I sometimes forget how much fun it is to DEAR.
(Please tell me you had DEAR as a kid. Drop Everything And Read? No? Just me? Well OK.)
Grad school consumed so much of my free time for the past two and a half years, summers included, that any time I had to read went toward poring over textbooks, scholarly journal articles and the news.
All things I enjoy, mind you, but is it really that bad to want to sit down sometimes and read Harry Potter for like, the 20th time?
So, I put together a short reading list of books I really want to read within the next few months. One of those books? Gone Girl. Yes, you guys, I’m finally reading it.
My boyfriend knows how much I love reading. He also listens to me when I talk, which is great, and he knows that one day, I want my own library. So for Christmas, he got me a stack of books. One of them was Gone Girl, which he knew I really wanted to read. I had downloaded it on my Kindle about a year ago from the library, but the loan expired before I could get more than two chapters in. I knew I was being a little overly ambitious for it being exam week.
He also got me a small collection of dystopian novels, since he knows I love them.
So, what’s on my current list? Here are 10 of the seemingly millions I want to get around to delving into.
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Books to read this year:
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
The Audacity of Hope – Barack Obama
The Rum Diary – Hunter S. Thompson
The Casual Vacancy – JK Rowling
Yes Please – Any Poehler
The Unfortunate Importance of Beauty – Amanda Filipacchi
The Help – Kathryn Stockett
Thirty Girls – Susan Minot
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I’ve started on both Gone Girl and Brave New World. Gone Girl is an easy read that really draws you in, while Brave New World really, really makes you think. It’s taking me longer to read Huxley than Flynn, so I’m reading both at once.
Some of these books are newer and some are classics that I’ve been wanting to read for quite some time. I set a goal for myself of reading 24 books this year, which is totally doable.
I also think I’m going to have to check out several of these books before they hit the big screen this year! I will always read a book before I see its movie adaptation. I like imagining the words as real life in my head before Hollywood does it for me. I don’t even like seeing the cast of a book’s movie before reading the book, to be honest.
What’s on your reading list? Do you have any suggestions for mine?
You should also check out:
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (before it becomes a movie this year), it reads just as well as Gone Girl and also has a storyline that will keep you dying to know what happens next
Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson (the movie was released this past October), a quick mystery read
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger…do yourself a favor and just skip the movie version, the book was such a great love story that did not translate well to screen
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon. Another mystery novel (I have a genre I lean towards) told from the perspective of a 15 year old boy who is “mathematically gifted and socially hopeless”. A very unique story in my opinion.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. One my favorites that just immerses you in the story and culture. The movie was a pretty good adaptation as well!
I saw Dark Places on a list of 2015 books to read before their movies! I’ll definitely read it. I unfortunately saw Time Traveler’s Wife already, but didn’t think it was that bad, so I’m sure the book will be phenomenal, and Memoirs of a Geisha is another book-to-movie I’ll have to check out! I did read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and loved it! Definitely adding all this to my list. Thanks!
Hey Randi,
If you are into dystopian novels I would recommend Tara Brown. She is my very favorite indie author, which also means her books are way inexpensive for the quality you get. The Born series is really good, and the best part is she listened to her readers and changed the ending to one you won’t hate! =)
I’ll definitely have to check it out! I have a reading list on my phone so I’ll add Tara Brown to it. Thanks so much! 🙂
PS: I have your Christmas present, I just haven’t been back to Clinton in forever to drop it off. Eventually you will get it I swear!
Hey Randi,
thank you for stopping by on my blog and leaving a lovely comment! I wish I had more time to read, and I know it’s a lame excuse (especially when I catch myself watching Netflix Friday night, LOL). What I definitely want to read is “Yes, please” (which I see is on your list) and also “#Girlboss” by Sophia Amoruso. I have also heard great things about “The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt by a few of my friends, so maybe it’s worth checking it out…Have fun reading!
Xx, Marketa
Netflix is NEVER a lame excuse – I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t running Gossip Girl in the background right now. Thanks for the suggestions!
I studied the handmaids tale at school and loved it. its such a good book, I hope you enjoy it! Gone girl was a slow burner for me, I didnt get the hype.
I’m glad to hear about the Handmaid’s Tale! That was one my boyfriend got me for Christmas. And I can see how you’d feel that way about Gone Girl. I thought it was incredibly well-written, which was enough to make up for how much I hated the characters!