2010 Reading Roundup
2010 is nearly coming to an end, and with year’s end come countless lists, countdowns, montages, and recaps of the year that was. 2010 was a particularly big year for me, personally, full of changes and trips and milestones. At the beginning of the year, I began to keep track of the books I read on Goodreads not only by ratings but by the year–next year, I’m thinking of doing a monthly shelf so that I can pinpoint what I was reading during certain times. I so easily forget when I read certain books, so it will be interesting to be able to go back and look in a place where it’s documented.
I thought it would be fun to do a 2010 reading roundup. Here’s what my 2010 reading breaks down to:
Collections (Essays, stories, or poems): 11
Classics: 6
Books by women: 14
Books by non-American authors: 10
Nonfiction: 11
Total books (so far): 37
Here’s my top 5 (in no particular order):
The Namesake–Jhumpa Lahiri
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks–Rebecca Skloot
Poems New and Collected–Wislawa Szymborska
The Elegance of the Hedgehog–Muriel Barbery
Columbine–Dave Cullen
Next year, I’d like to read more contemporary fiction, more non-American writers, and more classics.
What were your favorite books you read this year? Is there anything you wish you had read more of?
*image via Bookshelf Porn
I love the idea behind this post – and I loved The Namesake.
I also love the idea of trying to keep track of what I’ve read on Goodreads, but I always forget to do it! I should try harder to be more thorough with it next year.
My favorite books this year have been The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating (short, lovely); The Cost of Living (exquisitely written vintage short stories); Gourmet Rhapsody (a sheer delight by the Elegance of the Hedgehog author); Dark Tide (excellent account of Boston Molasses Flood) and Anna Karenina (excellent all ’round).
Hey, thanks for including my book in your top five. That made me smile.
FYI, I just created a Columbine Student Guide and Columbine Teacher’s Guide.
It’s amazing how useful Goodreads has actually been; not only is it satisfying to keep track of books read, but I’ve referred to it several times to kickstart my memory about when I read a particular something, or what I read during a particular time. It’s also just fun/interesting to see which of your friends have read the same books and what they thought of them (at least in terms of number of stars given).
An impressive list for you this year, methinks, especially since you’ve been so busy!
Just found your blog through your comment on One Hundred Inspirations (thanks for stopping by!) – I’m an avid reader as well, so I love to see others’ opinions on books! And I’m always looking for more suggestions! I’ll have to jot down “The Namesake” and HOW GOOD was the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks!?!? Wow. Loved that book!
(also from your other post, I’m with you on Great House – I felt like it was a big let down from The History of Love)
Love this blog… I’ll be back to talk books again!