Ever the contrarian, here's my spin on end-of-year lists.
Chalk it up to starting a new job, getting married, or my love for the internet—I just can't seem to finish a book this year. This is not an indictment on the titles listed. Many of the books were interesting, with good premises and writing. Nevertheless, they sit.
In no particular order, a list of my 2014 failures:
Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Picketty. I bet I'm not the only one to crack and abandon this puppy. I have good intentions to open it again. In the meantime, this four-paragraph summary will have to do.
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. Sllllllooooooooowwwww. However, I loved Robinson's Gilead. Can definitely recommend.
Mendel's Daughter by Martin Lemelman. A fascinating concept: a graphic memoir that tells the story of the author's mother through her own recorded words. Not entirely sure why I quit this one.
The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón. Continuing the attempts at graphic works, I picked this one up, mostly out of curiosity for such a project, and—probably unsurprisingly—couldn't quite motivate myself through it.
The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison. Some gorgeous language and an intriguing conceit, but a surprising lack of self interrogation that made me put the book down. I just don't get the hype surrounding this critic darling.
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. I know. Love the movie, couldn't make the book happen.
In other modern classics: A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I could feel its radio roots, and couldn't help but decide that this is an audiobook read for sure (someday).
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. To be fair, this was a reread attempt.
In aspirational, "you should totally read this because everyone else is" tomes: Beyond the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. I'm sure it's lovely; I just have to come to it on my own in like five years.
Finally...The Big Short by Michael Lewis. But I'm almost positive I'm going to finish this one, maybe even before 2015! (Update: I met my goal!)
There you have it, a list of my literary endurance failures. The big bad book form won this round, but I read a gazillion research papers, news articles, and longform reportage (duh), so I'm not too down on myself.
It wasn't all bad though: I did read Bossypants by Tina Fey about three times (twice on shuffle). Thank goodness for long car rides and audiobooks.
I can't be the only one who reads like this, right? And I can't be the only one who's sick of fawning end-of-year lists. So let's hear it: What books didn't you finish in 2014?
Chalk it up to starting a new job, getting married, or my love for the internet—I just can't seem to finish a book this year. This is not an indictment on the titles listed. Many of the books were interesting, with good premises and writing. Nevertheless, they sit.
In no particular order, a list of my 2014 failures:
Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Picketty. I bet I'm not the only one to crack and abandon this puppy. I have good intentions to open it again. In the meantime, this four-paragraph summary will have to do.
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. Sllllllooooooooowwwww. However, I loved Robinson's Gilead. Can definitely recommend.
Mendel's Daughter by Martin Lemelman. A fascinating concept: a graphic memoir that tells the story of the author's mother through her own recorded words. Not entirely sure why I quit this one.
The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón. Continuing the attempts at graphic works, I picked this one up, mostly out of curiosity for such a project, and—probably unsurprisingly—couldn't quite motivate myself through it.
The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison. Some gorgeous language and an intriguing conceit, but a surprising lack of self interrogation that made me put the book down. I just don't get the hype surrounding this critic darling.
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. I know. Love the movie, couldn't make the book happen.
In other modern classics: A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I could feel its radio roots, and couldn't help but decide that this is an audiobook read for sure (someday).
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. To be fair, this was a reread attempt.
In aspirational, "you should totally read this because everyone else is" tomes: Beyond the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. I'm sure it's lovely; I just have to come to it on my own in like five years.
Finally...The Big Short by Michael Lewis. But I'm almost positive I'm going to finish this one, maybe even before 2015! (Update: I met my goal!)
There you have it, a list of my literary endurance failures. The big bad book form won this round, but I read a gazillion research papers, news articles, and longform reportage (duh), so I'm not too down on myself.
It wasn't all bad though: I did read Bossypants by Tina Fey about three times (twice on shuffle). Thank goodness for long car rides and audiobooks.
I can't be the only one who reads like this, right? And I can't be the only one who's sick of fawning end-of-year lists. So let's hear it: What books didn't you finish in 2014?
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