10 Years Ago Today (well, kind of ish.....)
Marianne (over @ Let’s Read) has given me yet another Book List idea to play with. What exactly was I reading 10 years ago and how have things changed for me in the intervening decade?
What was your Favourite book in 2012?
Probably Accelerando by Charles Stross, a VERY mind-expanding SF novel. I REALLY need to read more of his stuff. Non-fiction wise it’d have to be either The Rebel Raiders by James Tertius deKay or The Battle of Hastings by Harriet Harvey Wood, but I read a LOT of great History books that year.
What was your least Favourite book in 2012?
Definitely Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. This was probably one of the worst books I’ve ever read. I know that people rave about it but I thought it was truly appalling. Even when I figured out what it was *actually* about (IMO) rather than what it appeared to be about I still thought it was LAME.
What is a book published in 2012 that you still want to read?
I have zero idea as I don't really look at publication dates, but I’m confident it’s in a pile somewhere where it's been sitting for the past 10 years unloved and unread.
What is a genre you used to read a lot of that you don’t read as much of anymore?
I don’t think my reading habits have changed very much in the last 10 years. I still read a wide variety of books – both fiction and non-fiction. My ‘butterfly mind’ wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m not really the kind of person to ditch a whole genre.
What is a new genre you’ve discovered since 2012?
Nothing really. I think I’m open to most genres – with the exception of Romance (although I’ve read the odd one or two which I didn’t find awful). I have read a few books about Music which is fairly new to me. Not sure if that’s a ‘genre’ though....
What is a reading or book habit you are hoping to leave behind in this decade?
Nothing I can think of.
What is a new reading goal or habit you want to create in the upcoming decade?
Reading more Classics – definitely. Plus moving on with my main topics of interest, my so-called ‘Knowledge Streams’. I need to put WAY more effort into them!
What’s the most noticeable difference between your 2012 and 2022 reading?
Numbers! In 2012 I reviewed 73 books here. This year I expect to review around 100. Since retirement just over 2 years ago I’m reading around 30 more books a year than a decade ago – or around the number I was reading in my late teens.
7 comments:
Thanks for picking up the 10 Year Challenge Book Tag 2022 which I found last year and this is the second time I've been doing it.
I totally agree about Ishiguro, I read "When We Were Orphans" and didn't like it at all, an awful book. I was then told by Ishiguro fans to read "The Remains of the Day" because that was so much better, supposedly. True, it was better but still not good, definitely not as great as those enthusiasts wanted me to believe. I guess your comment tells me really not to try another one of his books. I have no idea who had the idea to give him the Nobel Prize for Literature. He is one of the worst recipients I can think of.
And since I love classics, I am happy to hear that you intend to read even more of them. Happy Reading!
I do sometimes wonder exactly what people 'see' in particular authors. It's one of those things that puts me off a book as soon as I hear it's been 'acclaimed' or won a particular Prize. I'm only just getting over that idea really by reading Prize Winning books and actually *enjoying* them! [lol]
I'm *aiming* for 6 Classics this year. Only 2 down so far but I should finish one tomorrow and there's a further two in my read next pile. I might even exceed 6 this year... Maybe!
Actually, I found a lot of books that way, I usually enjoy Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, some different German prize winners, though I often have a problem with Booker Prize winners. I think it depends who is on those panels and whether their taste is similar to mine. Of course, there is always the odd exception, Ishiguro was one of them.
I never counted how many classics I read per year. It's sixteen so far, though one of them is a "modern" classic. I usually don't count them if they are written after I was born. LOL
I'm definitely seeking out Award Winners these days after getting over my reluctance. So far I haven't been *too* disappointed!
Classics are an odd breed, I think. Some classic books are obvious - say *anything* by Charles Dickens. Others are more difficult - especially when you get to 'modern' classics. How modern *is* modern? How can something be a 'classic' if it hasn't been around that long? Can something become an 'instant' classic?
I think that most of the classic reading for the rest of my year will be 20th century. But I do need to get back to Dickens. I've only read two of his so far and enjoyed them both so...
I totally agree with you there, Kitten. For me, nothing is classic until it's at least 100 years old. However, since I participate in the classics challenge, I have added a few newer ones, though still not younger than myself. And if you liked the Dickens novels you read, I highly recommend reading more. I've read ten so far and loved them all. My favourite is David Copperfield.
So, happy reading!
I just looked through the list of Classics reviewed here & was surprised by the number of them published *after* my birth year. Which gives me an idea for Saturday's post..... [muses].
Oh, looking forward to that.
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