2014 Lookback: Let's talk books
Dec. 28th, 2014 10:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yuuagoSo, every year I try to read 50 books. I fell really short of my goal this year; only read 35. But that's all right. The list is here; and the following is a list of some of the favourites. Fiction and nonfiction are separated.
Fiction
Out Stealing Horses by Per Pettersen. Set in Norway shortly after WWII; a boy spends the summer in the country with his father, and what happens there changes the course of his life. Sounds bland when I put it that way, but it's very good - and it incorporates the war and the Norwegian resistance movement in a way that I really liked.
Toad Words and Other Stories by T. Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon. It's a collection of fairy tale retellings (some retellings, some mostly original) and has her usual wit and clever style. You can get this one on smashwords/itunes/etc, and I really do recommend that; it's great. I only wish that it'd been a bit longer.
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian. The start of the Aubrey-Maturin series. Friendship and seafaring against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars! This was everything I had hoped it would be and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
The 100-year-old man who climbed out the window and disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. This is a quick and breezy read, and I found it delightful. It tells the story of a man who led a very eventful life... and even after 100 years, he isn't ready to settle down just yet.
Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden. It's the story of two Oji-Cree friends, as close as brothers, who leave Canada to fight overseas during the First World War. It's also the story of a medicine woman, Niska, and the life she led. Go read it, it's amazing.
Nonfiction
Arctic Labyrinth: The Quest for the Northwest Passage by Glyn Williams. If you're interested in arctic exploration, especially in the Canadian north, this might be worth a look, as it's very readable.
The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War by Andrew Roberts. I picked this up because I wanted to read more about the period but didn't know where to start... and I'm glad that I read this one, because it was really engrossing, I seriously couldn't put it down. There are some parts I wish it had discussed more - but I've talked about that before. I'm definitely going to re-read it eventually, it was just that good.
Narvik by Donald MacIntyre. I found it very absorbing, but I'll be up front: It's best if you're very interested in Norway during WWII, or naval warfare during WWII. Otherwise, skip it, since it's one of those very narrow-focus books. But if those are subjects you like... Give it a read. The author is British, and the book is very focused on what the British Royal Navy was doing when forces were sent to try to defend Norway when it was attacked. But it also devotes quite a bit of time to what was going on inside Norway during the invasion, and is very plain about how much of a mess Narvik and related operations were.
And that's all for now. :D We'll see what the upcoming year will bring.
Fiction
Out Stealing Horses by Per Pettersen. Set in Norway shortly after WWII; a boy spends the summer in the country with his father, and what happens there changes the course of his life. Sounds bland when I put it that way, but it's very good - and it incorporates the war and the Norwegian resistance movement in a way that I really liked.
Toad Words and Other Stories by T. Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon. It's a collection of fairy tale retellings (some retellings, some mostly original) and has her usual wit and clever style. You can get this one on smashwords/itunes/etc, and I really do recommend that; it's great. I only wish that it'd been a bit longer.
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian. The start of the Aubrey-Maturin series. Friendship and seafaring against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars! This was everything I had hoped it would be and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
The 100-year-old man who climbed out the window and disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. This is a quick and breezy read, and I found it delightful. It tells the story of a man who led a very eventful life... and even after 100 years, he isn't ready to settle down just yet.
Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden. It's the story of two Oji-Cree friends, as close as brothers, who leave Canada to fight overseas during the First World War. It's also the story of a medicine woman, Niska, and the life she led. Go read it, it's amazing.
Nonfiction
Arctic Labyrinth: The Quest for the Northwest Passage by Glyn Williams. If you're interested in arctic exploration, especially in the Canadian north, this might be worth a look, as it's very readable.
The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War by Andrew Roberts. I picked this up because I wanted to read more about the period but didn't know where to start... and I'm glad that I read this one, because it was really engrossing, I seriously couldn't put it down. There are some parts I wish it had discussed more - but I've talked about that before. I'm definitely going to re-read it eventually, it was just that good.
Narvik by Donald MacIntyre. I found it very absorbing, but I'll be up front: It's best if you're very interested in Norway during WWII, or naval warfare during WWII. Otherwise, skip it, since it's one of those very narrow-focus books. But if those are subjects you like... Give it a read. The author is British, and the book is very focused on what the British Royal Navy was doing when forces were sent to try to defend Norway when it was attacked. But it also devotes quite a bit of time to what was going on inside Norway during the invasion, and is very plain about how much of a mess Narvik and related operations were.
And that's all for now. :D We'll see what the upcoming year will bring.
Yuu. Fic writer & book lover. M/Canada.