Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Recommended reading- 2009

Many of you know I’m an avid reader, and being that access to a good library in Lusaka is not possible, I have been exposed to all sorts of books. (It’s fun picking through people’s libraries and lending & borrowing at work- we’ve had lots of coffee discussions about various books. Though I must confess I’ve never read so many murder mystery/ thrillers…at least there are a few good British ones anyway*grin*). I’m still trying to figure out how to frame this so let’s see how it goes.

Must reads (in my humble opinion):

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shafer & Annie Barrows; simply a joy to read

How Green was my Valley, Richard Llewellyn -Beautiful

The Book of Negroes, Lawrence Hill - what can one say about this much-talked about book? I love historical fiction*grin*

Buckingham Palace: District Six, Richard Rive. A laugh-out-loud satire on the implementation of apartheid law in South Africa, also shockingly sad

Other recommends:

Sing them Home, Stephanie Kallos- not too sure why I loved this book about death, but I did.

The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga- another shocking satire.

Emma, Jane Austen- always have to read a couple of classics per year, no?

A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah- boy soldier, heart wrenching but worth it!

The only reason I’m able to remember these books is because my colleague (who was fascinated to see me with a different novel every other week) suggested I keep track of just how many books I get through in a year. My current tally is 48, maybe I’ll reach 50 by the end of the year (I'm sinking my teeth into another PD James- hahah)! Oh, and I do not record all the school reading I do (which is another reason my recommends are all fiction…sorry to those who prefer non-fiction). Let me know what you think of these if you’ve read them or are inspired to pick one up that you haven’t yet read- I'd love to hear your opinions!

3 comments:

stevieknitter said...

Sarah, thanks so much for the shout-out to SING THEM HOME in your blog. It's always lovely to learn that my characters have traveled to places I've never been!
All best,
Stephanie Kallos

Holly Higgins said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Holly Higgins said...

Here I was, patting myself on the back for reading my goal of 20 books this year… when you’ve trumped me by DOUBLE the amount! Oh Sarah. I am humbled. I also read the Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Peel Society and Book of Negroes. I agree with you on those as excellent reads! Based on your suggestions I just added a couple of your best reads to my 2010 list.

On the top of the list for recommendations for you:
The Places In Between, a beautiful saga about the author, Rory Stewart who walks across Afghanistan; Why Men Love Bitches by Sherri Argov, a guilty pleasure read that will have you laughing out loud and calling yourself a Bitch, and A Widow for a Year by Irving- because I am on a Canadian Author kick.

Turning the pages and thinking of you! xo