This year, I decided to change my reading habits a bit. I have some big books that I've been putting off reading, and I've not been reading as much nonfiction as I used to. So this year I decided to read the bigger books (one of them takes up the same shelf space as three smaller books), read more nonfiction, and while I'm at it, try to broaden my movie-watching.
I've finished 12 books this year and am almost through another. Of those, four are nonfiction: two about North Korea (recommend both), one about Harry Truman's 1953 road trip (interesting in parts, but I'm not sure it merited a full book), and one about an immigrant doctor in a rural area dealing with its first AIDS patients (by the author of Cutting for Stone). I've got a more recent book about North Korea on hold at the library; it seems to be a much more academic approach than what I've read thus far (one book was written by a defector, the other by a journalist). I've read seven works of crime fiction (I'm nothing if not predictable), including the latest from Carol O'Connell (I really like these Kathy Mallory books) and Arnaldur Indridason. Also, I read the first book by Malla Nunn, a crime novel set in apartheid-era South Africa.
I haven't touched the big books on the shelf, following the logic that library books come first because there's a time limit involved. At some point, though, I need to stop reserving library books and read what I already have!
I've only watched a handful of movies this year, mostly streaming video from Netflix. Two stand out: Last Train Home, a documentary about a Chinese migrant worker family, which I highly recommend; and Senna, about Ayrton Senna, the Formula One star, which I also recommend.
If anyone has any suggestions for books or movies, I'd love to hear them!
Talk to me!