I began writing down the books I read in my late youth in college, about fifteen years ago. I was, at the time, obsessed with Virginia Woolf, in part because I was writing a thesis about her. In addition to her novels, I read all of her diaries and letters, as well as several biographies about her. She kept a private diary, but she also keep a reading diary. Unlike her personal diary, which she wrote in very frequently, the reading diary is clearly incomplete, and looks like it was something of a burden to keep up. She would list book she was reading and comment on it, and it appears that she often grew tired of keeping up with it. My paternal grandmother also has a version of this. She writes down every book she reads, and has done so most of her adult life. It's fascinating. Cynic that she is, she finds the whole thing mundane. She keeps it only so she won't repeat the books she reads, as she thinks life is too short to read a book more than once. She can't understand why I'd be interested in her diary, but I've loved looking at it every time she's let me see it. Like Woolf's diary, it is a record of the hours and a snapshot into her life. My own diary is much like my grandmother's--simply a list. When I first started, I tried to keep up with a review of each book, of sorts, but, as Woolf clearly found, the reviews quickly became tedious. So, instead, my reading journal is simply a list, with the author's name and the title and the month I read it. Unlike my grandmother I frequently re-read books. One of my go-to, come back and re-read authors is Stephen King. I've read many of his novels multiple times, and most at least twice. I also tend to get on a "kick" with an author. If he or she has multiple books, whether a series or not, I'll often read all or most of his or her books the same year. The following the full list for 2016. I don't tend to include the works I teach or study in my journal, for some reason, so this list is partial. January The Passion of Alice, by Stephanie Grant Collected Calvin & Hobbes, by Bill Waterson The Sinner, by Tess Gerritson Still Midnight, by Denise Mina City of the Dead, by Sara Gran Depraved Heart, by Patricia Cornwell You’re Not Weird… by Felicia Day February Deja Dead, by Kathy Reichs Body Double, by Tess Gerritson You, by Caroline Kepnes Vanish, by Tess Gerritson Mephisto Club, by Tess Gerritson March Sun Storm, by Åsa Larsson Career of Evil, by Robert Galbraith Death du Jour, by Kathy Reichs The Keepsake, by Tess Gerritson Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes Run, by Blake Crouch Hitler’s Furies, by Wendy Lower The Whites, by Richard Price Furiously Happy, by Jennifer Lawson April Last Salute, by Tracey Richardson Weeping Walls, by Gerri Hill Ghosts of Winter, by Rebecca S. Buck Grave Talent, by Laurie King Assassin’s Quest, by Robin Hobb My Heart and Other Black Holes, by Jasmine Warge Ice Cold, by Tess Gerritson May Wise Man’s Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss Landing, by Emma Donoghue More Happy Than Not, by Adam Silvera Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins Descent, by Tim Johnston Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor, by Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga In the Unlikely Event, by Judy Blume Vanessa & Her Sister, by Priya Parmar June Slow Regard, by Patrick Rothfuss Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett Flu, by Wayne Simmons Deadly Decisions, by Kathy Reichs Big Book of Pulps, edited by Otto Penzler Alas, Babylon, by Pat Frank Brooklyn, by Colm Toibin When Women Were Warriors I,II,III, by Catherine Wilson July The Dinner, by Herman Koch Horrorstör, by Grady Hendrix Silent Girl, by Tess Gerritson Trust No One, by Paul Cleave End of Watch, by Stephen King Little Girl Lost, by Richard Aleas Last to Die, by Tess Gerritson August Murder at Mullings, by Dorothy Cannell Dolores Claiborne, by Stephen King Earth Abides, by George Stewart The Assistants, by Camille Perri Apt Pupil, by Stephen King Modern Lovers, by Emma Straub Fatal Voyage, by Kathy Reichs In the Woods, by Tana French True Story, by Michael Finkel Firestarter, by Stephen King Death at Dovecote Hatch, Dorothy Cannell September The Passenger, by Lisa Lutz One Second After, by William Forstchen Slade House, David Mitchell Rose Madder, Stephen King October The Strain, by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan Time of the Twins, War of the Twins, Test of the Twins, by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman Dragons of Spring Dawning, by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch War of the Twins, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman Totally Worth It, by Maggie Cummings The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah Courting the Countess, by Jenny Frame November Serious Potential, by Maggie Cummings Basic Training of the Heart, by Jaycie Morrison Miss Match, by Fiona Riley First Position, by Melissa Brayden Just Enough Light, by AJ Quinn Fragile Wings, by Rebecca S. Buck Garden District Gothic, by Greg Herren The Shewstone, by Jane Fletcher After the Fire, by Emily Smith December Built to Last, by Aurora Rey Love on Tap, by Karis Walsh Whiskey Sunrise, by Missouri Vaun Wasted, by Marya Hornbacher Book of Three, by Lloyd Alexander Broken Sword, by Poul Anderson Harry Potter Series, by J.K. Rowling
2 Comments
8/9/2019 07:00:58 am
Partial readings are always nice to do. I mean, if you do not conduct partial readings, then you might not make your journal entries better. I write a lot of entries in my journal, which is why I know this for a fact. In the past, I had a tendency to just blurt out whatever I wanted, and it was the biggest mistake of my life. I never got to find out what I meant in the past because of my unorganized behavior.
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Charlotte Greene
8/17/2019 09:15:51 am
Totally agree! Yes, I've gone back and forth--commenting on books, and just listing them like this. Lately, however, I've had trouble even keeping up with the list. Luckily my wife keeps a life journal, so we can look up lived events when we want to know the dates and detail.s
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