Ten Books I'm Gonna Read in 2013

It's the time for resolutions and although I have made any real New Year's resolutions, I'm up for making some bookish ones. One of the things that I really should do is make some headway on my TBR list... So my NY resolution 2013 will be to read the following ten books - what are you going to read in 2013?

10) "A Visit From the Goon Squad" by Jennifer Egan
Because everyone else seems to have read it... and I don't want to be the one left on the sideline.

9) "The Marriage Plot" by Jeffrey Euginides
Because I loved "The Virgin Suicides" and "Middlesex" and I'm sure I'll love this one. But it's soooo hardback-y and heavy to drag with me on the bus in the morning so I haven't gotten round to reading it yet... (I know, pathetic excuse)

8) "Even Silence Has an End" by Ingrid Betancourt
Because this is non-fiction that you couldn't make up and not in the nice sense.

7) "Shadow of Night" by Deborah Harkness
Her first novel "A Discovery of Witches" is one of favourite (if not just my favourite) paranormal romances and I can't wait to read the sequel. It arrived in the mail the other day and is not on my shelf waiting for me to get going!

6) "The Hottest Dishes in the Tartar Cuisine" by Alina Bronsky
It has been on my TBR for absolute ages so I need to get around to read it this year - I have a feeling I won't regret it!

5) "Life" by Keith Richards
Another one that has been on the TBR for ages. I listen to a lot, a lot of Rolling Stones so how could I not read this one? Actually ashamed that I haven't already...

4) "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
And a third one from the loooong TBR. I want to see the movie but I want to read the book first, so order to get to the movie, I need to get this one read. Sooner rather than later.

3) "Moranthology" by Caitlin Moran
Her "How to Be a Woman" was one of my favourite reads of 2012 so of course I need to read this book! Sooner rather than later.

2) "The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared" by Jonas Jonasson
This one is supposed to be hilarious, well-written and clever, so what's not to like?

1) "Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman
I love Antonio Damasio's "Descartes Error" and I've promised myself to read more neuroscience books so this one is a must read for 2013.

Top Ten Books of 2012 - part 1

Here we go - the first half of my top ten of books read in 2012: 

10. "Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady" by Florence King
One awesome women tells about her life as a Southern lady at a time when being a lady was something that required quite a bit of class and came with a whole lot of expectations. Emotional and hilarious at the same time. 

9. "How to Be a Woman" by Caitling Moran
Hilarious musings about what it means to be a women in our society today. Is it mandatory to have waxes? Who should we look up to as role models? Are we defined by the boys we kiss? Tackling some of the most difficult topics with a whole lot of humour and a completely lack of respect for comme il faut. 

8.  "Rules of Civility" by Amor Towles
New York in the 1930s. Glamourous girls, wealthy gentlemen, dubious playboys and lots of martinis. The perfect escapism read and a really good story to boot. 

7. "The Stranger's Child" by Alan Hollinghurst
Published in 2011 and already a modern classic, it tells the story of Britain in the last century through a series of linked stories. It all starts out with a love triangle and a poem. 

6. "The Privileges" by Jonathan Dee
The recession read. A story about a middle-class family who makes it big (really big, at least financially) through hard work and cunning investments that more than borders on financial crime. 

Non-fiction for Real Women

I like a good memoir or a non-fiction book by a strong women who has opinions and experiences that the rest of us can learn from. These women are like on-the-page mentors and have taught me a lot of things while at the same time making me laugh or cry or both as I read their stories. 

"How to Be a Woman" by Caitlin Moran

"Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady" by Florence King

"Mystics, Mavericks and Merrymakers" by Stephanie Levine

"The Mitford Girls" by Mary S. Lovell

"Female Chauvinist Pigs - Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture" by Ariel Levy

"Mennonnite In A Little Black Dress" by Rhoda Janzen

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Want To Give As Gifts

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. Love it. I am in quite a Christmassy mood this December which fits in perfectly with the theme for this week's Top Ten Tuesday. Today we are talking about Top Ten Books I Want To Give As Gifts and who I want to give them to. Love giving books away, it is like giving a part yourself when you give a book that you love to someone. So in no particular order:

10) Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - to my goddaugther's older sister
Because she is ten years old, just like I was when I got my first copy of this wonderful book.

9) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - to my girlfriend who teaches a university class about feminism
Because it is the ultimate dystopian fiction novel about gender inequality and the terrible consequences of extremism.

8) The Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch - to my little sister
She will be visiting me in London in January and this is a really fun way to learn about London. Covent Garden will never be the same again.

7) The Bonfire of Vanities by Tom Wolfe - to any of my male friends who dreamt of becoming (or became) investment bankers
Because it is the ultimate story of the banker who loses his cushioned life as he does not face up to his responsibility.



6) We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver - to my friend, the psychologist
Because this book is all about nature vs. nurture and I think she would find it fascinating.

5) The Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia - to my mother
Because my mum has really good style and she loves reading about and discussing clothes. And because this is one book that I would love to borrow!



4) A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - to my little sister (again, she reads a lot)
Because she and I share a secret love for "Twilight" (guilty pleasure) and "Pride and Prejudice" (proud pleasure) and I know that she will love Matthew Clairmont as much as I do.



3) The Dinosaur Feather by Sissel-Jo Gazan - to my mother-in-law
Because she loves crime fiction and this one is a really great piece.



2) Purge by Sofi Oksanen - to my father
Because he loves historical novels that deal with difficult topics and because we share an interest in communism and the effect it had on Eastern Europe.

1) How To Be A Woman by Caitlin Moran - to myself :-)
Because I wonder about this topic every day. What is it to be a woman and why is there still such a difference between men and women and the way we are being perceived.