Spring 2012 Book Post

I haven’t written a book post in a while!

The last time I wrote about books, I had a list of titles I wanted to read. Sadly, I have not finished any of those. Dazzled by my new Kindle, I ended up downloading a bunch of stuff for free and read to my heart’s content. And now that I’m finally getting to my paperback stash, I can happily say that I’m actually a quarter into Patti Smith’s Just Kids, which is fabulous so far.

Getting a Goodreads account has also made me a little more competitive about reading. Everyone else is finishing books faster than I am! I need to step up my game! Add me as a friend on Goodreads if you want! :)

I did a lot of Jane Austen reading the first part of the year, if you remember. It was pretty… um, obsessive.

I read Persuasion for the first time. I’d never attempted it before, for some reason, but I’m glad I’m expanding my Austen bubble from just Pride-Prejudice-Sense-Sensibility to include Persuasion. I admit, the beginning was difficult to get through. P&P hooks you with its wittiness. Going through the lineage of Anne’s family from the very start was a bit tiresome. But the end…! Yes, worth it. I also enjoyed the movie adaptation starring Sally Hawkins, because dang, that Captain Wentworth, played by Rupert Penry-Jones, was so handsome!

Little Women: I’d watched the movie before, and always lamented the fact that (spoiler) Jo and Teddy don’t end up together. After finally reading the book (I never finished it when I was a child), I am now convinced that it was for the best. One of the problems with watching the movie before reading the book is that the movie colors your view of the narrative. Of course you want Winona Ryder to marry Christian Bale! But the book set me on the straight path.

The Help: I’d been meaning to read this ever since my friend and fellow wedding photographer Christy talked about really enjoying it… And the evil thing about the Kindle is that you can browse titles and download them instantly, even if you have a physical bookshelf full of things you already want to devour. I know the author, Kathryn Stockett, got a lot of flak mixed in with the praise for this book, but personally I really liked it. I judge books in different ways: do they make me think? Do they make me forget where I am? Does it make time pass by quickly? Can I put it down? I didn’t want to put this down.

Run (The Hunted): I downloaded this because it was free for Kindle and the reviews were good, so why not? It was a quick read, but the protagonist didn’t have a strong voice and I ended up not caring what happened after the cliffhanger (well, not enough to pay for the next in the series).

What are you reading? :)