2012 Reading Log

1. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

2. Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks

3. Natural Childbirth, the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon-Roseg

4. The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime that Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars by Paul Collins

5. March by Geraldine Brooks

6. Frozen Heat by Richard Castle

I barely remember State of Wonder, but Year of Wonders made a big impression on me. The setting in the plague was heartbreaking and eerie, and the character work that Geraldine Brooks does in this book is wonderful.

My son was born in 2012, so I read parts of a lot of the What to Expect type books and then barely had time to read at all!

The Murder of the Century surprised me. I had known a bit about “yellow journalism” before, but I learned a lot more about it while reading this. And the description of the early days of the expansion of New York City to cover the island of Manhattan was fascinating. I can barely imagine the natural landscape of Manhattan, but it’s very well described in this book by Paul Collins.

Interesting for its historical information.
—From my Goodreads review of The Murder of the Century, ⭐️⭐️⭐️

March tells the story of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women from the perspective of the March family father serving in the Civil War. It won the Pulitzer, but I don’t think it’s as strong of a work as Year of Wonders. It was very good, but I don’t like the derivative world of retellings of classics.

2011 Reading Log

1. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

2. Heat Wave by Richard Castle

3. Naked Heat by Richard Castle

4. An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin

5. American On Purpose: The Improbably Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot by Craig Ferguson

6. People of the Book: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks

7. Bel Canto by Ann Pratchett

8. Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

9. A Gate at the Stairs* by Lorrie Moore

10. Heat Rises by Richard Castle

11. The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin

12. The Red Tent* by Anita Diamant

We’re beginning to enter the era of when algorithm suggestions started taking over the place of seeing things on sale or on the shelf in library. I have switched to reading on an e-reader as opposed to purchasing many physical books.

Lewis Carroll was on drugs. No one can convince me otherwise. As odd as the animated adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is, the book is weirder and darker.

I started reading the novelizations of the books mentioned in the Castle television series. I don’t usually read thrillers and detective stories, but I enjoyed these. They are seriously meta, which added an additional layer of enjoyment.

I know I’ve listed Steve Martin’s novel as having read it, but I have no memory of actually reading it, which is strange considering how vividly I remember reading his novella. I really think I listed it and then never got around to actually reading it.

Reading Craig Ferguson’s autobiography was a bit out of the ordinary for me. I enjoyed his humor as a late night show host, but I don’t often enjoy biographies and especially not celebrity biographies. I did like learning about his early life and how he overcame his addiction, though.

I absolutely adore Geraldine Brooks. Caleb’s Crossing in particular is a gorgeous work of historical fiction that really draws the reader into its settings and covers an important period in American history that isn’t covered in most curriculums.

I recently described Bel Canto as a perfect jewel of a novel. It is such an example of excellence in writing. I haven’t seen the movie adaptation, but I would like to look it up. I’ve heard it isn’t that great, but it would be hard to capture everything that is right about the novel.

I attempted to read A Gate at the Stairs twice and never made any progress. I couldn’t sympathize with the characters and didn’t get a good enough sense of the suspense to carry me through.

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb was fascinating for its exploration of the subculture of celebrity and sideshows in American history. It had some issues, but was an overall excellent read.

I keep seeing The Red Tent in bookstores, and I don’t understand why so many people love it so much. I could never make it all the way through it.

2010 Reading Log

1. The Lazarus Project by Aleksandar Hemon

2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Alas, when moving in with your fiancé, planning a wedding, and buying your first house, there is very little time to read. I think I also got my first smart phone during this time, which I’m sure didn’t help.

I only vaguely remember reading The Lazarus Project, but I remember it being a finely interwoven tale that was quite suspenseful despite knowing how the story would end from the outset.

I enjoyed the complexity of the narrative, but I just couldn't get fully absorbed in a book that contained so many repellent characters and events. I prefer cleaner complexity that appeals to my better angels instead of revels in engaging the reptilian brain - just a personal preference of mine, nothing against Hemon or The Lazarus Project.

—From my Goodreads review of The Lazarus Project

I believe I read both A Christmas Carol and Little Women near Christmas time. I find the simplicity of classics to be soothing, sometimes. There was a war going on in Little Women but the characters seem somewhat insulated from the worst of its implications. And Dickens is always a delight.

I suppose it’s a little unfortunate that I didn’t read very much this year, but I can at least be proud that the books I did read were of such quality.