2010: The year in books
Dec. 31st, 2010 17:06![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starladyI read exactly 101 books this year. I think that's going to be my goal for next year; I'm only off last year by 38, which frankly surprises me; I thought grad school would have more of a negative impact on my reading. Regardless, I don't want to go below 50 non-grad school books read in 2011.
101 books, 5 rereads, meaning that I should be picking 8-9 books for the year's best at a slightly less than 10% selection rate. So:
Eight excellent books
1. Kraken by China Miéville
2. When Fox Is a Thousand by Larissa Lai
3. Scott Pilgrim (6 vols.) by Bryan Lee O'Malley
4. Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
5. Fullmetal Alchemist (27 vols.) by Arakawa Hiromu
6. Bury the Chains by Adam Hochschild
7. Servant of the Underworld by Aliette de Bodard
8. Kamikaze Girls by Takemoto Novala (trans. Akemi Wegmiller)
Given that I read 1/3 of these within the last two months, I think there's definitely a degree of chronological bias here, but whatever; all of these books are great, and some of them, particularly Nothing to Envy and Bury the Chains, are vital.
I've done better than last year with reading books by chromatic and female authors, and that's a trend I want to continue next year; I also want to actually read some of the Japanese novels I have lying around, as well as more manga (I'm always resolving to read more manga). Half my resolutions relate to reading anyway, so, without further ado:
New Year's Resolutions
1. Get new glasses and new contact lenses (I already have the prescription);
2. Read manhwa! I'd love recs for English-language available series!
3. Watch Kdramas and Cdramas. Recs much appreciated!
4. Read more manga, novels in Japanese, and books in translation;
5. Get Netflix (again);
6. Go to the dentist, now that I have dental again after three years;
7. Keep writing, running, and biking
A very Happy (Gregorian) New Year to my dear acquaintance, each and every one of you. ♥
May 2011 be a very good, and better, year for all of us.
101 books, 5 rereads, meaning that I should be picking 8-9 books for the year's best at a slightly less than 10% selection rate. So:
Eight excellent books
1. Kraken by China Miéville
2. When Fox Is a Thousand by Larissa Lai
3. Scott Pilgrim (6 vols.) by Bryan Lee O'Malley
4. Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
5. Fullmetal Alchemist (27 vols.) by Arakawa Hiromu
6. Bury the Chains by Adam Hochschild
7. Servant of the Underworld by Aliette de Bodard
8. Kamikaze Girls by Takemoto Novala (trans. Akemi Wegmiller)
Given that I read 1/3 of these within the last two months, I think there's definitely a degree of chronological bias here, but whatever; all of these books are great, and some of them, particularly Nothing to Envy and Bury the Chains, are vital.
I've done better than last year with reading books by chromatic and female authors, and that's a trend I want to continue next year; I also want to actually read some of the Japanese novels I have lying around, as well as more manga (I'm always resolving to read more manga). Half my resolutions relate to reading anyway, so, without further ado:
New Year's Resolutions
1. Get new glasses and new contact lenses (I already have the prescription);
2. Read manhwa! I'd love recs for English-language available series!
3. Watch Kdramas and Cdramas. Recs much appreciated!
4. Read more manga, novels in Japanese, and books in translation;
5. Get Netflix (again);
6. Go to the dentist, now that I have dental again after three years;
7. Keep writing, running, and biking
A very Happy (Gregorian) New Year to my dear acquaintance, each and every one of you. ♥
May 2011 be a very good, and better, year for all of us.
Happy new years!
Date: 2011-01-01 00:26 (UTC)For the former, my favorite is Time and a Again (aka Pahanjip), a historical fatansy based on traditional Korean and Chinese folklore. For drop-dead gorgeous, there's Bride of the Water God, another traditional-lore fantasy. One I've just started is Dokebi Bride, another traditional lore fantasy, this with a contemporary setting.
(My favorite manhwa period is Ciel, which Tokyopop licensed then dropped before publishing -- it's more generic-European generic-19th-century fantasy that shows signs of being very aware of Fullmetal Alchemist, despite being nothing at all like it. Also unlicensed is the back catalog of HWANG Mi Ri, who often features physically strong and agency-ful heroines, but also sometimes creates humor by making her dense as well; the best place to start, despite its length, might be Hot-Blooded Woman. I tend to be wary of shoujo-equivalent high school romances, as the gender politics depicted is all too often even more problematic than in manga; Romance Papa is one of the least objectionable that I've read recently -- They, Too, Love has many of the problems, but is one of the few I've met that recognizes how problematic they are, and has a genuinely sweet romance between two adorkable protagonists.)
---L.
Re: Happy new years!
Date: 2011-01-01 03:22 (UTC)Re: Happy new years!
Date: 2011-01-01 07:03 (UTC)