Sunday, May 22, 2016

Pages From the Past: My 2005 Reading Journal


In lieu of a typical Weekend Update post, I've decided to return to my Pages From the Past series, which took an unplanned hiatus over the winter when my old reading journal did not make the trip to Florida with us. So let's pick up where we left off...in 2005. Life before blogging. I was a member of several Yahoo book discussion groups and even owned a classics group back then.

The books below are not necessarily my highest rated books of the year, but titles which have stood the test of time. More than a decade later I still think about, talk about, and recommend them.


Memorable Books Read in 2005


Fiction


The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
My first, and still favorite, Wilkie Collins novel.




Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
 An iconic book read with the classics group... not nearly as shocking as I'd expected.




Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
Probably my favorite novel ever!




A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Just lovely. Why didn't I read this when I was younger?




The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Steamy historical fiction... very entertaining!




Nonfiction


I read everything Ann Patchett writes. Followed this up with Lucy Grealy's Autobiography of a Face.



And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts
An excellent book about the early years of the AIDS epidemic.




Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
This is the title that got me hooked on food books.




I read this with an online nonfiction group. Very interesting.




Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
Also for the nonfiction group, I couldn't put it down.




Audiobooks


My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
2005 was the year my love of multi-narrator productions took off. Some books, especially those with chapters told from alternating viewpoints, lend themselves perfectly to this type of production.

Clara Callan by Richard B. Wright, which I listened to and loved in 2003, was my first experience with dual narrators. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, with over half a dozen narrators, took it to a whole new level. When I discover books on my wish list with multi-narrator productions today, I always at least consider going the audio route.


Do you remember what you were reading in 2005?
Find my previous Pages From the Past posts here.

Next month I'll look back to 2006.

28 comments:

  1. Looks like a fun thing to do. I may have to do that myself, because I do keep a journal of books read.

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  2. I love these posts... and the fact that we have so much in common even when we read so many different books!

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    1. Audrey - I'm glad! It's so much fun to write these posts.

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  3. You read some great books in 2005!

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    1. Lisa - 2005 was a good year for reading!

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  4. Oh, it's fun to look back! I don't know exactly what I was reading then...didn't keep a journal. But my shelves had Jodi Picoult books, as well as some Ann Patchett. Thanks for sharing.

    Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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    1. Laure-Rain Snow - I was reading all of Jodi Picoult back then, but have since given up on her. Still going strong with Ann Patchett though.

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  5. I am not sure what I was reading then either...I think I might have still been teaching and I was mostly reading children's books! It is fun to look back!

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    1. Patty - If you were still teaching, then no doubt it was children's books. I used to love children's books, but stopped reading them when my own grew up.

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  6. Added Crossing to Safety to my "to read" list.

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    1. Ann - Hope you love it as much as I do! It's definitely time for me to reread.

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  7. I read Fast Food Nation in 2005 as well! I read Truth & Beauty and My Sister's Keeper a couple of years later. And the Band Played On is a fantastic book, as is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

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    1. Christy - And the Band Played On was amazing! It's still one of the best nonfiction books I've ever read.

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  8. Of your list, I've read (maybe not in 2005) The Moonstone, Truth & Beauty, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. You're right ... 2005 was a good reading year. My favs were: Old School, Tobias Wolff; Strapless, Deborah Davis; The Master, Colm Toibin; both Saturday and Amsterdam, Ian McEwan (a favorite author); Chanel, Janet Wallach; The Remains of the Day, Ishiguro; On Beauty, Zadie Smith; The Flaneur, Edmund White; and Case Histories, Kate Atkinson. And more. Whew! 2005 was a very busy reading year.

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    1. Judy - I loved Old School and have The Master, both McEwans, and Remains of the Day on my shelf. Hard to believe I haven't gotten to them yet!

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  9. I always love reading these posts! I read Crossing to Safety just a few years ago and absolutely loved it - definitely one that holds strong.

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    1. Shannon - Crossing to Safety is a novel I could read every decade for the rest of my life!

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  10. Love this feature! I read Peyton Place awhile back and remember thinking "this is what all the fuss is about? It's not that scandalous!". And I loved The Other Boleyn Girl!

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    1. Sarah - I remember wondering what all the fuss was about. Peyton Place seems so tame by 21st century standards!

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  11. And the Band Played On is one I need to read. When I was reading Emperor of all Maladies, I found it interesting listening to the news from the initial years of AIDS and how the research intersected with cancer progress. It will be interesting to read more about AIDS - especially about those initial years.

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    1. Athira - I still need to read The Emperor of All Maladies, but still highly recommend And the Band Played On. I would like to reread it myself one day.

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  12. What an awesome list of books. Did you see that movie about Temple Grandin? I wish I could remember the title, but anyway, you might enjoy it.

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    1. Beth F - I didn't know there was a movie about Temple Grandin! Off to look for it right now...

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  13. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn has been on my classic club list forever. I really need to read it!

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    1. Emma - It's such a wonderful book! I remember giving it to all three of my daughters to read when they were in high school.

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  14. I recall reading Crossing to Safety long ago but now I'm foggy about it. I should revisit it. Mao's Last Dancer is on my shelf -- needing to be read! I picked it up somewhere a few years back and I know I'll be hooked if I open it. This is a great list of books!

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    1. Susan - It's definitely time for me to reread Crossing to Safety! I remember finishing Mao's Last Dancer in the car on the way to my oldest daughter's basketball game. Hubby was driving...and a little offended that I couldn't talk to him ;-)

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