A Reading Recess

2013.
It's here. Weird.

Over this last week, I've been taking inventory of all the books I read this last year. I came up with 99 books that I read and finished in 2012. Just shy of 100...Damn! And yes, I counted two or three times just to be sure I didn't miscount! So clearly it only makes sense that I need to set out this year to make it a full 100...Hopefully more. And this is gonna be my forum/sounding board for my progress, thoughts, and opinions.

As I went through the list of books read this year, I realized what an amazing reading recess it has been. This year's reading list included:
1) The Hunger Games trilogy, which I devoured twice...And no, I only counted them once on my list! The series added to my love for the YAL (Young Adult Lit) genre. And it was a wild, emotional ride to boot! I don't doubt that I will re-read them soon!
2) The Silver Linings Playbook, which honestly started as a sample I downloaded out if curiosity became a whirlwind read that I finished in two days. I then found out that it was a movie with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper and wanted to see it immediately. However, since I live in such a small town the movie didn't even come here! Boo!!!
3) The Perks of Being a Wallflower! Another quick read. I wish I could write a book like this...so personal and insightful and honest. The more I read, the more I felt like Charlie was writing his letters to me.
4) A charming novel called "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein. The book is told from the point of view of a golden retriever named Enzo. Enzo regaled me with how he protects his human, Denny, from vicious stuffed zebras! It was entertaining, sad, and real.
5) A handful of non-fiction: Penny Marshall's "My Mother Was Nuts" and Tina Fey's "Bossypants"...quite possibly one of the funniest books I've ever read! I even enjoyed her idea of the sickest joke ever! Lol!
Other non-fiction includes the beginning of my obsession with Old Hollywood biographies: "Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman" by Sam Wasson...Amazing read! The book goes into great detail about Audrey's career and struggles of being a modern woman in a world that believed women should be at home. And of course it's about Breakfast at Tiffany's, which is my most favorite movie in the world!
And then there's "Once Upon a Time," which is a biography that chronicles the lives and relationship of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier. Quite possibly one of the most fascinating biographies I've ever read!
6) Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations"...I honestly wasn't sure I was going to read this one, but then I started it unexpectedly one night. This is only my second Dickens novel that I've read, and I forgot just how much I love his prose style. It's descriptive and full of lessons! I can't even count how many highlights I made throughout the novel! Thank God for the Kindle!
7) This year I also tackled Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind"...I had always wanted to read it, especially since I am a huge fan of the movie! So I downloaded the novel in February. I have been reading the book in spurts for the entire year. I didn't intend to take so long, but I have enjoyed the leisurely journey. And Scarlett O'Hara has climbed my list of favorite literary characters to spot number two! Which it has to be said that my literary characters list hasn't been altered since I was a sophomore in high school! For the curious, number one is Jean Louise "Scout" Finch of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Even though Gone With the Wind was a 2012 read, it will be given a full post be because there is just too much to say about the book!

I'm not sure what my "Reading Recess of 2013" will hold. But I have several hopefuls already downloaded and waiting for me on my Kindle! One being Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina." I plan on dabbling in some more of F. Scott's Fitzgerald's novels about the roaring 20's. I will continue on my non-fiction obsession, which I have already started with "Furious Love," a biography about the love affair of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. And I will be attacking my YAL reading list as well!

So here's to a Happy New Year and my Reading Recess of 2013!
Cheers!