An analysis of books consumed in 2013. This year, I read 68 new books with a total of 19800 pages.

Memorable Books from this year: This is not a definitive list by any means:

• Cooked by Michael Pollan
• Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
• Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton
• Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
• Let’s Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste by Carl Wilson
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
• Make Good Art by Neil Gaiman

Longest Book: Game of Thrones with 811 pages.

Most Challenging Books: Walden by Henry David Thoreau

New-to-me Authors I look forward to reading more: Robin Sloan, David Mitchell, John Green

Classics Club update: I’m up to 17 books now, and I am quite behind.

Most Read Author: Georgette Heyer and Neil Gaiman.

Poetry: None! Sad.

Month Read the Most: August

Total number of books read: 68 out of projected modest goal of 65.

2013: 68
2012: 65
2011: 50
2010: 67
2009: 20
2008: 83
2007: 52
2006: 61
2005: 83
2004: 71
2005: 66
2002: 66

2014 Reading Goals:

As I am spending less time online and more time in the real world, I have decided to simplify my reading goals a little bit more. As much as I enjoy joining reading challenges, I am going to make one definitive list of goals I’d like to accomplish and review it at the end of year.

1. Read 70 books – This is simple enough as I have been reading in the high 60s ever year, but I would like to push myself a bit more. I think the most I ever read as 83 at one point. As I have a lot of hobbies already, I don’t think I’ll be a hundred books a year kind of girl anytime soon.
2. Focus on the Classics Club – I am running behind on the challenge so will aim to read 5-10 from my list.
3. One French language book – At least one French language is good enough for me.
4. One Poetry book – One does not sound like a lot, but since I did not even manage one in 2013, it’s a good way to start.
5. Read more from my cookbook collection – I have a lot of lovely cookbooks, many of which I can actually read as well as try out. I should read and review them more.
6. Continue reading more nonfiction – I’m quite proud of the amount of nonfiction I’ve read this year.
7. Read things out loud more – I wish to speak slower, more clearly, and enjoy the joy of reading out loud again.
8. Authors to read more of because of series an and other reasons: George R. R. Martin, J. K. Rowling, and a slew of other classic authors

Finally, a complete list of books for 2013 which can all by accessed via the 2013 Books tag: Continue reading →

This is novel’s setting tone and style is highly reminiscent of “Downton Abbey”, Edith Wharton, andHenry James. If you enjoy any of those three like I do, you’ll at least find this novel mildly interesting.

Like DA, this novel has several elements of soap opera. It has many predictable moments, public humiliation, men and women with mother issues, love affairs and love squares. Most of the characters are not well drawn. The writer has just enough about each of them, but not enough for me to find it remarkable or anywhere near a character study.

I really only liked Cora the protagonist towards the end. I identified with her because even with her spoilt upbringing, she is straight forward and frank. I felt bad for her as well. As a result, the ending left me dissatisfied. It reminded me about how I felt with the ending of James’s A Portrait of a Lady. I wasn’t exactly ecstatic or pleased with how it ended. It just ended almost abruptly.

It did make me reflect how the rich in those days had such insufferable lifestyles where you had to host so many parties, live in idleness and all the gossip and the social machinations that goes with it. It really makes you think how things are better without such foolishness especially for women.

This was a decent debut novel, and it got better as the somewhat predictable plot progressed. I started to care for the characters as it went on, but I don’t think this is an outstanding work. It suited my day of recovering from illness. It was a fine read for my mood.

Read Dec 22 2013.

The last young adult I read set in an American boarding school fell short, but this one is much more interesting.

It is funny and has a few hand drawn comics done by the protagonist, Winger aka Ryan Dean West. There is this sense of timelessness in the book too. There is actually very little technology mentioned in the book, but it’s focussed more on the rawness and alienation of being a fourteen year old boy. The author captured the craziness of that time well or from what I vaguely remember as a teenager.

The book has some random, funny and poignant moments. The ending was particularly intense. It did make me cry a little. I thought it was moving and a big testament to the characters and the various forms of friendships. Friendship and loyalty were big themes in this novel and Smith drew that out well. The characters were well developed in a short period of time and there was a lot of pathos without being preachy or sanctimonious. The ending was handled well.

Read Dec 15-16, 2013. This was my 65th book of the year which was my GoodReads reading goal. I was well ahead of my reading up until the busy October-November I had. In any case, I will do my best with my next goal of 70. I haven’t raised it the last couple of years, but I think it’s time that I should.