The trees look like they have been painted white.
Beautiful.
It’s the time of year,
where you look back on your year.
What was amazing, what sucked.
Every year has it’s ups and downs.
But, 2010 was really,
a hell of a roller coaster ride.
The winter was quiet,
although as I recall,
I started 2010 with a terrible cold.
Business was slow all winter,
and then in late April we had a snow storm,
April 27 Th,
on the same day,
my mom had a heart attack.
It was one of the scariest things,
I have ever lived through.
She’s fine.
They unclogged her artery,
and she seems better than ever.
The whole procedure took forty minutes,
she was hospitalised for a few days.
Puts perspective, on what’s important.
In March, I started this blog,
I started really working on it in May.
It has been instrumental in,
helping me voice what I feel about things,
sure mostly books,
but,
also,
life.
Mine in particular but also,
life in general.
Through the blog,
I have met many like minded people,
people who care about,
what I care about.
Book bloggers are an interesting bunch.
Those of you who have been with me a while,
know that I dubbed this summer,
the summer of hell.
I learned a few things about myself,
and I will not dwell on them.
Life goes on…
I met some amazing people this year,
and solidified some relationships, as well.
I read some fantastic and,
not so fantastic books this year.
Here are my most memorable 2010 reads:
1- Stone Butch Blues-Leslie Feinberg- A book everyone should read- About pain, suffering, difference but, mostly about resilience and being true to yourself-Wow.
2-Bastard Out Of Carolina-Dorothy Allison- For it’s voice and it’s truth- Both ugly and beautiful.
3-Last Night in Twisted River-John Irving-Because he is now, and will always be, my favorite.
4.Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress-Dai Sijie-It made me laugh, it made me cry. I wanted to start all over again once I had finished. A book about people surviving insanity, with the help of books. Stupendous.
5-Aquamarine-Carol Anshaw- Quiet, original, and smart- What if?
6-Small Island-Andrea Levy-Strong female characters-An unforgettable story- The Second World War, one of the most interesting settings.
7-Julie and Julia-Julie Powell-It made me feel better about my life, and made me want to follow my dreams.
8-A Death In the Family-James Agee-How unfair life can be-How much love and family, mean.
9-Coffee Will Make You Black-April Sinclair-Coming of Age at it’s best.
10-The Millennium Trilogy-Stieg Larsson-Because Lisebeth Salander is a complex beautiful character-She has more layers than an onion.
Well that’s mine.
All over the place as usual:-)
What’s yours?
Did you read any of these?
Do you agree?
Disagree?
I’d love to hear what you think.
I read less this year.
Slower and better.
Later girls
BB
Hmmm… I got four out of your ten, which isn’t bad considering how little time I feel that I’ve spent reading this year. Puts it into perspective, actually, because they’re all books that I read ages ago… So even if I’ve been slow in my literary consumption these past twelve months, my long history of being a bookmaniac provides me with some leniency, before I fall completely out of touch. Also, I must admit: My slow is many people’s fast. Not bragging, just stating a fact.
FYI, the ones I’ve read are Stone Butch Blues (of course… But don’t bother with Feinberg’s next novel, which is simply awful… Or rather, do, because I’d love to hear your reaction!), Bastard Out Of Carolina (was tramautized by it as a teen, but re-read it many times), Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (yes! A gift from my mother, who said it reminded her of my long-held love for Bradbury’s Farenheit 451), and Julie and Julia (I read this after quitting my job and running away to Australia, which brought extra meaning to its message of creating one’s own alternative reality). I wanted to borrow Small Island from my mother, when I was leaving from a visit with her in Toronto back in October, but she said it was too sad to read while driving across the country. Instead, she gave me The Good Life by Helen and Scott Nearing (appropriate, as my parents were once back-to-the-landers themselves), and A Passage to India (which I found too boring to get through).
Reflecting on it now, I realize that in reading less this year, I also re-read many more books that I have in the past… This makes me think that I too read better.
You must read Small Island it is so, so powerful. Queenie, Hortense, Gilbert and Arthur,
characters who live with you- long after you finish the novel.
I used to read 2-3 books a week, this year? I’m at 52, as of today. I think the blog
has made me read slower because I give it more thought. More thought and slower adds to my enjoyment.
I refuse to read something I don’t like or that doesn’t move me. I have also started re-reading. Humm…. maybe an idea for a future post. Thanks for dropping in. 🙂
Stone Butch Blues WAS absolutely fantastic. Such a wonderful book. I haven’t read any others from your list though.
Stone Butch Blues is a reading experience of great power, they do not occur that often. On my list I have
Coffee Will Make You Black a wonderful book, that I think you would enjoy, coming of age. Small Island is about
the experience of Jamaicans who fought for the Mother country in World War II and their immigration to Britain,
it is amazing.