Reading List: Second Half of 2011

[gilee7]

I've been meaning to post this for awhile, but there's been too much other shit going on. Now we're three months into the year. I'd go into more detail about each book, but my memories of some of these are already hazy.

16. East of Eden by: John Steinbeck
17. Blaze by: Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)
18. The Things They Carried by: Tim O'Brien

Comments

[2ndhandsunshine]

I thought you might like The Things They Carried, being a writer yourself. It was surprising and wasn't what I expected, but I really enjoyed that book. Also loved East of Eden, but I'm a sucker for family dramas. :)

On the other hand, Charles Dickens is one of those authors I feel I should devote some time to as an adult. When I was a kid, I tried to read several of his works (including Great Expectations), but I could never get into them--even the ones meant more for my age group like Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol. Still, I feel like I should give him a try as an adult just so I can conclusively say I don't like him. Lol.

How's this year been as far as reading?

[gilee7]

You know how sometimes when you're reading you'll start thinking about other things and daydreaming, and you realize after a few pages that you've registered none of the information? That's pretty much what I did throughout the entirety of Great Expectations. Usually I'll go back and re-read the sections I mentally checked out on, but I just couldn't bring myself to care with that book. I'm surprised, too, since I read Dickens' David Copperfield a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I plan on giving Great Expectations another go sometime in the (very distant) future. I feel like it's more my fault that I was so indifferent to it than it is Dickens.

There's not much to report on this year's reading so far. I've gotten off to a slow start.

What about you? Any recommendations?