Readers Block

I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately. I'm not really sure why. I have all kinds of new books around my house that friends have lent to me. I just really haven't been in the mood, I guess.

I did reread Franny and Zooey in January after hearing the news of JD Salinger's death. I really love that book. Zooey is one of the greatest characters ever written. If you haven't read it, I strongly suggest it.

Anyway - I finally broke out the pile of unread books that are sitting in my house, ordered a couple of new ones off of eBay (I LOVE eBay. I got two new books for $4 - including the shipping), read some reviews and finally I have compiled a reading list for 2010.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Gathering by Anne Enright
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Knitting Circle by Anne Hood
When The Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rishdie - I actually started and read about 1/3 of this book. It was really good, but it was really hard for me to read because I couldn't keep track of all the characters. All the names are middle eastern, and I just couldn't keep them straight. On top of that, I started the book in the summer when I have anywhere from six - eight kids running around everyday. I decided I would come back to it later when I could really just focus on the book, but never got to it.

I also have the book, The Christmas Sweater, sitting at my house. I've heard it's good. Two different people have recommended it to me. I probably would like it. But it is by Glenn Beck. I hate Glenn Beck beyond description. He is an idiot. I know the book has nothing to do with his lunatic, extremist, right wing views. But I just don't think I can lower myself to the level of associating myself with anything Glenn Beck. I just have to draw the line. So that is twelve - which is my goal. But I am always open to suggestions.


Oh - and here is the final list of what I read in 2009:

1. The Host - Stephenie Meyer - C
2. The Stand (uncut version) - Stephen King (although I think this should count as three books since it is almost 1200 pages long!) - A
3. Harris and Me (reread) - Gary Paulsen - A
4. About a Boy - Nick Hornby - B
5. To Kill a Mocking Bird (reread) - Harper Lee - A
6. Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice - C
7. Stolen Innocence - Elissa Wall - B
8. Angels and Demons - Dan Brown - B
9. Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood - B
10. My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult - B
11. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro - A
12. Franny and Zooey - J.D. Salinger - A
13. Night - Elie Wiesel - A
14. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov - A
15. Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson - B
16. Playing With the Enemy - Gary Moore - A
17. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins- A
18. Fish - T.J. Parsell - B