
27. The Lovely BOnes by Alice Sebold
28. A Day Late and A Dollar Short by Terry McMillan
29. The Camera My Mother Gave Me by Susanna Keyson
30. The Hobbit by J.R. Tolkien
31. The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
32. The Singing Fire by Lilian Nattel
33. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
34. Jemima J by Jane Green
35. Play it as it Lays by Joan Didion
36. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
37. Midnight At the Dragon Cafe by Judy Fong Bates
38. Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
39. Dracula by Bran Stoker
40.Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro
41. Maggie-Now by Betty Smith
42. In the Time of the Butteflies by Julia Alvarez
43. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
44. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophia Kinsella
45. 9 1/2 Weeks by Elizabeth Mcneill
46. The Fat Girl's Guide to LIfe by Wendy Shanker
47. The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Divakaruni
48. Self by Yann Martel
49. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
50. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophia Kinsella
51. Sundogs by Lee Maracle
Reading:
Tartuffe by Moliere
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Lord of the Rings by Tolkien
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot - took me three tries and 150 pages to finally get into this novel- a feat!
A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton - the main character was annoying and too preocuppied,with herself, the conflicts went from one extreme to the other, it was lacking and I couldn't bare to read past the first part.. awful
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall -- I have to read this one again.
Memories of my Melancholy Whores by Julia Alvarez -- reading about the sexuality of a 90-year-old is not the most appealing thing, and the image of this 90 year old fucking a teenage virgin, just was not appealing either. I didn't feel any pathos for the reader and thought the "love" was kind of silly. I don't get it.
Bee Season by Myla Goldberg - this novel suprised me.. the characters are soo three-dimensional and drew me into them, the way the four lives combine and structure that of the family, it really shows their individualism.. it's not a coming-of-age story... it goes beyond the two-dimensional life of the inner self and outer world, it goes to welcome and explore the coming of a third life, the enlightened life of self-fulfillment through the divine. It's pretty much the coming and welcoming of a higher state of consciousness, being, and living... a nice surprise.
White Oleander by Janet Fitch - I have mixed feelings about this novel. The characters were so well developed, the main character was so well shaped by every conflict and conclusion. I liked the poetry of the novel, the figurative language was goregeous. However, I think that the ending was not built up enough. There was too much revealed in the last two chapters and I found it ended too abruptly and I ddin't get a chance, as the reader, to soak in the ending.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See... the writing was lyrical, the entire atmosphere was gentle and delicate, yet portrayed brutal events like footbinding, death, and uprising. It described the natures of several relationships, that of mother/daughter, friendship, husband/wife, as it was in ancient China. The insightful glimpses into the ideals of servitude expected of women and portrays the unaknowledgedd efforts and contributions of women, even in that male-dominated society. Although.. since I'm unfamiliar with the history, I'm not sure how realistic the portrayals are.. but the main character, definitly draws you in, and forces you to share her feelings.
Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction
Pigtopia by Kitty Fitzgerald - this was different for sure.. some parts were a lot to stomach. This is definitly NOT a gentle read, but it was one of the more original works I've read of late. I loved the exploration of the friendships/relationships between the characters and the dual nature of Jack and the kids was very well developed and explored.. you can't appreciate one character without the other. The very last paragraph was a bit odd and I don't think it fit in with the book well, but overall, this novel was okay, but still not as good as Frankenstein. Not for the squeamish!
Elle: A Novel by Douglas Glover --I thought the writing was really scattered and, at times, a bit hard to follow, just because the author would follow the main character's thoughts, from one to the other, which sometimes seemed very very random. Also, the main character was far beyond her time... some of her conclusions, especially about religion and the condition of Europe in the 1500s, were far too unbelievable for the setting. For example, how many Europeans, during that era, actually questioned thier religion? I, pretty much, read this just to get to the end (because I HATE not finishing a book).
Namako: Sea Cucumber by Linda Watanabe McFerrin
Hullaballoo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai - this was a nice light read... although, the drunken monkeys were a bit too much. :S
Vernon God LIttle by DBC Pierre - a modern day satire... The main character, the narrator, gave the book its comic appeal and added levity to the serious conflict.. in the end, justice was served, although a few of the subplots were under-developed, in my opinion... a good job on building up the frustration and annoyingness of some of the characters through the point of view of Vernon. Good read. Poignant. A blur of justice and injustice,
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte -- not in the mood for this one at th emoment-- I ended up turning back to this book. It was okay, but far too much moralising. II much prefer Wuthering Heights.
Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier -- well, so much for the fantasy of the lowly maid and the rich artist falling in love and living happily ever after... I didn't really see anythign special about the artist, other than the fact that he was an artist, and from perspective of Griet, it's easy to see how she had fallen in love with him and mis-read his interest... I mean, she was the subject of his painting, she should have expected he would pay her special interest, but not expect him to fall in love with her.. silly and juvenile, she was.. I love that she maintained her pride though.. she didn't give into him.. the part where she peirces her ears for him and he didn't even appreciate that, well, that really pissed me off and reminded me of all the sacrifices that women make for men, which I have an obvious bias against... but, anyway, I'm not sure what all the hype is about this book. The language was kind of flat and everyday.. the voice of the main character was pretty strong, the relationship between the main character, as the subject to the painter... well, it still seemed kind of flat (I have no idea where she got her "signals" from).. at the end of a painting, the artist does discard the subject... oh well.. this book still hasn't ruined my fantasy of sitting for an eccentric artist and having him fall madly in love with me.
Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes -- this satire was disturbing, but a good, very thought-provoking read. It tackles the question of who is human and who is not, scientific testing on animals/humans, and the quest for knowledge... I wasn't expecting this novel to bother me so much, but it has. The main character was just so... it was hard to readhis rise and downfall, and it's jus tso applicable to our own life course... how, as we grow we build up our knowledge and intelligence, only to age and have our mental faculties deteriorate... his loss, his quest to find himself, it' was all very human.. and it's scary that we're in this Information Age and we act like gods, but, we're, none of us, are beyond or below humanity... I'm still pretty bothered by the messages and themes in this novel. A great food-for-thought book.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - This book wasn't that great. The perspective was definitly different, but, the sense of mystery throughout the book turned me off some. That, and I kept flashing back to a similar murder that I remember being reported on the news, whcih was somewhat disturbing. I felt no remorse for Mr. Harvey, and the sex scene at the denoument of the plot was, well, weird and took this book into another realm.. I was not expecting her to "cross-over" but I can see how it brought closure to the novel. I don't see what the fuss is all about..maybe I'm missing something.
A Date Late and A Dollar Short by Terry McMillan - well, talk about butchering grammar! I find my grammar somewhat befuddled after reading this book for the past few days. The characters were likeable and I liked the different pespectives, although, I don't know if I agree wiht the view on psychopharmacology. It's kind of sudden how the characters all got a happy ending.. especially that relationship between Paris and Randall. Pretty much everything happened throughout this book. It's a good read, a light one.. but, nothing spectacular.
The Camera My MOther Gave Me by Susanna Keysan -- I'm going to have to give this another read because I think I missed something. :S
The Hobbit by Tolkien -- I enjoyed this one. I don't think there was a valley in this story.. it was a very exciting plot. Although, I did, as always, have to stretch my mind to imagine hobbits, dwarves, and goblins in battle.This was so funny and I loved the wit. At the same time, the songs kind of annoy me. :S But, a great prologue to the series.
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen by Dyan Sheldon
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque - being able to see the war from the perspective of a young German soldier was very eye-opening and poignant. I found it intersting to think of the Allies as the 'enemy'. Some parts, the gore, was actually disturbing, but necessary to depict the horror of war.This was a rush of a novel and the conclusion very much fits the content, but it is quite sad that all of the characters met thier demise in the war. Good read.
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu --- need to get back to this one
Jemima J by Jane Green --- the typical ugly duckling turns into a beautiful swan story. The author's style and diction made the story readable and sometimes entertaining, but chick-lit is not my favourite genre and the plot wasn't impressing at all. The book did not tell me anything new. I question the authors use of "sexism" regarding the editor and his favouritism for the "beautiful", as that's society's flaw, and in the book, both sexes were subject to the same treatment. A lot of the characters intial perspectives were biased and . . . well, whatever. IN the end, having a boyfriend saves the day.. I'm not impressed by this at all.
Play it as it Lays by Joan Didion --- this was... borring, but I kept reading waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. It was a very bland and everyday-take on the day-to-day of one woman who's on the brink of a nervous breakdown. The chapters were broken and made the story choppy, as if we were looking at clips of the main character. I'm not interested enough to try to piece the story together. Maybe I've missed something ?
A Separate Peace by John Knowles --- it had a different take on war, and the plot was captivating enough, yet completely disturbing, considering the main characters were kids. It's sometimes hard to believe that kids can be so attuned to the world around them, and the influences it has on them, but it's not something to be ignored. The main character could've been the antagonist, but it's hard to see him as the villain, as the war itself was the main conflict. I'd probably read this again, just to see what I might glean at a second thought.
Midnight at the Dragon Cafe by Judy Fong Bates --- this was a good read, about family secrets and dysfuction. Some parts I felt were rushed, like the Charlotte sub-plot and the ending, with the family coming together, but it was a different perspective on a Chinese family in early Canada. There wasn't anything particularly striking this novel, though, but it kept me reading.
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown -- great lesbian story.. not all that cliche nor redundant or stereotypical.. a great fresh read, as good as the one I Read by Radcliffe Hall, but less long-winded. Highly recommended. A great read with refreshing homosexual characters.
Dracula by Bram Stoker --- ok, so this was good, but could've saved one hundred pages by shortening the final chase of the Count. The end was so long drawn out, yet I thought the climax failed to be dramatic and ... it was missing something, I thought. but anyhow, it took me a week to read and I didn't mind it all.. the multiple journals were interesting, I liked the structure of the book- a story within a story within a story...
Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro --- this was a good read. I loved the writing style, the similes were real to life and so easy to imagine. it was great. and, the writing is not fancy, it's straightforward, but completely readable and entertaining. The amount of foreshadowing used, got kind of annoying, I thought, but it kept me reading and interested, so I liked to see that device used. Theplot slowly eases into the fact that the characters were clones, so that at first read, it doesn't come off as sci-fi novel and it really does not develop into that.. it's a very human novel about what it is to be human. I enjoyed it and it leaves you with something to think about: what is human?
Maggie-Now by Betty Smith --- I like Betty Smith's writing. Maggie-NOw and A Tree were such gentle stories about life. Reading this one, I kept expecting Maggie-Now and Francie Nolan to meet. It felt almost like a sub-plot to A Tree. However, this book does stand alone. There was a lot of comedy in this one, a la Patsy. Some parts of it were too rushed, especially the deaths. But, overall, a good read to get into.
In the Time of the Butteflies by Julia Alvarez --- I thorougly enjoyed this book. I love reading historical fiction about revolutions and revolutionaries. I read every word of this and never felt the need to speed up, in other words, there was no lull in the action or plot of this novel. The four perspectives were genius, and added so much dynamic to the plot. This was a story about the power of one. It remembers and inspires.
"When you die for your country, you do not die in vain"
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini --- this was my first exposure to Afghan. At some parts, disturbingly sad. I guess the main character got his redemption. This explores relationships between Afghan males, which is nice to read about as you don't expect affection and conflict between these men. The end subplott was predictable, but worked itself out well. I"m curious about the movie now.
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophia Kinsella -- readable chick-lit. WHOA!! This was a nice easy read. The main character was funny and entertaining, and sometimes, annoying. In the end, everything turns out happy.. and Id on't appreciate the cliche, stereotypical view of women and shopping and not able to control money, nor the view of a woman buying $200 scarves. It was funny though and readable.
9 1/2 Weeks by Elizabeth Mcneill --- obviously written by someone who isn't familiar with the bdsm lifestyle. This fails to express the depth and emotions of a sub and a master, for that matter. I don't understand the breakdown at the end.. came out of no where. This book felt like a short fling, so she achieved that, but it's not much to rave about. Sounds like a totally vanilla person. ha!
46. The Fat Girl's Guide to LIfe by Wendy Shanker
The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Divakaruni --- what a goregeously written book. The author's diction, brought magic into every day things. The metaphors and similes were so descriptive, I foudn this book sensual. The author draws attention to the magic of every day things, especially, spices, rain, other people. This was a book of compassion. It was a book of the power of power, the control of power, and how power can be used for both right and wrong. I still can't get over the vivid descriptions. The story is not simple, but it is straightforward. it's magical and mystical and keeps to the very end. great read.
*note: I need to read more South Asian authors.
Self by Yann Martel --- this was defninitly different from Pi. I was confused at some parts. I like that the sexuality and the gender of the main character never actually comes out because it really wouldn't have made a difference to the delivery of the story. this novel crossed so many boundaries: gender, world borders, language, privacy/personal, sexuality, etc... which I can appreciate. It makes me think, which I've always known, that there's so much beyond the clinical/social stats on whcih we, as a soceity, base so much relevance... so much more to each person. I've always wanted to know the who and why and what behind persons. The main characters reaction to the last event, well.. it... it... was very, almost too, realistic. Overall, a good read. definitly not a light read, but it's poignant.
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros --- I may have rushed through this one. It reads like a memory. The structure reminded me of 'If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things" but without the descriptiveness. Obviously, I think it was too short and could've perhaps developed into a novel.
Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophia Kinsella --- This was a really quick read. I finished it within a day and a half. It completely rips apart the 'American Dream'. The main character was as entertaining and funny as in the preceeding novel, however, she can be annoying and ridiculous at times. Predictable, but, ok.
Sundogs by Lee Maracle --- this was the first Native-Canadian novel that I read. It was a good read, gave some insight into how a native-canadian family experienced the changes of the 1990s. The main character, in the end, has some interesting insights. IT was a good read, but I'd give it 6/10.
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