For y2012, I’m not sure I’m going to make a separate page for all of the books I’ll be reading or not yet. I could either make myself a second page that sits directly under or above the Y2011 page, or I can just settle to post about every book I read on the regular pages. I personally think I like the collection of all of the books on one page idea, but I’m not quite sure yet…
So while I decide what I’m going to do, I’m going to post this here and see how I feel about posting my books to the regular blog.
I’d love some feedback from my readers: do you guys even look at the 2011: a year in books page? Do you get an email every time I update it?
Either way, I just knocked out book 48. I had kind of hoped to do 52 books in 52 weeks, but I got busy a few weeks ago. I’ll still try to reach the goal, but I won’t be disappointed if I fall short. I’ve read a lot this year and am happy to be starting all over again come January 1.
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48. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley, Dec 26
This book was effing amazing.
While I feel like it could have addressed MUCH MORE than it actually did, the subjects that it did question and did address were enough.
At first I was a bit upset at the lack of certain character’s development, but then it became apparent that some characters weren’t developed because their people were not, hence the many uses of the word ‘infantile’ in peoples’ descriptions.
Either way, I had a thought near the end of the book: I was thinking that between this story, Never Let Me Go, Northern Lights and the Hunger Games Trilogy, there’s this similar theme of the human folly involved in trying to control natural aspects of our lives or the nature of human beings, period. It seems that most often we’re put in the line of certain characters who have given all of their human characteristics away in order to live a more comfortable, care- or pain-free life, to mostly depressing or disastrous effects.
If it can be imagined, then it can be done is how the old saying goes, and it’s pretty terrifying to think of worlds like those in the Hunger Games or Never Let Me Go, where the people have all but lost their humanity and empathy. But is it really so terrifying? Aren’t we, to a lesser or just another, different extent, already there? Haven’t we technically ALWAYS been there?
kagmi
26.12.2011
I’ve been thinking of reading Brave New World, but I’ve been reconsidering because a friend of mine read it and found it heavy-handed in the matter of religion. Did you get the same vibe off of it? I already have a long book list, so I’m considering my options carefully!
germanymarie
26.12.2011
Hi Kagmi,
I’m not really big on religion in general and I didn’t find it too heavy at all. Sure, at the end, there is a type of theological discussion between two of the major characters where they argue bits and pieces of today/no religion vs history/lots of religion, but it’s not OVERLY religious, I didn’t think so. It’s definitely got humanistic questions about the nature of human beings and existence, and that touches slightly on the question of whether religion is helpful or not and if it is necessary or not. I really hate having religion shoved down my throat (or anything, for that matter) and I wasn’t offended by this story. I have, quite literally, stopped reading books when anything felt like it was being pushed on me. I hope that helps!