Though I didn’t accomplish my goal of reading 40 books last year, I still managed to read quite a few. I read a number of them near the end of the year. From October to December I started six books and finished four.
Of those six books started, I am still working on my second read through of A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It is unusual for me to take longer than a month to read a book, but I think these two are special cases. I find that because I am so attached to some of the characters in the Song of Ice and Fire series that I read it a bit more slowly than most other books. I guess I want to be sure I don’t miss anything! With The Book Thief, it’s a bit more complicated than that. I borrowed it from my local library’s electronic collection where there is no option to renew your borrowing term. So after my initial borrowing period with this book I had to return it and place a hold on it. I am waiting now to get it back again. Last time I checked I was number 32 of 50 people waiting to get their hands on it, so it could be awhile.
I did manage to finish four other books during that time period aside from those still in progress. Well, technically three since one was a play. In fact, I was dabbling in my first bit of Shakespeare since high school. I didn’t miss it as it turns out. But that’s neither here not there at the moment. The books/play I read before the end of 2013 were:
- The 158-Pound Marriage by John Irving
- Divergent by Veronica Roth
- Pollyanna by Eleanor H. White
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
The 158-Pound Marriage is one of John Irving’s early novels and it was actually quite a short one compared to the other books of his that I am familiar with. I do have a small collection of his books in my ever growing library! It is a story about two couples who swap partners – referred to as a “menage a quatre” in the synopsis on the back of the book – and its effects on their relationships. I found it a bit slow at first, but it did pick up and made for an interesting read. By no means my favorite John Irving novel, but still a decent read.
I received Divergent as a part of my secret santa gift from one of my co-workers in mid-December. I delved into it right away and finished it in about two days. it was my first foray in to the YA genre since The Hunger Games. The concept of Divergent is an interesting one and it did make for an interesting read. I found the writing style was definitely much younger than I am used to – kind of a cross between Twilight and The Hunger Games in terms of how it is written I think? I can’t quite place it, but it feels familiar. Regardless, it is a good enough read for me to be waiting on a copy of the next book from the library.
I found Pollyanna on my Kobo app for free. I love the movie as a kid, so I decided to give the book a go. Little did I know, there are several, but I won’t be opening that can of worms. It was written very much like the movie is styled with a few minor variations. I also read this one quite quickly. Not an amazing book and the writing wasn’t very good, but I think I enjoyed it for the sentimental value. It brought me back to my childhood and sleepovers with my grandparents watching the movie.
Lastly, I read A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I did not enjoy Shakespeare in high school and I’ve learned I’m still not a fan. This will probably be the last Shakespearean play I read. Everyone has their preference. Shakespeare is just not one of mine.
The end of 2013 was a very busy time for me in terms of reading. I definitely did quite a bit of it! Now, I am looking forward to lots more reading in 2014. Stay tuned for a post about my reading list so far this year… Coming soon!