Reading my way through 2011

At the end of last year, I promised that I would read more. That was basically the only new year's resolution that I made that I really wanted to stick to. And I did! I hated not reading, and while I've gone in fits and bursts (book writing takes up a lot of time), I've read so much more than I did in 2010. I've got my reading bug back and I'm loving it. So what did I read? Here's a little rundown of what books I've been carrying around in my bag this year.

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak. One of the best stories I've ever read. I nearly didn't buy this book, it was an 'oh, I need one more book' buy from the Waterstones 3 for 2 table (RIP). It kicked started my reading again. Although at one point I did have to stop reading and push the book off the edge off the bed with my big toe. A story about Nazi Germany - narrated by Death - is not to be read with a cuppa on a Sunday morning.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot. Oh, stop reading this list and go and buy this phenomenal book. DO IT.

The Beautiful and the Damned, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Such a disappointment. I didn't finish it and I very rarely leave books unfinished. I adored Tender is the Night and so wanted to love this. I truly couldn't like (nay, give a shit about), any of the characters.

A Handbook on Hanging, Charles Duff. One of the presents from the V&A after I did a talk there earlier in the year. It's a fun book, full of historical gory goodness. And people give you strange looks on the train when you pull it out of your bag. I read strange non-fiction.

The Help, Kathryn Stockett. LOVE THIS. Love. Wasn't sure how the film would measure up, sadly I think it misses a lot of the more serious parts of the book. Totally worthy of the hype, this.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini. Oh this is just beautiful. It'll break your heart. It's beautiful and tragic all at once. I read most of it sat at a bus stop (because I was waiting for a friend and he was an hour late). But as much as I enjoyed it, six months on I'm having trouble remembering much of it.

The Lacuna, Barbara Kingsolver. FINALLY. God it's taken a bloody long time for me to finish this. I had a hardback copy (beautiful) and didn't take it anywhere. I got my hands on a paperback copy and read it in a couple of days. Love it. It's hard work, but it's excellent. And no, not a patch on The Poisonwood Bible.

The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood. Not my favourite Atwood (that's the Blind Assassin) but a very interesting read. Pretty captivating, actually. Atwood has a way of making one single event change the world as we see it. She writes excellent women as well.

A Week in December, Sebastian Faulks. Oh Sebastian, this was bloody exhausting. One of those worthy and 'important' books that we're meant to say excellent things about. It was actually fucking hard work for not much reward.

One Day, David Nicholls. My first Kindle experience. After the exhaustion that was A Week in December, I needed something light and this was it. I already knew the ending thanks to a bitch on a train with a loud voice, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Not sure I get the hype, but let's blame book-ruining Train Bitch for that.

The Tiny Wife, Andrew Kaufmann. This book is tiny and it made me very very happy indeed. A adored it. Want to hug books that make me this happy.

Parasite Rex, Carl Zimmer. FUN. Creepy, creepy, crawly fun. I like learning about creepy things and this (literally) made my skin crawl. If parasites don't sound fun then you won't like this book very much at all.

Don't tell me the truth about love, Dan Rhodes. A birthday present and a thoroughly brilliant one. Full of short stories with the usual Dan Rhodes charm. Adore him.

Little Red Hood, I want my hat back, The Hunting of the Snark. Three truly excellent picture books. Little books with so much joy in them. I truly love a decent picture book and these are some of the best I've read.

Luella's Guide to English Style, Luella Bartley. This is such a fun book. I still enjoy dipping in and out of it. Coffee table books make me happy.

The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood. Yep, another Atwood. I really did enjoy this. Really really. But I've realised that the endings of Atwood's books annoy me. They sort of drift ambiguously. Not in a 'oooh, I'm left wondering' sort of way. Just in an 'oh, was that it?' sort of way. It's starting to grate.

The Devil's Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce. Oh, I adore this book. Cynicism. Words. Cynical word play. So much joy. This book lives in our bathroom.

Little Hands Clapping, Dan Rhodes. I only just started it. I'm already sad that it's the last Dan Rhodes book I have on my bookshelf. I'm looking forward to my train journey home so I can get properly stuck in.

Anything else? Shedloads of recipe books Eat London (Christmas present. Love, even if it's a massive Conran advert.) Tea and Cake (Did not love. Nice pics, obviously written by four different people.) Veggiestan. (Yummy.) Vintage Tea Party (swoooooon). A couple of plays (An Inspector Calls, As you like it, Eight, A Midsummer Night's Dream) and a fair few drafts of the Domestic Sluttery book, naturally.

I didn't read as much as I could have, but I've had a book on the go constantly this year, which has been really fun. I still miss out on hourly reading time due to lack of commute, but I really enjoyed reading more. Loved it, actually. I can't wait to get started on new books in January.

I'm starting my next book on New Year's Day... tell me what it should be.

Flickr image from Marguis & David. Nice, isn't it?