(No, John still hasn't done my page. JOHN! :)
(This is synched from my blog, penbitten.com, for those on Facebook. Facebook users should also note that I'm tagging people ACTUALLY mentioned. I kinda hate it when it says "So-and-so mentioned you in a note," instead of, "so-and-so just wants you to read their note so will pretend they actually mentioned you." Facebook needs a "wants you to read their note" tagging option.)
A brief respite from the q-and-a for booktalk!
The first time I asked, on our PotterCast vlogs, what people were reading, I was rewarded with an unbelievable glut of recommendations. I knew PotterCast listeners were heavy readers but I had no idea how excited they'd be about talking about books. Therefore I try and talk about a book I've just read on each vlog, and this has turned into doing Monday night live chats where we talk about books and what we think they mean. It is literally some of the most fun I can have online, because I work alone at my desk, whether it's Leaky or research or something else, and getting to interact with Leaky fans / Harry, A History readers / PotterCast listeners / book lovers is always exciting and rewarding. Fighting with taxes all day, or spending hours ripping my hair out over what project to settle on next, can really be frustrating, so I find myself really looking forward to the immediate interaction and the thoughtfulness our group of listeners / watchers always brings to intelligent discussions. I've always felt sort of strange / discomfited by the idea that someone would enjoy watching us on the Internet, but bringing our joint enthusiasm about books to it has deflated all the weirdness and made it feel like an awesome, enormous book club that meets on Monday nights.
Anyway, I've been asked frequently by these guys to make a list of what I've read / am reading. Here it is, though I am sure I'm missing things. And I'm going to try and do Amazon links because authors need their stuff bought. (And you should buy that stuff in person, at an independent bookstore, ideally. If you must buy online, then use the links.)
This year's (incomplete) reading list so far (a "*" indicates a re-read):
(There's also, now, a cool MyLeaky group to keep track of all this reading! Awesome!)
The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (you can get the boxed set here; the fifth book comes out in May):
The Lightning Thief
The Sea of Monsters
The Titan's Curse
The Battle of the Labyrinth
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
The Great Gatsby*, F. Scott Fitzgerald (needs to be read now and then)
Looking for Alaska, John Green
An Abundance of Katherines, John Green
Let It Snow, John Green, Lauren Myracle, Maureen Johnson
(Note to Nerdfighters, don't shout Paper Towns at me: I read that in 2008, please drop your rocks and let me pass unharmed)
Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell
The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger (I love this author's name)
The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama (which I started in 2008 but didn't quite finish until 2009)
Currently Reading (I am always reading a lot of books. I need to have one open to suit every mood, so that I can dip right in when I need to):
The Season*, William Goldman (I read this once-a-yearish but it's been two now; one of the best writers ever, and I think I even prefer his nonfiction to his fiction)
Movies in 15 Minutes, Cleolinda Jones (this is not yet out in the states but I scored a copy: she is so funny she will make you cry. Google "Twilight in 15 Minutes" to see what I mean.)
Absolutely Maybe, Lisa Yee
Marcelo in the Real World, Francisco Stork
Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin (this is long and takes forever and I'm reading it uber-slowly)
Most of Edna St. Vincent Millay's collected poems* (This is a constant-read; it is always on my currently reading list because it hangs around my apartment for opening at spontaneous intervals; I want more poetry in my life, recommendations please?)
Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
Such a Pretty Fat, Jennifer Lancaster
Everything and More, A Compact History of Infinity, David Foster Wallace (recommended by Rosianna)
Several nonfictions that are research and therefore I feel protective about the topics and don't want to talk about them just yet.
Other books I want to read in 2009
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart, recommended to me often by Cheryl.
The Graveyard Book, Newbery-winning Neil Gaiman :)
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, M.T. Anderson (volumes I and II, of course). This is one of those books I feel like I SHOULD read, and despite everyone telling me how amazing it is my wish to read it hasn't reached anything above "but I really ought to" yet.
I'd like to reread the His Dark Materials series because it's that good.
A re-read of The Catcher in the Rye would be nice, as I remember nearly none of it.
And more. I'm forgetting books I've read, books I'm reading, books I want to read. I'd like to read ALL THE BOOKS. Ughh, to stop time and read all the books.
As always, suggestions are always welcome! Because clearly I'm not reading enough things at once! And you should list yours, and treat this as yet another meme.









