2010: A Year of Reading

I do enjoy reading, but I don't always take the time to do so. In 2010 I have ended up reading much more than usual; hooray! I've kept a list of all the books I've read... I'll list them with some brief reviews:

The Twilight Series, all four books, by Stephenie Meyer

I had not read these until this year. They were entertaining, easy & quick reads. I don't particularly care for Bella's character, and I have other criticisms but I can see how "Twilight fever" has swept the nation. As a friend of mine put it, these books are "like crack" and you can't put them down. While I was reading them I told Aaron I was on "The Twilight diet" -- I read so much that week (all four books during spring break) that I stayed out of the kitchen and ate less! I would not allow my girls to read these until they are much older; the 3rd and 4th books in particular have some racy scenes that I think kids should be at least 15 or 16 to read.

The Host, by Stephenie Meyer

I just figured, why not, since I'd just read the other Stephenie Meyer books. The Host is completely different, it's a sci-fi, mostly non-romantic fantasy. I liked it, but you have to like sci-fi to like it.

Harry Potter Series, all seven books, by J.K. Rowling

I had read these the year before, but read them again with the purpose of judging when I would let Noah read them. They do get more intense as they go. (He's 10 1/2 and he just finished the fourth book.) They are great books and I would recommend them.

Percy Jackson Series, all five books, by Rick Riordan

These books are written for kids; the writing style is quite simple and at first I found them too "kid-ish" to enjoy. But the story is entertaining and you do learn a lot about Greek mythology as you go. Noah LOVED them.

The Hunger Games Series, all three books, by Suzanne Collins

These books are fantastic! I enjoyed the first two better than the last one because they are more action-packed. There is quite a bit of violence. The story is excellent and set in the future. I really, really liked them.

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

WOW. I had not read Jane Eyre before, and I just adored it. It was difficult for me to get used to the 1800's British lit style, but by page 50 or so I was immersed and couldn't put it down. I love this book.

Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte

After reading Jane Eyre I decided to give another Bronte sister a try. While the writing style is very similar (that's what I like about it), the characters in Wuthering Heights were quite annoying to me. Heathcliff is just a terrible person. Several of the other characters do nothing but whine. It was an interesting story, but I didn't care for all the whining, nor for the despicable Mr. Heathcliff.

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

This was a good book; I would recommend it.

Honeymoon, by James Patterson

Not a great plot, and I'm not a fan of James Patterson's style. Would not recommend.

House Rules, by Jodi Picoult

This was a good book; Jodi Picoult tends to deal with "real" issues which for me are sometimes hard to read about. (I would usually prefer a fantasy.) But, this book was well-written and interesting.

Eragon, by Christopher Paolini

This is supposed to be sort of a Lord of the Rings type of story, but in my opinion it falls short. I read the first book, which for me was not a big page-turner, and it was enjoyable but I don't have a strong desire to read the rest of the series.

The Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks

I was expecting this to be much more cheesey and silly than it was. I enjoyed it. It's less about romance and more about a father-daughter relationship. Plus, the main characters are pianists which is interesting to me.

The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, both by J.R.R. Tolkein (I'm halfway through the Trilogy now)

I got the Lord of the Rings Trilogy plus the Hobbit in a boxed set for Noah's birthday. He hasn't read them yet, but I have started to. I had read them before, but the writing is more difficult than I remember. It think would be hard for a kid (such as Noah, even though he's a very good reader) to get into, just because of the unfamiliar words. I didn't enjoy the Hobbit that much; the Lord of the Rings story is more interesting. I had read the trilogy several years ago before the movies were made, and I've seen the movies several times so now it's fun to go back and re-read the books. I would recommend the Lord of the Rings trilogy; you don't need to start with the Hobbit in order to know what's going on.

30 books in one year is a lot, for me at least. I know there's so much great literature out there, and I'm open to suggestions of what to read in 2011!