Thursday 13 January 2011

A Well-Read Year



Inspired by Elizabeth at E Tells Tales, I'm officially documenting my 2011 reading list.
After I finished my degree, not that long ago, I had a couple of years where I hardly read at all, which is such a shame as I've always been an avid reader, but I guess my mind needed the break.


So I began 2010 with the aim to read 12 books and ease back into the saddle.


The year started off well...


A Room of One's Own - Virginia Woolf
100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Woman Destroyed - Simone de Beauvoir
Corvus: A Life with Crows - Esther Woolfson
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
The Golden Notebook - Doris Lessing (ongoing)


and then took a very specific turn... !


The Pregnancy Bible
Book of Names (Yes, I read them all and no, our chosen name does not feature!)
The Resourceful Mum's Handbook
The Rough Guide to Babies
Meditations for Pregnancy
What to Expect When Expecting
You Are Your Child's First Teacher
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
Hypnobirthing
Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding


Now I know I'm going to be fairly busy over the majority of this year, but I'd still like to assume I'm going to find some time to read, even if it's just an hour a day... aren't I? Please say yes! So here's my list for 2011, bar all the picture books and fairy-tales :)



  1. The Golden Notebook - Doris Lessing (to finish)
  2. The Catcher in The Rye - J.D. Salinger
  3. Julia Margaret Cameron's Women - S. Wolf
  4. The Quickening Maze - Adam Foulds
  5. Women Who Run With The Wolves - Clarissa Pinkols Estes (re-read)
  6. Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood - Jan Marsh
  7. Nocturnes - Kazuo Ishiguro
  8. The Blue Hour: A Portrait of Jean Rhys - Lillian Pizzichini
  9. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things - Jon McGregor
  10. Ideas That Matter - A.C. Grayling
  11. The Old Man and The Sea - Ernest Hemingway
  12. Mad, Bad and Sad: A History of Women and the Mind Doctors from 1800 - Lisa Appignanesi

I hope to write a short appraisal for each here when I'm done, as proof more than anything! 


I've also found some beautifully illustrated children's books that I hope to share with you in time. I'll admit I've been collecting for significantly longer than this pregnancy; some of them are such inspiring stories, it's been hard to resist. 

8 comments:

  1. thanks for stopping by the blog and entering the giveaway! come again soon! and congrats on your pregnancy!

    http://lachapstickfanatique.blogspot.com

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  2. Thanks! I shall return indeed!

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  3. this is a fantastic list, i think i will add some of them to my own list, which is much longer but has no deadline!

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  4. This is a great list! I will definetly check out some of your titles. I'm always looking for that next great read. 'Mad, Bad and Sad' and 'Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood' caught my eye first.
    Congratulations on your soon-to-be new arrival...how wonderful!
    BTW...I love your saying on your sidebar about armor and wanting to fly : )

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  5. you won the infinity necklace giveaway!! congrats! please email me at morgan.designblanc{at}gmail{dot}com with your information.

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  6. Please do Ailsa! Although, if I didn't impose a deadline, I don't think I'd get half way through this list!

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  7. Thanks Ladycat! Pre-Raphalite Sisterhood is an excellent book. I read it for research for a paper at Uni, but I want to re-visit it with a less academic focus.

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  8. Haha, your turn in reading makes me laugh. I'm doing that right now :)

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What sayest thou?