Failing to write a review for each book I read, I have now accepted
that as not happening; however, I do enjoy blogging and would like to publish
with some regularity. My new goal is to
publish once a week with Monday as my publication day. I am late this week but look forward to
having a deadline.
This first entry for the year is a reflection on my reading
for 2016. At the end of this reflection,
I have included a list of the 68 books I read this past year including the date
I finished reading each one. The list is
backwards with my most recent reads at the top.
I had some different goals for this past year.
There were two different reading challenges that I
attempted: one was a list of 16 random suggestions, the other was trying to
read 26 books each with the author’s last name beginning with the letters of
the alphabet. There was leeway given for
a couple of letters. I did manage to
find an author with X in his name but did not read authors for Q, U, V, Y, or
Z. The other challenge I came close to
completing:
·
Book published this year: Midnight Taxi Tango by
Daniel Jose Older
Book you can finish in a day: William Blake by Martin Butlin
Book you've been meaning to read: Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
Book recommended by your local librarian/Book seller: Dryland by Sara Jaffe
Book you should have read in school: Middlemarch by George Eliot
Book chosen for you by spouse/partner/sibling/child/BFF (personally adding parent):A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Book published before you were born: John Gabriel Borkman by Henrik Ibsen
Book that was banned at some point:
Book you have previously abandoned: The Intelligencer by Leslie Silbert
Book you own but have never read: The Longest Memory by Fred D'Aguiar
Book that intimidates you:
Book you have already read at least once: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Book you can finish in a day: William Blake by Martin Butlin
Book you've been meaning to read: Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
Book recommended by your local librarian/Book seller: Dryland by Sara Jaffe
Book you should have read in school: Middlemarch by George Eliot
Book chosen for you by spouse/partner/sibling/child/BFF (personally adding parent):A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Book published before you were born: John Gabriel Borkman by Henrik Ibsen
Book that was banned at some point:
Book you have previously abandoned: The Intelligencer by Leslie Silbert
Book you own but have never read: The Longest Memory by Fred D'Aguiar
Book that intimidates you:
Book you have already read at least once: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
I could have moved Rowling to the banned category and listed
another book previously read. And I was intimidated for many years by
Middlemarch, but the rules did not allow for counting the same book in two
categories. As it was the only book I
could think of that was assigned and not finished in college, I placed it in
that category. Ulysses was another
possible for intimidation but did not finish it.
I began the year trying to see how many books I could read
for the first list, and six categories were quickly checked off. For February I wanted to focus on books by
African American or Black writers, and two of the books selected moved nicely
to March when I focused on women. Of
these explorations, I learned the most from reading the works of diverse
writers. It is difficult to read Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi
Coates and not have your view of the world changed. Whether I was reading a slave narrative,
poetry, or dystopian fiction, the viewpoint from an author of color is
compelling because the language and the point of view demonstrates how
inadequate well-meaning authors can be who do not have first-hand
experience. The example which was truly
well-intentioned but laughable was a biography I read: Nina Simone: Break Down & Let It all Out by Sylvia Hampton and
David Nathan. Hampton and Nathan were
personal friends of Nina Simone. A
brother and sister, they started her first fan club in England and become
friends with her. They attempted to tell
her story focusing on her involvement in the Civil Rights movement. But they had no idea what it was like to live
in this country during the 1960s. They
lacked a true understanding of racism in the United States.
When I compared this to Jessye Norman’s memoir, her
first-hand experience had some similarities with Nina Simone. Her memoir was gentle compared to the
depressing life of Simone; however, there was a reality to Norman’s memoir that
was missing from the Simone biography.
And although Coates’ voice may contain a more angry tone, his writing
has much more in common with Norman’s.
The book that took me the longest time to read was I Heart Obama by Erin Aubry Kaplan. I have previously posted this review on
librarything.com:
This is an amazingly conceived and well documented reflection
on Barack Obama, not simply as the first Black President, but through the eyes
of the Black community. It is something that I have wondered about since his
election.
Kaplan looks at him not only as the President, but she assesses the role he plays as a Folk Hero. She puts into words the frustration I have felt as a white American with the racist members of our society. Unfortunately, his election brought seething to the surface the silent racists. If he has disappointed some Blacks because he has not done enough for them, Kaplan states what he has stated; he is the President for all of us. Some white members of society may think he has favored the blacks, but he has definitely not. He has represented all of us as he promised to do.
I was a child during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and have been appalled at the treatment of Obama and the racism that has escalated during his presidency. I read this book like a textbook, underlining and annotating as I read. I learned much about the Civil Rights movement, the leaders not just of the movement, but also the voices that had an impact on the movement. It was an enlightening book for me and has sent me on to other texts and authors mentioned.
History will vindicate the Presidency of Barack Obama. I am proud to have voted for him. I do not agree with all of his decisions, but that is what being thoughtful means.
My one disappointment with the book is the title: seeing a heart = love in today's popular culture. The title as spelled out in the book is I Heart Obama. I read it: I Love Obama. The title diminishes the seriousness of the book and the research Kaplan has done.
Kaplan looks at him not only as the President, but she assesses the role he plays as a Folk Hero. She puts into words the frustration I have felt as a white American with the racist members of our society. Unfortunately, his election brought seething to the surface the silent racists. If he has disappointed some Blacks because he has not done enough for them, Kaplan states what he has stated; he is the President for all of us. Some white members of society may think he has favored the blacks, but he has definitely not. He has represented all of us as he promised to do.
I was a child during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and have been appalled at the treatment of Obama and the racism that has escalated during his presidency. I read this book like a textbook, underlining and annotating as I read. I learned much about the Civil Rights movement, the leaders not just of the movement, but also the voices that had an impact on the movement. It was an enlightening book for me and has sent me on to other texts and authors mentioned.
History will vindicate the Presidency of Barack Obama. I am proud to have voted for him. I do not agree with all of his decisions, but that is what being thoughtful means.
My one disappointment with the book is the title: seeing a heart = love in today's popular culture. The title as spelled out in the book is I Heart Obama. I read it: I Love Obama. The title diminishes the seriousness of the book and the research Kaplan has done.
After reading this intense piece of non-fiction, I took a
break by reading some funny books, some YA titles, and miscellaneous books of
choice.
After that I decided to read a series of novels by Blue Balliett,
written for middle school/elementary age students. Beginning with Chasing Vermeer, Balliett has a group of kids in Chicago who get
involved with mysteries involving art, math, science, and a teacher in a
private school who teaches the way I would have loved to teach given the
freedom she has. All the books are
wonderful with one caveat: Hold Fast
focuses on a black family. The story is
great, but there is no sense of blackness in this family. They are described as black, but that is
it. I am not sure I would have noticed
this a year ago, but since reading books by Daniel Jose Older and focusing on
black writers, the lack of authentic voice was jarring. I believe her research was accurate, and she
creates a believable family, but they are only black through a label.
I do enjoy reading several works by the same author in
chronological order as I did with the books of Blue Balliett. In September I read four novels by the
Belgian writer, Amelie Nothomb. Seeing
the connections within these four titles, I again regret not going for the PhD
and being able to write about literature.
It is what I feel called to do.
And there is a joy in getting comfortable enough with a writer, that you
can return to said author later and enjoy the new if familiar territory. This past month I read Shakespeare’s
Landlord, the first of the Lily Bard mysteries, by Charlaine Harris, for the
second time. I had forgotten the details
and enjoyed having the mystery play out for me again. I immediately followed it by the next two books
in the series. I know that when I return
to the world of Lily Bard, I will remember the first three mysteries without a
problem.
But of all the books I read this year, I am pleased to have
read George Eliot’s Middlemarch. I first attempted to read it for an undergrad
course in the late 1970s. Unfortunately,
that semester I took three literature courses and one history course. I was inundated with reading. Part of the course requirement was to give an
oral report on the end of Middlemarch. I think there were two or three of us
assigned to that novel, and I was responsible for the end. I started reading the 823 pages with
enthusiasm, and my marginalia reflects my enjoyment. But as I neared the presentation date, I fell
behind, skipped the center section, and attempted to read the end. I did get a C in that course: a well-deserved
C, and one of only two C’s on my record.
This novel is dense, and it took me a few chapters to get into the flow
of reading Eliot again. Oh, those
characters came alive for me.
So it was a good year of reading, and I exceeded my goal of
65 books by three.
Completed Reading 2016
68. Shakespeare's
Christmas by Charlaine Harris - 31 December 2016
67. Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris - 25 December 2016
66. People Knitting A Century of Photographs - 24 December 2016
65. Ophelia Alive: A Ghost Story by Luke T. Harrington - 31 December 2016
64. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris - 19 December 2016
63. The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore - 18 December 2016
62. Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier - 11 December 2016
61. Logicomix - An Epic Search for Truth by Apostolos Doxiadis & Christos H. Papadimitriou
Art by Alecos Papadatos & Annie DiDonna - 10 December 2016
60. Exit: Pursued By a Bear by E.K. Johnston - 8 December 2016
59. Stitches A Memoir by David Small - 4 December 2016
58. Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama by Alison Bechdel - 4 December 2016
57. The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami - 27 November 2016
56. You're All Just Jealous of My Jetpack: Comics by Tom Gauld - 5 November 2016
55. Middlemarch by George Eliot - 30 December 2016
54. Apples by Frank Browning - 20 November 2016
53. Tokyo Fiancee by Amelie Nothomb - 30 September 2016
52. The Life of Hunger by Amelie Nothomb - 28 September 2016
51. The Character of Rain by Amelie Nothomb - 25 September 2016
50. Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb - 23 September 2016
49. The Biorhythm Kit by Jacyntha Crawley - 21 September 2016
48. The Demonologist by William Pyper - 19 September 2016
47. Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs - 11 September 2016
46. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne - 10 September 2016
45. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? by Henry Farrell - 30 August 2016
44. Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler - 19 August 2016
43. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling - 4 September 2016
42. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - 15 August 2016
41. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling - 10 August 2016
40. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan - 9 September 2016
39. Shimmering Japanese Sunlight: Musings On a Woman's Travels in Japan by Kay Thomas - 4 July 2016
38. The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black - 30 June 2016
37. Pieces and Players by Blue Balliett - 28 June 2016
36. Hold Fast by Blue Balliett - 26 June 2016
35. The Danger Box by Blue Balliett - 24 June 2016
34. The Calder Game by Blue Balliett - 22 June 2016
33. The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett - 19 June 2016
32. Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett - 17 June 2016
31. The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin - 15 June 2016
30. Twisted Tales From Shakespeare by Richard Armour - 30 May 2016
29. Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older - 29 May 2016
28. Good In Bed by Jennifer Weiner - 26 May 2016
27. Dryland by Sara Jaffe - 21 May 2016
26. Peace: The Words and Inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi - 20 May 2016
25. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling - 26 June 2016
24. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson - 18 May 2016
23. Just an Ordinary Day (stories) by Shirley Jackson - 13 May 2016
22. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling - 19 May 2016
21. I Heart Obama by Erin Aubry Kaplan - 28 April 2016
20. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss - 27 March 2016.
19. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood - 26 March 2016
18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - 31 March 2016
17. Stand Up Straight and Sing! A Memoir by Jessye Norman - 7 March 2016
16. Nina Simone: Break Down & Let It All Out by Sylvia Hampton with David Nathan -
28 February 2016
15. Voyage of the Sable Venus and Other Poems by Robin Coste Lewis - 23 February 2016
14. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates - 21 February 2016
13. The Illegal by Lawrence Hill - 16 February 2016
12. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling - 25 February 2016
11. The Longest Memory by Fred D'Aguiar - 9 February 2016
10. Rite of Passage by Richard Wright - 31 January 2016
9. William Blake by Martin Butlin - 28 January 2016
8. Midnight Taxi Tango by Daniel Jose Older - 27 January 2016
7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - 4 February 2016
6. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole - 22 January 2016
5. John Gabriel Borkman by Henrik Ibsen - 14 January 2016
4. Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel Jose Older - 13 January 2016
3. The Call by Yannick Murphy - 9 January 2016
2. The Intelligencer by Leslie Silbert - 7 January 2016
1. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs - 3 January 2016
67. Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris - 25 December 2016
66. People Knitting A Century of Photographs - 24 December 2016
65. Ophelia Alive: A Ghost Story by Luke T. Harrington - 31 December 2016
64. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris - 19 December 2016
63. The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore - 18 December 2016
62. Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier - 11 December 2016
61. Logicomix - An Epic Search for Truth by Apostolos Doxiadis & Christos H. Papadimitriou
Art by Alecos Papadatos & Annie DiDonna - 10 December 2016
60. Exit: Pursued By a Bear by E.K. Johnston - 8 December 2016
59. Stitches A Memoir by David Small - 4 December 2016
58. Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama by Alison Bechdel - 4 December 2016
57. The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami - 27 November 2016
56. You're All Just Jealous of My Jetpack: Comics by Tom Gauld - 5 November 2016
55. Middlemarch by George Eliot - 30 December 2016
54. Apples by Frank Browning - 20 November 2016
53. Tokyo Fiancee by Amelie Nothomb - 30 September 2016
52. The Life of Hunger by Amelie Nothomb - 28 September 2016
51. The Character of Rain by Amelie Nothomb - 25 September 2016
50. Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb - 23 September 2016
49. The Biorhythm Kit by Jacyntha Crawley - 21 September 2016
48. The Demonologist by William Pyper - 19 September 2016
47. Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs - 11 September 2016
46. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne - 10 September 2016
45. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? by Henry Farrell - 30 August 2016
44. Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler - 19 August 2016
43. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling - 4 September 2016
42. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - 15 August 2016
41. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling - 10 August 2016
40. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan - 9 September 2016
39. Shimmering Japanese Sunlight: Musings On a Woman's Travels in Japan by Kay Thomas - 4 July 2016
38. The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black - 30 June 2016
37. Pieces and Players by Blue Balliett - 28 June 2016
36. Hold Fast by Blue Balliett - 26 June 2016
35. The Danger Box by Blue Balliett - 24 June 2016
34. The Calder Game by Blue Balliett - 22 June 2016
33. The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett - 19 June 2016
32. Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett - 17 June 2016
31. The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin - 15 June 2016
30. Twisted Tales From Shakespeare by Richard Armour - 30 May 2016
29. Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older - 29 May 2016
28. Good In Bed by Jennifer Weiner - 26 May 2016
27. Dryland by Sara Jaffe - 21 May 2016
26. Peace: The Words and Inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi - 20 May 2016
25. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling - 26 June 2016
24. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson - 18 May 2016
23. Just an Ordinary Day (stories) by Shirley Jackson - 13 May 2016
22. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling - 19 May 2016
21. I Heart Obama by Erin Aubry Kaplan - 28 April 2016
20. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss - 27 March 2016.
19. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood - 26 March 2016
18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - 31 March 2016
17. Stand Up Straight and Sing! A Memoir by Jessye Norman - 7 March 2016
16. Nina Simone: Break Down & Let It All Out by Sylvia Hampton with David Nathan -
28 February 2016
15. Voyage of the Sable Venus and Other Poems by Robin Coste Lewis - 23 February 2016
14. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates - 21 February 2016
13. The Illegal by Lawrence Hill - 16 February 2016
12. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling - 25 February 2016
11. The Longest Memory by Fred D'Aguiar - 9 February 2016
10. Rite of Passage by Richard Wright - 31 January 2016
9. William Blake by Martin Butlin - 28 January 2016
8. Midnight Taxi Tango by Daniel Jose Older - 27 January 2016
7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - 4 February 2016
6. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole - 22 January 2016
5. John Gabriel Borkman by Henrik Ibsen - 14 January 2016
4. Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel Jose Older - 13 January 2016
3. The Call by Yannick Murphy - 9 January 2016
2. The Intelligencer by Leslie Silbert - 7 January 2016
1. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs - 3 January 2016
