good reads
A few of you asked what my favorite books were in 2011. I'm happy to answer with a photo. I don't have one favorite book but these were among those I really enjoyed reading. (Of course I enjoyed more than those but you can make the stack only that high - see all the books read in 2011 here)
Here we go, from the top:
fiction
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
I saw the movie the year before and liked it. But as it turned out, I liked the book even more.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
I read this while in Prague and it was the perfect place for this book.
Atonement by Ian McEwan
For some reason, I had the hardest time getting into the book (this was probably my 4th attempt to read it) but in the end I'm glad I didn't give up. The language sometimes just slayed me. (Like this sentence: "... moving gently through her thoughts, as one might explore a new garden.")
The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster
This reminded me a little of "What I Loved", maybe one of the reasons I liked it. Later I read "Invisible", also by Paul Auster, which disappointed me.
non-fiction
For the past few years I've been reading mostly fiction but in 2011 I added some more non-fiction books to my list. My history-loving geeky self is making a comeback.
The Body Project by Joan Jacobs Brumberg
I stumbled upon this book rather by accident - a lucky accident. It follows the subject of body image from Victorian times to the 1990s. It was interesting to read how fundamentally the attitude towards weight, physical apperance, menstruation and sex changed in just one century.
Achilles in Vietnam by Jonathan Shay
I partly read this when I was in college and was glad to come back to this insightful and compassionate writing.
Damit wir uns nicht verlieren by Sophie Scholl and Fritz Hartnagel
I don't think there is an English version of the book. The title loosely translates as "So that we don't loose each other". It's a collection of letters from Sophie Scholl (who was executed by the nazis at age 21 for expressing her opinion) and her boyfriend. Her biography had a huge impact on me when I was a teenager and I already knew a good part of her letters but this more extensive collection is fairly new.
The Beauty of Difference by Karen Walrond
If you ever read the Chookooloonks blog, you know this is good. It was even more dear to me because I've been trying to love my "difference" more this year.
good reads
A few of you asked what my favorite books were in 2011. I'm happy to answer with a photo. I don't have one favorite book but these were among those I really enjoyed reading. (Of course I enjoyed more than those but you can make the stack only that high - see all the books read in 2011 here)
Here we go, from the top:
fiction
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
I saw the movie the year before and liked it. But as it turned out, I liked the book even more.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
I read this while in Prague and it was the perfect place for this book.
Atonement by Ian McEwan
For some reason, I had the hardest time getting into the book (this was probably my 4th attempt to read it) but in the end I'm glad I didn't give up. The language sometimes just slayed me. (Like this sentence: "... moving gently through her thoughts, as one might explore a new garden.")
The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster
This reminded me a little of "What I Loved", maybe one of the reasons I liked it. Later I read "Invisible", also by Paul Auster, which disappointed me.
non-fiction
For the past few years I've been reading mostly fiction but in 2011 I added some more non-fiction books to my list. My history-loving geeky self is making a comeback.
The Body Project by Joan Jacobs Brumberg
I stumbled upon this book rather by accident - a lucky accident. It follows the subject of body image from Victorian times to the 1990s. It was interesting to read how fundamentally the attitude towards weight, physical apperance, menstruation and sex changed in just one century.
Achilles in Vietnam by Jonathan Shay
I partly read this when I was in college and was glad to come back to this insightful and compassionate writing.
Damit wir uns nicht verlieren by Sophie Scholl and Fritz Hartnagel
I don't think there is an English version of the book. The title loosely translates as "So that we don't loose each other". It's a collection of letters from Sophie Scholl (who was executed by the nazis at age 21 for expressing her opinion) and her boyfriend. Her biography had a huge impact on me when I was a teenager and I already knew a good part of her letters but this more extensive collection is fairly new.
The Beauty of Difference by Karen Walrond
If you ever read the Chookooloonks blog, you know this is good. It was even more dear to me because I've been trying to love my "difference" more this year.