2014 in Books

While I certainly devote a lot of time to poring over glossy magazines, nothing beats the satisfaction of getting thoroughly engrossed in a good book. I thought I'd share my thoughts on the 14 books I read over the past year... and I'd love to hear yours, too! 

What were the best and the most disappointing books you read in 2014?! And have you read any of these? I love hearing other opinions!

                        {Also read but not pictured: Quiet by Susan Cain}

In no particular order, my favourite books I read this past year were:

• A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett

Gripping, terrifying, and totally page-turning -- I couldn't put it down. (Full review here). 

• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

I don't tend to read many non-fiction books, but this one was fascinating. A must-read for both introverts and extroverts alike. (Full review here).

• A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

A bittersweet love story set in Edwardian England and Florence, Italy. Forster's subtle way with words and keen observations on class made this novel a stand-out for me. (Full review here). 

• Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

So often, I start reading a book expecting to love it (it sounds like a good story, it's gotten rave reviews) only to find it disappointing. With Lolita, it was the opposite: I went into it expecting to not hugely like it but ended up really enjoying this controversial classic. Despite its dubious subject matter, I found it very cleverly written and witty -- of all the books I read this year, I found it the most humorous, bizarrely enough.

The two novels I found most disappointing were:

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Just didn't do it for me. While I don't need a book to be heartwarming for me to enjoy/be moved by it, I just found this one far too bleak and self-indulgent.

• Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

This book got rave reviews ("You'll laugh your pants off!"... "a comedic delight!"..."the most absorbing novel of the summer!"), so I was excited to start reading it, but wow, was it ever a letdown. I didn't find it remotely funny, and the plot -- told through a series of emails/letters/faxes -- was scattered and not terribly engrossing. 

And then there were the other eight novels I read that were good/goodish/average but not exactly stand-outs:

• Room by Emma Donoghue

I actually liked the majority of this book (it is a fascinating premise, after all: a young woman, held captive for seven years along with the son fathered by her abductor plots their escape) but I found the ending a bit too neat and implausible. 

• The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

While it was definitely dense in parts, on the whole I enjoyed this classic...but the ending (spoiler alert!) was just too heartbreaking for me to exactly love it. 

• Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë

If I had to pick a fifth favourite from the books I read this year, it would probably be Agnes Grey...it's basically Victorian chick-lit, really: middle-class girl on hard times hates her employers but falls in love and lives happily ever after. (Full review here). 

• Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro

I have a bit of a confession to make: I don't really love Alice Munro. I just don't get the hype over her writing, to be honest. I've read a few of her short story collections, and my reaction is always the same: I find them fairly dull to mildly enjoyable when reading them, and then can't for the life of me remember the details of any once I've finished. 

• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 

Definitely a haunting, moving book. I read it back in February around the time of Shirley Temple's death, which I found poignant (she's idolized by Pecola, the central character in the novel, whose greatest wish is to be a white girl with blue eyes). 

• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I semi-enjoyed this book. For the most part, I found it fairly engaging and fast-paced but there was just something about it that held me back from completely loving it...maybe the fact that I wasn't rooting for either of the (pretty unlikeable) main characters? 

• Dracula by Bram Stoker

Not gonna lie: I found this book just a liiiiittle tedious in parts. But on the whole, as a story, I enjoyed it. (Full review here).

• Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella

I've loved the Shopaholic series for over a decade, so I'm always excited when a new book is published. While this one wasn't as good as the first few books, in my opinion, it was definitely a fun, light read. (Full review here).

December Reading List & November Reviews

Wow, is it just me or has December been flying by?! It's hard to believe that Christmas is only a week away! Here are my (overdue) reviews for the books I read in November...

Modern Pick: Shopaholic to the Stars (2014) by Sophie Kinsella

In a Nutshell: When Becky's husband is offered a job in LA, the whole family make the move to Hollywood, where Becky tries her hand at being a stylist to the stars and gets up to her usual ridiculous escapades.

My Thoughts: It wouldn't be my favourite book in the series (I think the first four are the best), but I definitely still enjoyed it, and it has an exciting little cliffhanger at the end that lays the ground for an eighth book in the series (yay!!). I love Sophie Kinsella as an author -- her writing is clever and witty, and her characters are (for the most part) likeable. 

Would I Recommend It?: If you're a fan of the series and have read the six others, then yes, of course! Don't even think about reading it if you haven't, though... And if you're looking for something non-Shopaholic, I'd highly recommend her stand-alone novel Twenties Girl -- I've read all of Kinsella's books and this is one of my very favourites. 

Classic Pick: Agnes Grey (1847) by Anne Brontë 

In a Nutshell: Based on Brontë s own experiences teaching the children of wealthy families, Agnes Grey explores the world of the Victorian governess and the hardships these women often faced. 

My Thoughts: It's hard for me to not enjoy a novel written by any of the three Brontë sisters -- all three of them have such an astute, heartfelt way with words, and, unlike many classic novels, theirs never seem to lag in places or get bogged down with unnecessary wordiness (although their sentences can be long). 

Agnes Grey is what I would call a quiet read --  you know exactly where it's going, there are no shocking twists and turns, and the whole novel is narrated by the gentle, mild-mannered heroine herself (no switching back and forth between narrators as is the case with other Brontë novels). 

Would I Recommend It?: If you've never read Anne Brontë before, I'd recommend reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall first -- it would definitely be my favourite of her two novels. But, of course, if you're a dedicated Brontë fan, then it's definitely worth a place on your to-read list.




This past month, the books I've been reading (and will be reviewing next month) are:

Modern Pick: Where'd You Go, Bernadette? (2012) by Maria Semple

It seems that everyone and their mother has read this book -- along with Gone Girl, it's just one of those "it" books that's been popping up everywhere over the past year or so. It's gotten rave "laugh-out-loud funny" kind of reviews, so I thought I'd give it a go... 

Classic Pick: The Mill on the Floss (1860) by George Eliot

I started reading this book, oh, about five years ago for a Victorian Literature class and got halfway through before other stuff got in the way. I like to finish what I start though, so thought I'd finally get round to ploughing through the last few chapters this month.

November Reading List & October Reviews

It's time for some reviews of my October reads! Here are my thoughts on the two books I read last month...

Modern Pick: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking (2012) by Susan Cain

In a Nutshell: Cain explores the bias against introverts in Western society by presenting a wealth of research and anecdotes that emphasize the disparity between the two personality types.

My Thoughts: As an introvert, I really loved Quiet -- I could totally identify with a lot of the points raised. I typically don't read non-fiction books very often, but this book was very accessible and not overly academic; I never felt I had to wade through it.

Would I Recommend It?: It's an obvious recommendation for introverts, but I'd love to hear an extrovert's thoughts on it, too...

Which do you consider yourself -- an introvert or extrovert? The basic difference is that introverts are comfortable in their own company, and need alone time to re-energize, whereas extroverts prefer being surrounded by other people and can feel drained when they're not around others. I think this cartoon really sums it up ;)

Classic Pick: Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker

In a Nutshell: Transylvanian vampire Dracula decides to leave his castle in Eastern Europe to seek out fresh blood in England, where it's up to Professor Van Helsing and his friends to stop him.

My Thoughts: My interest in this book was piqued when I was in Dublin this past March -- we did a Ghost Tour around the city, and Bram Stoker (a native of the city) was mentioned frequently. Told through the diary entries and letters of the novel's protagonists, I found Dracula page-turning in parts (the first part is really good and scary), and fairly dense and heavy-going in others (some of those letters and diary entries were reallllly drawn-out). 

Would I Recommend It?: This is definitely not a light read, and I think I'd only recommend it if you love reading. Overall, it's a good story, though, and if you enjoy horror stories as much as I do, it's a book you kind of have to read at some point -- it's a classic of the genre. 

This past month, the books I've been reading (and will be reviewing next month) are:

Modern Pick: Shopaholic to the Stars (2014) by Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella is hands down my favourite chick-lit author, and I'm a huge fan of the Shopaholic series. In this latest instalment, Becky is in LA, and, as you can imagine, she gets up to all her usual antics...with an Angeleno twist!

Classic Pick: Agnes Grey (1847) by Anne Brontë

I love the "obvious" Brontë novels -- Charlotte's Jane Eyre and Emily's Wuthering Heights -- but I think Anne, the youngest and often overlooked sister, deserves some credit too. I really enjoyed The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and I'm hoping that her other novel, Agnes Grey -- based loosely on her own experience as a governess to a wealthy family -- will be just as good.

October Reading List & September Reviews

Back in September, I featured the two books I planned on reading over the month...and now that I've finished them, I think some reviews are in order!

• Modern Pick: A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett

In a Nutshell: The true story of Amanda Lindhout, a fledgling Canadian journalist held captive in Somalia for 15 months. 

My Thoughts: I knew right from the start that this would be a book I'd love, and from cover to cover, it didn't disappoint. As someone who, like Amanda, grew up in Alberta and lived in Calgary for some time, I could relate to the early portion of the book, in which she shares stories from her childhood and her yearning to escape her safe but drab surrounds to see the world. The story takes off after her first trip abroad to South America fuels her desire to travel to the most off-limits parts of the world, and she eventually winds up in possibly the most dangerous place on earth, Somalia. Alongside another journalist, Australian Nigel Brennan, she is kidnapped and held captive until the pair's families can come up with the heavy ransom their captors demand. 

Critics of the book have pointed out that her behaviour -- travelling to parts of the world notorious for their danger and corruption -- was reckless and downright selfish, and, while this may be true, it doesn't detract from what is a completely harrowing and moving account of what she experienced in captivity, and how she found the courage and hope to carry her through. 

Would I Recommend It?: Absolutely! I found it incredibly gripping, and far more page-turning than even Gone Girl (if that's anything to go by!). There are some pretty awful scenes in it, so if you're in any way squeamish, you might want to steer clear, but otherwise, I would recommend this book to anyone. 

• Classic Pick: A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

In a Nutshell: After a visit to Florence sets in motion a string of events that will change her life forever, Lucy Honeychurch, a young woman living in the repressive society of Edwardian England, must choose between the pretentious, upper class Cecil Vyse and the progressive-thinking George Emerson. 

My Thoughts: While I love a good, fast-paced page-turner, I'm equally fond of something a little more slow-going, as long as the writing is first-rate, as was the case with this novel. The issues of class and propriety are brilliantly (often humourously) observed, and as I've mentioned before, I really love Forster's understated style of writing -- it's so astute without ever being pretentious or verbose. Even though it was written over 100 years ago, his descriptions of Florence and the snobbery of the type of people who look down on "tourists" still seemed so fresh and relevant. 

Would I Recommend It?: I loved it myself, but I will say that despite its seemingly lighthearted subject matter, it's not exactly Pride & Prejudice -- as with all Forster's novels, there's a darker kind of undercurrent, and (spoiler alert!) while there's a happy ending, it's a little bittersweet. 

This past month, the books I've been reading (and will be reviewing next month) are:

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain (Modern Pick)

Another recommendation from my dad (a fellow introvert), this book is the culmination of Cain's research and observations on why the "Extrovert Ideal" -- society's belief that everyone should strive to be an outgoing people person -- is detrimental to introverts, who, she argues, are as stigmatized today as women were in the 1950s. 

Dracula by Bram Stoker (Classic Pick)

I actually started reading Dracula months ago, but got sidetracked a few chapters in (maybe because summer doesn't feel like the most seasonally appropriate time for such a novel?). I'm not too familiar with the story, as I've never seen any film version of Dracula, but I love anything good and scary, so hopefully it won't disappoint! 

September Reading List

While I'm thankful that I no longer have to write essays and read 50 page academic papers on a regular basis anymore, there are definitely some things I miss about university, and being forced to read novels is one of them. When left to my own devices, my reading matter tends to gravitate towards lighter fare (ie. my 10 favourite magazines), but there is something so rewarding about reading an actual book. I was a voracious reader growing up, so reading has never exactly felt like a chore to me, but it's definitely something I'd like to make a bit more time for. 

I've made it my goal to aim for reading two books a month: one "modern" (and by that I mean something that's been written in the past decade or two), and one classic novel. Here are the books I've been reading/plan on reading this month; I'll let you know how I enjoyed them in October!

If you've got any great recommendations you'd like to share, please comment away! I'm always looking for new books to add to my reading bucket list.

Modern Pick: 
A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett

I'd read an article about Amanda, a Canadian, in a magazine a while back, and was intrigued by her story of being held hostage in Somalia for 15 months. This book, her memoir of that time in captivity (co-written with a journalist), has been on my must-read list for a while, and I'm so glad to have finally gotten round to reading it. I'm about halfway through and really enjoying it: it's well-written and a total page turner. I'll give a more in-depth review of it next month once I've finished it, but I think this will definitely be a book I'd recommend...  










Classic Pick: 
A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

This book was a recommendation from my dad, and I can't wait to start reading it. I read one of Forster's other great novels, A Passage to India, in a class on 20th century British fiction a few years ago, and it really stuck with me. It's a pretty weird book, and kind of hard to explain (superficially, it's about an Indian doctor being accused of assaulting an Englishwoman in colonial India, but there's so much else going on), but I loved Forster's understated yet deftly observant writing style. I figure that because I enjoyed A Passage to India despite its overall sombreness simply because of Forster's brilliant narrative style, I'll really love a novel where he's writing about happier themes set against the backdrop of Italy.