I am squeezing this in while the linkup at That Artsy Reader Girl (above) is still open! I will have a more general wrap-up post for 2019 soon, I hope.
Reviews for all of these (except the last two) are in the Index of Reviews.
1. The Odyssey - Emily Wilson - This is a reread, but a new translation. (I think I read the Robert Fagles translation the first time.) Loved it!
2. I Explain A Few Things: Selected Poems - Pablo Neruda - More than fifty poems with different translators. This is one of my favorite poetry books! I still need to review it.
4. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold - John Le Carre - The classic spy novel. Such a great book!
5. Metamorphoses - Ovid - I'm glad I finally read this. My favorite stories were Arachne vs. Athena, Orpheus & Eurydice, and Ceyx & Alcyone.
6. The Social Contract - Jean Jacques Rousseau - I think this might be my favorite nonfiction book of the year. Lots to think about here. It is certainly memorable...
7. The Sound & the Fury - William Faulkner - This was my second attempt and it went much better than the first time. Tough going at times, but a powerful novel.
8. Declare - Tim Powers - Historical fantasy (set during the Cold War). I read this for Wyrd & Wonder in May. I liked it much better than The Anubis Gates, the first book I tried by Powers.
9. Use of Weapons by Iain Banks - My introduction to his work was The Player of Games, which I read in 2018. I thought it was fantastic. It was pretty bleak, and so is Use of Weapons, but Use of Weapons has nastier characters. That's a slight drawback for me, but I still thought it was interesting. I usually write reviews assuming that people haven't read the book, but I had a hard time figuring out how to review this one. I will probably read it again, but I want to read something else by the author first. (Maybe I will read the chapters in chronological order next time, instead of cover to cover.)
10. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft - I didn't review this either, but I read along for Ruth's discussion at her blog (in four posts).
You read some wonderful books last year.
ReplyDeleteHere's to a wonderful new year.
happy new year!
DeleteWow, what a great list. :)
ReplyDeleteI liked The Sound & The Fury, too, but I had to do a lot of Googling and rereading to “get” it. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is another classic that I need to read.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!