These are books I've finished this year. These are a lot, for me, considering I barely have time these days. I've managed to sneak in reading time during car trips, while waiting in line, before bedtime, and in-between arranging and orchestrating.


(Click on pics for more info about the books)





Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. Four books. I am now a fan of Stephenie Meyer's storytelling, stories, and characters, after reading these. If you like Twilight, it's very hard to put it down once you've started. But if you hate it, I doubt if anyone can convince you to read the whole series. Looking for a certified page-turner, with lots of romance, and vampires and such, get into these. I was sure that they were written for girls and women only, but then witnessed my husband enjoying the stories too. Though I won't go so far as to characterize these as great writing, it's really great storytelling.


Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I picked up the book (or rather, the ebook) because it was mentioned a lot in Twilight's Eclipse. It piqued my curiosity about these "dark characters". I loved the book, the cadences and pacing of old English - even the maidservants spoke in a tongue that sounds regal to these ears - and I liked the story and development. It's mostly dark and understated, which I enjoyed especially after a long hectic day.

Pride and Prejudice. Even watched the movie. I liked the book better than the movie. It has a good story, although it isn't story-driven, but more dialogue-driven. I believe that the witty exchanges make this book a masterpiece. This is one of England's best-loved literary pieces of all time. Also, something I plan on reading again.

Everything's Eventual, short story collection by Stephen King. These stories are strange and border on the horrifying, but are good for readers like me who like a bit of strangeness but not extreme horror (I can scare myself enough with my own imagination at night without the gruesome horror stories, thank you very much). This collection includes 1408, which was turned into a movie, and an excerpt from The Dark Tower. Stephen King writes fiction like no one else, and I'd say if you like fiction, missing out on Stephen King is missing out on a lot. He has a lot of non-horror fiction stories (Shawshank Redemption, Hearts in Atlantis, etc.)






Nodame Cantabile series by Tomoko Ninomiya, books 4-7. My favorite manga. These comicbooks revolve around music students and musicians, specifically orchestra musicians. The main character, Megumi Noda, is an extremely talented piano player with a twist: she can only play everything in a Cantabile style. Also she is very messy, disorganized, and all in all is an oddball. She is in love with the budding orchestra conductor, Shinichi Chiaki. I love the illustrations, the dialogue (although I am very sure it is much better in Japanese),


Griffin and Sabine Series by Nick Bantock. Six books. Jaja lent these to me (and I haven't returned them yet because Dex wants to read them). These are collections of letters and postcards sent from one character to another. I think these would be a great series to own. And I really enjoyed this series because of the rich artwork and unique story. I've read the whole series twice, and I'd read it again, to fully appreciate the artwork.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer. While Twilight is about Vampires, this one is about Aliens. While the sci-fi is not as compelling or as thorough as Michael Crichton's, again, this one is a great story. It was hard to put down my Treo (again, I read this in ebook form) once I started. Tear-jerking in some moments, too.





The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. The young author is fast becoming one of my favorite authors of all time. Her works so far revolve around topics such as settling in a foreign land, roots versus new identities. I love her sensitivity, pace, the way she describes things (such that there could not have been better ways to write it). I also loved her short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies. Both books received numerous prestigious awards. Again, someone I'd read over and over.




I'll just update this post when I get new books to read before the year ends. Thanks for visiting! Also, I'd appreciate recommendations.


(Images courtesy of Amazon, Stephenie Meyer website.)

Tags: books,twilight series