I have been trying to make my way to my secondary goal of 100 books in 2015, and I am almost there! I have finished 97 books, am part way through book 98, and I have a day of travelling ahead of me with plenty o’reading time. Here are my last few books:
I’m not going to post the individual novellas; while I’m enjoying reading them, there isn’t too much to them (aside from this first one).
Bah, Humbug! (Heather Horrocks)
This short Christmas-themed novella was read on the way to the Christmas tree farm, a lovely touch to the day! An unlikely friendship between a single mother and a grumpy author leads to a wonderful Christmas. The mother, Lexi, was a touch irritating for the first few pages, but she quickly became endearing. This is great for a short Christmas story!
London’s Sinful Secret: The Bawdy History and Very Public Passions of London’s Georgian Age (Dan Cruickshank)
So, I finally finished this book in early December. I started it at Thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving, so mid-October) and it started off looking promising but began to drag about a third of the way through. He includes such a huge volume of primary sources that it overwhelms the reader. To me, after a point it just shows that the historian lacks the ability to edit. (Unless it is a primary source collection- obviously disregard this comment in that case.) I’ve never been terribly interested in the history sexuality, I enjoy the history of literature and media and dance more, but it was recommended as a good Georgian history. An academic reader would find it useful, but it gets to be a bit much for casual reading.
Dancing Through It: My Journey in the Ballet (Jenifer Ringer)
I have been waiting to read this for quite some time, and seeing the Nutcracker again spurred me on! Jenifer Ringer was famously accused by a New York Times Critic as a “sugar plum fairy who had one sugar plum too many”- a strong statement to make about a ballet dancer who actually had to quit dancing for a year because of an eating disorder, and is now an advocate for healthy eating amongst dancers. I enjoying Jenifer’s memoir; she starts in childhood and moves through to the present. I wasn’t particularly interested in or focused on her faith but I can appreciate that it is important to her. Her early career with the New York City Ballet was certainly the strongest and most engaging section. It gives you a wonderful idea of what an apprentice dancer goes through trying to establish themselves. Overall, I think that this is a great book for anyone interested in ballet but doesn’t know anything technical about it!
Fingers crossed I make it through the last 3 books! What have been your favourite books of 2015?? Do you have any reading goals? I think I might do some sort of themed list this year; instead of pure numbers, perhaps 52 different books like this! Let me know if you have any suggestions!
Until tomorrow,
The Historian!
