In January, I set a goal to read at least 25 books in 2013. And though there were a couple of months that the goal was put on the back burner (who has time to read when one is planning a wedding?), I got back into reading this last quarter of the year. If you check out my goodreads profile, I read quite a bit around october until december.
Here are the last few books i read to complete my goal, and a quick review.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane — This is my first time to read a Neil Gaiman book.I think it will be my last(at least for a while). I’m sure he has a lot of fans who will praise this book. As for me, I wanted to like this book, but it has just too much fantasy for me.Maybe it’s a metaphor for something, but I really didn’t get the book and the point it was trying to make.Even if its a short book (less than 200 pages), he lost me along the way. So I cant say I like this book,although I read somewhere this was going to be a movie. Maybe I’ll understand it better in film version.
Just One Day/Just One Year— This is just too much drama/self-discovery/early-twenties for me. Ugh! The first book was all about the girl and her “journey” to “find” herself while going on and on thinking about why this random guy who she spent a day with left her. And the second book was all about the guy’s side, again, about how he’s trying to “find” himself by searching for the girl he left. This is “Eat,Pray, Love” for the twenty-somethings who have a LOT of unresolved issues/angst in life. This book was NOT for me. Thank God I’m totally over my 20’s.
Can You Keep a Secret/Wedding Night — No, these are not related books. But they’re both from Sophie Kinsella. Nothing enlightening here, really. At some point, you’ll find the characters annoying, similar to her first (and most popular) book, “Confessions of a Shopaholic”. Brain Candy, perfect for when you want to take a break from the serious books you read.
The Husband’s Secret — I think this is the first time I read a book that is set in Australia. Although, I don’t think the location was described enough. You can probably think the story was happening in suburban America. Nice, solid storytelling, good twist and denouement. This would be a good plot for a telenovela.
The First Phone Call From Heaven — I think this is the first Mitch Albom book that I did not like. The first few chapters were quite good, ie. I teared up a little bit. But then, he kept adding side info from Alexander Graham Bell’s life, which annoyed me, because it distracted me from the real story. Weak ending.
So yey! I’m giving myself a pat on the back for completing my goal. I’m now checking out books I want to include in my list for next year.
Did you set any book goals for yourself this year, and did you complete it? Any suggestions for what to read next year? Let me know in the comments section or email me!
