A Modest Construct
and the sea will come to kiss me, for I am going home
52 Books in 52 Weeks, 2007
Another year, another meme.
This will be main page listing of all the books I read this year, added as I finish them. This time, I get to start on the first of the year. Ready, set, go!
Others participating in this meme:
- Rob
- A different Rob (robertsiders.com)
- Veronica (”a number of books in a period of time”)
- Speedkill
- System 13
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling- Publisher: Scholastic
- Year: 2005
- Pages: 652
- In Brief: The penultimate book of Rowling’s hugely successful Harry Potter series is something of a disappointment to any but the most loyal of fans. The book seems as though it was written mostly to (a) take up space and (b) inflame passions so as to make the release of the final book the most lucrative to date.
- №1
World War Z by Max Brooks- Publisher: Crown
- Year: 2006
- Pages: 352
- In Brief: Brooks’ mix of sloppy sociopolitical satire and B-movie sensibilities is a bewildering read—I was never sure how deep some of the subtext went. At the very least, it’s an interesting zombie novel.
- №2
The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen- Publisher: Random House
- Year: 2006
- Pages: 416
- In Brief: This debut novel for Thomas Mullen is a period piece set in 1918 that deals with the deadly influenza outbreak and the havoc it wreaks on a small Washington town. It’s supposed to by political allegory, historical fiction, a character drama, etc., but it never quite manages to be any of those in a particularly powerful sense. A disappointment, especially after all the good press it’s been getting.
- №3
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury- Publisher: William Morrow
- Year: 1957/1999
- Pages: 288
- In Brief: Bradbury’s famous semiautobiographical tale about boyhood in the summer is perhaps one of the more beautiful books ever written, but even though it broaches a lot of issues, it remains almost entirely plotless (perhaps that is a virtue); definitely a must for just about any serious reader.
- №4
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
- Year: 2005
- Pages: 506
- In Brief: “Being the First Part of the Lord of the Rings” is a slow start, but is naturally the introduction to one of the greatest (at least the most influential) pieces ever written.
- №5
The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
- Year: 2005
- Pages: 413
- In Brief: “Being the Second Part of the Lord of the Rings” is both one of the best and one of the worst of the series, because it has no discernible direction, but is heavy on character development.
- №6
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
- Year: 2005
- Pages: 500
- In Brief: One of this final book’s most important features is its appendices, which will clue you in to a lot of the bafflingly obtuse lore that you just read. Otherwise, this is very much like its predecessors, except with a definite resolution.
- №7
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin- Publisher: Viking
- Year: 2006
- Pages: 352
- In Brief: A history of Greg Mortenson’s work in rural Pakistan, building schools for the children of remote villages. A mix of well-written biography and newspaper article, it’s perhaps more laudable for its content than its quality.
- №8
Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers- Publisher: Picador
- Year: 1995/2004
- Pages: 336
- In Brief: Powers’ very cerebral fictional treatise on the intersection of science and language is perhaps more PoMo than he intended, which makes for a difficult—if fulfilling—novel. For science geeks and humanities geeks alike.
- №9
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl- Publisher: Viking Adult
- Year: 2006
- Pages: 528
- In Brief: This quirky, hyperliterate murder mystery is an ambitious and not unpleasant debut novel from up-and-coming author Marisha Pessl. It’s written in such a way as will likely be divisive, but I found it an impressive work nonetheless.
- №10
6 trackbacks
- 2007/01/08 - 52 26 books in 52 weeks at Speedkill
- 2007/01/12 - 52 Novels
- 2007/01/23 - 52 Novels
- 2007/05/23 - A Modest Construct » The Corrections
- 2007/08/23 - A Modest Construct » The God Delusion
- 2007/12/29 - A Modest Construct » 52 Books in 52 Weeks: a wrap-up
I see you’ve got World War Z planned. Awesome book. I bought it a few weeks ago and just got around to finishing it. If you’ve never read his Zombie Survival Guide I’d recommend that too. :D
If I like World War Z, I’ll definitely think about it.
Just thought I’d let you know that I”m going to try and do this this year as well. Hopefully it’ll help me break my bad habit of attempting to read 15 books at once.
What is the best way to do this and still keep up with your business/career based reading (and love of magazines!)
Or do you count books that are part of your career based learning (including textbooks, which we all know are difficult to devour in 1 week!)
I’ve never really had a problem, as my particular field doesn’t require too much book reading. For the occasional English course which requires me to read novels, I do count those, yes—I’ve never seen the point in the rule which says that only voluntary books can be counted.
There’s no easy answer as to how you can best balance your workload and/or family life with a reading meme like this. It really just depends on your situation. My suggestion to you, however, would be to set a goal that’s realistic: it isn’t necessary to read 52 books a year if you’re really too busy to do so, and you read other material as well. Start with a number that’s more than you currently read—perhaps a book every two weeks—and spend the year doing that. If it’s a success, you can increase it next year, if you feel like it.
Remember, too, that this meme isn’t simply about reading the books. It’s also about reviewing them, meaning part of the goal is to do a bit of writing as well, putting your thoughts about the book down in permanent form. It’s a double-whammy.
Dave – I’m in! This sounds like just the thing to get me writing more… reading I do – usually can knock off a book in a couple of nights! This sounds just super cool.
Can’t promise they’ll be literature worth reading – my tastes run to some pretty weird and wonderful!
Thanks for the inspiration!
Sorry – I called the site owner Dave… :( How embarrassing. Sorry – it’s early where I am and I’m reading cross-eyed… not a good way to start! LOL
Thanks again!