Ooh, I want to join even though I am pretty late :) Hi, everyone! I am a lifelong book lover that has kind of not been so good about reading consistently over the past few years, but I have been trying to make more of a concerted effort this year, so this thread is perfect for me! Also this is going to nudge me to actually update my goodreads ;)
I have actually managed one book/month so far this year, surprisingly. It's tough for me because while I do read nearly daily (and that never stopped), I usually only read right before bed, so if I am tired that night, I don't get through much, haha (last night I only got through 2 pages, I think - it was a rough week at work).
The list so far:
- January: Empress by Karen Miller - rated 4/5 (maybe more like 3.75/5?). Compulsively readable, but disturbing. Has a complex and interesting female lead and a fairly novel-feeling world. However, it felt a little stilted in terms of the writing style, especially the dialogue. There are two more books in this series; we'll see if I ever get around to them. Maybe, maybe not.
- February: Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann - rated 4/5. This is one of those books where you get introduced to characters one by one, and they're all separate but united by this one particular event, until the connections between them start to be revealed. Some segments I liked more than others; some characters will stick with me and others won't (some I have probably already mostly forgotten), but I loved how this novel was written and constructed.
- March: The Lighthouse by Alison Moore - rated 3/5 (though really it's probably 3.5/5). Slow and slice of life, follows a recently divorced middle aged man on his weeklong vacation while he spends lots of time inside his head. Lots of symbols and themes to follow throughout. There is not a line wasted in this novel; it's all important, though it may not be obvious at the time. So it's kind of a boring read for most of the length of the book, but it picks up at the end. So maybe I respect this one more than I liked it, haha.
- April: Miles from Nowhere by Nami Moon - rated 3/5 (3.5/5? I am realizing that I appreciate the availability of more rating options here at MDL, haha). This book was not an easy read. Joon goes through some stuff, let's say. But her voice, her character, is one that will stick with me though there were times while reading this that I had to take a break because I found it so disturbing. Also, this had some weird connections to Let the Great World Spin in terms of locations mentioned, since they're both set at least in part in the Bronx and I would not have noticed if I hadn't just read it. And it reminded me somewhat of this movie that I also watched in the past couple of months for this year's watch challenge (though Aimie, the movie's main character, has much more ordinary teenage troubles than Joon in the book). Following The Lighthouse with this hit me over the head twice in a row that parents can really mess up their kids.
- And now, Possession by A.S Byatt. This may count as May's book; it's not a super long book, but so far it's pretty dense so I'm guessing I won't finish it this month (I'm only about 12 pages in at the moment and just started it a couple days ago). Glad I'm getting a head start on it :) I've read two books by this author before; one I liked a lot and the other I thought was kind of boring.
So I'll stop back in to update my progress periodically and see what everyone else is reading :)