I woke up about three this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I started reading and finished off the last 80 pages of Tom Wolfe’s I Am Charlotte Simmons. That really sucks because I didn’t fall asleep until after one. There is a brief review on the separate page I’ve created to track my progress through the 24 books I vowed to read this year (which will be bookmarked in just a moment, long before any of you actually read this post).
UPDATE: Comments have been opened up on the reading list and its sub-pages. I didn’t open them right away because having a year’s worth of comments on one post, even in a modestly-read site like this, would have been cumbersome. So I’m breaking the list up into subsections by month.
UPDATE: I’m going to move my reviews back to regular posts. There will be a sub-category under Pop Culture > Books soon.
Are you going to allow comments on your separate book review page?
I will keep a 2005 reading list of my own in the comments section on your blog. So far, I have read:
- This Old House Magazine
- The 2005 IKEA catalog
- The internet
Not a bad start at all. No sir.
Mark,
I’m still experimenting with Wordpress’ “page outside the regular flow of the blog” feature. I may turn the comments on, it’s just a matter of getting it to look right.
Tony,
Bravo… every time I hear “Ikea” I think of Fight Club. So that’s almost like mentally projecting yourself into a book.
“I am Jack’s wasted life . . .”
Alright, so you are about 300 pages ahead of me. I’m hoping to finish Alaska tomorrow, and then I’ll post a review in the next day or two.
Should we come up with some nerdy title for our little book club?
I do think we should, but nothing is coming to mind right now. My mind is zapped from lack of sleep.
Well, so far, I finished Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark, The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin, and Don’t Think of an Elephant by George Lakoff. These last two are really short.
At the risk of seeming duplicative, I’m going to review all of these on my blog shortly, though I don’t expect it to be a regular feature.
Mark, something tells me you started that behemoth Jonathan Strange novel before January 1st …
So … about that Jonathan Strange
booktome … I started it while standing in line on Election Day. Didn’t pick it back up until just before Christmas. I have since handed it over to my wife. As good as the ideas are, I find it hard to swallow the Jane-Austin-esque delivery. Call it a holdover from the horrible first impression made by Northanger Abbey back in college.i hated charlotte simmons
for the record
but i’ll wait for everyone to finish to say why
Ha, Mae, there is no “everyone.” Only you and I. So why’d you hate it? See: my review.
Yeah, I started the JS&MN novel before Jan. 1 and finished it before the turn of the year, so I guess it doesn’t count for a 2005 reading list item. I was just naming my past three books. I’m not that fast…
Yeah, JS&MN is kind of stilted and hard to read at first. Plus, it’s a bit too long in certain parts.
That said, I really, really liked it. I found I adapted to the language relatively quickly and I enjoyed the overarching story line of the return of English magic.