Me Posting Covers of my Favorite Books “Without Comment.”
UPDATE: I post this link and RIGHT UNDERNEATH I am offered this. The End IS Nigh.
I broke my self-imposed never-post-anything-on-facebook-or-twitter-but-links-to-my-own-blog-because-of-being-an-unrepentant-social-media-sinner to complain about the particular ads being targeted to me–the Book Merch ones. You know what I’m talking about. You occasionally talk about a book you read or something, or say that you like reading books, and so suddenly you are A Book Lover, just like you might be a cat lover, or a tea lover, or a love lover, or a travel lover. Once you’ve confirmed your identity—My Pronouns are Thee and Thou and I self-identify as both a Good Mother and a Person Who Sometimes Reads A Book Or Something—then google et al knows how they can make a buck off of me. In this case, book lovers get the worst of it because google and facebook don’t actually suggest books to me in my feed, they suggest blankets with infinitesimally small words of books I might maybe like (though not really). Or socks with the face of an author. Or a tote bag. No books tho. For real. This at a time when I actually am reading books instead of just complaining about how I never have time to read books.
Not Only Do I Self-Identify As A Book Reader, but This Year I Also Read Books
Looking over my list, I don’t think I’ve done too badly. I did cheat a little and write down some books that I had already read before and read again. But I think they count because I did read them. I’m not sure how important my self-justification is here. Should I belabor the point? I READ SOME BOOKS. THIS IS A BIG DEAL. Mostly because it’s all I’ve got. I don’t have a Pinterest board worth anything. I am not succeeding in my Advent and Christmas observations. I basically quit cooking this year. My house is a wreck. I have no “work-life balance.” But I did read some things. Surely this makes me a savior of civilization. So anyway, here is the breakdown—I’m only including a few books I reread. If I put in all of them it would take forever.
A is for Audible and S is for Sitting and Holding the Book and Reading It.
Novels
Sherlock Holmes (A)—got through the complete works, a whole sixty hours of listening, and it was absolutely enchanting. Had never read any of these before at all, and honestly, it was thrilling to have it like a firehouse, walking around in a cloud of suspense. Also, Stephen Fry reads it and it’s amazing.
Good Omens (S)—So Funny.
Great Expectations (A)—pretty good. Had to push along like I always do for Dickens. For some reason, I always feel like giving Dickens a rough kick in the derriere and then a pork pie to say sorry.
Bleak House (A)—as good as I remembered it. Didn’t love the readers of the book but it is fantastically funny and worth the incredible number of hours.
A Man Called Ove (A)—I don’t care. I loved it. So sue me for my bad taste.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (S)—Read this one straight through in two (not consecutive) days. Really liked it, except for the ending, which was terribly abrupt and disappointing. Really, what’s wrong with a little nostalgia? (Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know.)
Three Men on the Bummel (S)—suffered through this because someone I trust told me not to put it down. And it was good. It is very slow going in places, and not nearly so wonderful as Three Men in a Boat, but it was fascinating to read about a landscape and culture (Germany and Austria) that took such a dark and terrible turn right before it came to that crossroad. The last chapter is absolutely haunting. Really good in a historical kind of way.
Greed Dolphin Street (S)—I wrote about it elsewhere, I think. But this should be on everybody’s list if they think they will ever get married. Don’t argue with me, just read it.
My Fore Into African Traditional Religion—I read tons of parts of books in this section and madly skimmed some, plus piles of articles, but these were the ones I wrote down in my Official List For Myself
African Traditional Religion by Mbiti (S)—you have to read this if you’re interested in the subject. It’s old and a lot of it is heftily disagreed with, with good reason, but it’s an excellent and, honestly, beautiful starting place. I loved his writing, be it ever so academic, and was gripped by a great desire to know more.
A Very Short Introduction (S)—essential, short, and so helpful. Really really good.
A Primal Vision (S)—this, I will be perfectly honest, was the most beautiful book I read all year (don’t cast it up to me when I contradict myself and claim it was some other book). It made me both desperately homesick and wanting to drop my whole life and go live in the library reading about ATR.
How God Became African(S)—this was a doctoral dissertation and also translated from Dutch ( I think) and so good.
Innocent Anthropologist Abroad (S)—this was for pleasure alone, but it fell easily into this category. It is on my list to read some more of Barley next year. So good (and funny).
Anthony Trollope: These are, of course, novels. However, they get their own category because they’re so brilliant and funny (and sad). Emma and I began our trek through the Barset books last year, beginning with the Warden, and have not regretted any moment at all, except to be angry with some of the characters. The great thing about Trollope is that in the first place he doesn’t always produce a happy ending, and second he lets the characters be their unmanageable selves and third he isn’t the least bit salacious and fourth, as Elphine says, he “makes it all so stressful.” I think Trollope is funnier than Dickens, and lots more subtle, and if that makes me wrong and bad, so be it.
Framley Parsonage (A)
A Small House at Allington (A)
Last Chronicle of Barset (A)
Can You Forgive Her (A)
Phineas Finn (A)
Non-fiction books I read for pleasure.
A Peace to End all Peace (A)—this took me forever but honestly, I’m going to read it again because it was so fascinating. It’s about the creation of the modern middle east, and if you want to be shocked but also get a broader sense of why things are so bad now, you should definitely read and/or listen to this.
The Metaphysical Club (A)—also a very helpful historical context providing effort.
The Madness of Crowds (A)—I mean, I don’t care, I loved this one.
I Hate My Neck (S)—heh heh heh
No Soft Incense (S)—this is a Barbara Pym gem, not by her but about her, and very well done too.
Books I read because I was asked to, either for a full review or in the course of an article or something.
Inspired (A)—read this in the week after RHE’s tragic and untimely death. Wrote about it for CRI.
Girl Wash Your Face (A)—you know how this turned out. Oh my word.
Girl Stop Apologizing (A)—Girl Start Apologizing, that’s what I say.
Modern Kinship (S)—reviewed this for CRI
Be the Bridge (S)—reviewed this for CT
The Truth About Us (S)—endorsed this forthcoming work, oh my word, SO FUNNY. If you’re looking for a funny book about what an awful person you are, you’ll have to buy this. I’m planning to get it for all my friends…heh heh heh
A Prayer for Orion (S)—forthcoming review for print edition of CT
Well, there you have it. I am desperately trying to finish Sound, Sin, and Conversion in Victorian England, The Secret Diary of Henri Groen, Perelandra, The New Well-Tempered Sentence, The Story of Human Language, and Le Crime de l’Orient Express. If I don’t make it, believe me, my whole life will be as nothing, Nothing I tell you!
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