Books Read in 2014

[n3m3sis43]

I thought it would be fun to list the books I read this year. You know, because I don't keep track very well. This is based on my Kindle purchase history (which means I'm missing some I already owned or was given by my lovely book-pirating friends) and my memory (which means I'm missing some because my memory sucks. Anyway, here goes.

The scary thing is how many of these (5?) are books I'd read before. I clearly need new material.

(although my list of Kindle purchases says otherwise--I just need to read what I buy)

More or less in reverse chronological order:
1. Misery by Stephen King
2. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
3. The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
4. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
5. Island by Aldous Huxley
6. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
7. Divergent by Veronica Roth
8. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
9. Allegiant by Veronica Roth (don't... just don't)
10. Crank by Ellen Hopkins (why do most of my work friends read YA, arghhhh)
11. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
12. A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
13. A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
14. A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
15. A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
16. The Half-Life of Planets by Emily Franklin
17. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
18. Tiger, Tiger: A Memoir by Margaux Fragoso
19. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
20. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
21. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
22. Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King
23. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
24. The Giver by Lois Lowry
25. A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs
26. The Talisman by Stephen King
27. On Writing by Stephen King

...That list is actually kind of short and sad. Oh well. I've been working 50-hour weeks since April while having a 3 year old and trying to write every day. And reading a million Idol posts. Let's not talk about how much of today's writing time I wasted making this list. Oops.

ETA: I decided I might as well keep updating the list for as long as I remember. And I also found some more books I had read this year and forgotten to note before. Oops.

28. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
29. The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern
30. Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
31. Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides
32. The Wizard of Oz and Other Narcissists by Eleanor D. Payson
33. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (bleh)
34. Scars by Cheryl Rainfield
35. A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive by Dave Pelzer
36. Mean Mothers by Peg Streep
37. Sharp by David Fitzpatrick
38. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

Comments

[bleodswean.livejournal.com]

I think that's a fantabulous list! You are so hard on yourself, bb.

I was brutally disappointed with "The Ocean at the End of the Lane". Heartbroken really.

You really love King, don't you? ;)

[n3m3sis43.livejournal.com]

I really love King, yes. Misery is still terrible, though, despite what I said in my meta. It probably is intended to be a commentary on character-driven writing, but it's so bad, lol.

The ending of The Ocean at the End of the Lane was a letdown for me.

Actually, quite a few of his books are kind of awful, but I still really love him. :)

[bleodswean.livejournal.com]

I read King as he was being released until "It". Something shifted for him and his work really reflected that after "Pet Semetery", imhno. I did read "Misery" a few years post-release...and liked the idea better than the execution. I tried "Gerald's Game" but actually got to frightened to finish it. 0___o

Have you read any Peter Straub?

Ah, I've held forth for reams about how Gaiman isn't the writer we all imagine him to be. Such a cult of personality but I have no shame in admitting my fangirly love for him and read every word he writes. When the Sandman was being written, it was exciting times for graphix and he was like the Second Coming. Really.

[n3m3sis43.livejournal.com]

I loved IT, but I was also 12 or so when I read it. Totally agree with you on Misery (and when I read it the first time, I was a young teen and had no clue about any of the writer-stuff in it). I didn't like Gerald's Game--it actually bored me. His work did definitely shift (a few times, imo) and some of the shifts have worked for me and some haven't.

My opinions on some of his more recent(ish) books:
- Dark Tower series - fucking awesome with a pretty weaksauce last book (I just ignore the crappy parts)
- 11-22-63 - fucking awesome
- Lisey's Story - I was bored
- Cell - nope
- Joyland - meh
- Hearts in Atlantis - yep
- The Green Mile - hell yes (despite the use of the "Magical Negro" trope oh god)
- The Stand - hell yes (but what is with him and the above fucking trope Jesus fuck)
- Bag of Bones - yep
- Duma Key - pretty good
- Under the Dome - pretty lame

By Straub, I've read The Talisman (of course!), Shadowland, and um... Black House?

Take my geek card away--I never got into graphic novels, mainly because it was either buy those or buy CDs and I chose CDs. I liked Anansi Boys a lot and own a BPAL perfume based on it that I love. Neil Gaiman seems awesome. I cannot stand Amanda Palmer (don't even get me started).

Neverwhere - is it really worth it? I have it on my Kindle and I want to read it, but somehow it never happens.

[bleodswean.livejournal.com]

I love "It", too. You might want to pick up Straub's astonishing "Floating Dragon" and see where King got the inspiration. Also, Straub's "Ghost Story".

I admire King's desire to write through his blocks. Although he is ridiculously verbose, he has been blocked. SNL did a skit on him decades ago in which he just keeps slamming away at the keyboard while doing all sorts of other activities. Very funny.

I'm not a geek and I have thousands of graphic novels and commix. :) The only Gaiman I recommend is the Sandman, of course, and "Good Omens".

[n3m3sis43.livejournal.com]

Oh! I did read Ghost Story. I forgot that one. I'll check out Floating Dragon.

King's ridiculous verbosity is sometimes awesome to me, tbh. This probably explains a lot of things about my own writing (but I am not Stephen King and can't get away with it). Sometimes, the verbosity gets annoying--I think people are afraid to edit him much anymore and that's really not to his benefit in some cases.

That SNL skit sounds hilarious.