It’s been…I don’t know…months since I last posted anything. Life got away from me and blogging became a distant memory. I missed it. So, with the beginning of a new year, let me try this blogging thing again. Not sure how often I’ll be writing but my hope is to blog more.
First, let’s talk books.
Every year I decide on a reading goal. In 2016 I read 74 books. In 2017 I read 70. (It would have been 71 but Scarlett and Rhett were annoying me. Don’t get me wrong, Gone with the Wind is a very good book. And Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh were spot on in portraying Rhett and Scarlett. But yeah…) And for 2018 I’m aiming for 75 books.
Of the 70 books I read in 2017 some stand out, some were duds. For this first blog back, here are my top 5 books of 2017:
Book #1: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: Soon to be a motion picture!!!! By Spielberg too!!! I’m super excited for the movie. I listened to the audiobook because Wesley Crusher, a.k.a. Wil Wheaton, reads it. I so need to own this book. Basic plot: It’s 2044 and the world is ugly. Wade Watts sets off on an adventure into the OASIS, an online, virtual reality realm. If you’re a nerd, like the 80’s, video games and pop culture – check this one out. Of all the books I read last year, Ready Player One was by far my favorite.
Book #2: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: It took me some time to really get into the story. However, it was incredible. It’s a story of 2 sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, during World War 2 France. It’s a story of love and war-torn countries. It’s got espionage and spying. And I cried. And I had “sitting at the edge of my chair” moments.
Book #3: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: I couldn’t put this one down. If you haven’t read it – read it. It’s science fiction, set in a dystopian world – the Republic of Gilead. Offred is a Handmaid. She’s used by certain households to procreate. Offred’s given room and board in exchange for well, rape, so that humanity doesn’t wipe out. She has no control over her body and Big Brother is watching. Ok, they aren’t called Big Brother. That’s 1984. But it’s similar. What’s scary is that it hit a little too close to home, given the state of our country and world currently. I need to watch the Hulu series now.
Book #4: The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher: I read this last January, only a few weeks after Carrie passed. I love the Star Wars world, so reading her words about the making of the original (and the best) Star Wars films was great. Plus, can you blame her for having an affair with Harrison Ford? I mean, it’s Harrison Ford. And, sorry for the language but Leia is a such a badass princess. Loved Carrie’s honesty too.
Book #5: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi: I read this in about a week. It’s a story of 2 half sisters, one sold into slavery and one married to a British slaver. The story follows their lives and family over generations, from 18th century Ghana, the early slave trade and British colonization through the present day in Harlem. Each chapter is a vignette on a family member as the family moves through history. Just incredible.
There are many other books I could include – Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick, We are all Wonders by R.J. Palacio (a children’s picture book based on the book Wonder), Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I could go on.
My Goodreads page lists all the books I’ve read over the last few years and many that I’ve yet to read. The Book Riot Read Harder Challenge is also on my reading list once again this year. I’m excited for some of the prompts and titles I’ve chosen. More on that to come.
For now – Happy 2018 and Happy Reading!
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