Saturday, December 31, 2016

2016 Reading Year in Review





I read 11 novels from my 100 Greatest Novels Quest in 2016, but – and this is the last time I’ll whine about this – there were some really BIG novels among them. According to Goodreads, I read over 11,500 pages.

Quest novels completed in 2016: #65-75


Favorite: The Count of Monte Cristo
Favorite that was not a reread: Atlas Shrugged

Least Favorite: Money

Best hero/heroine: Dagny Taggert from Atlas Shrugged

Most Villainous: Danglars from The Count of Monte Cristo

Most interesting/Complex character: Francisco d'Anconia. I feel I should say John Galt, if anyone from Atlas Shrugged - but no. I found Francisco more fascinating and more likable.

Best film adaptation: 1995 A&E mini-series version of Pride and Prejudice

Worst film adaptation: I haven’t watched film versions of most, and the ones I did watch were Excellent to decent. I’ve heard the film version of Atlas Shrugged is not very good.

Best Quotation:  …for the wicked are not so easily disposed of, for God seems to have them under his special watch-care to make of them instruments of his vengeance.  ~ narrative from The Count of Monte Cristo

Best Subtitle: Money: A Suicide Note

Literary Bucket List: I'm gonna claim War and Peace

With The Fountainhead, I completed my Classics Club Challenge of 50 Classics in 5 Years.

I completed 9 of 12 Classics for the Back to the Classics Challenge 2016.

And I read chapters 1-29, right on schedule, for The Pickwick Papers read along.


I also read the following that were not part of the quest:  


Evenings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings by A. W. Tozer

The Oswald Chambers Daily Devotional Bible
This is broken up into 365 sections, that each include a portion from the Old Testament, a portion from the Psalms, a portion from Proverbs, and a portion from the New Testament each day. At the end of the year, you’ve read through the entire Bible. There is also a brief commentary each day by Oswald Chamber.

7 comments:

  1. Yes, you had some big and complex reads this year so I think that you can be proud of yourself. And the fact that you're keeping up with The Pickwick Papers read-along is a testament to your tenacity! Looking forward to 2017!

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  2. Congrats on a reading year well spent--although, I must say that I really dislike Ayn Rand--I've held my tongue after reading your posts about her books but we can't all love the same things.

    I've never read The Count of Monte Cristo, so I'm happy to hear it is worth the time investment. Tom Jones is also definitely due for a reread, and I still have not tackled War and Peace. I wasn't crazy about Anna Karenina and that's kind of put a damper on W&P for me.

    Happy reading in 2017!

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    1. You MUST read The Count of Monte Cristo. One of my TOP 5 ALL TIME Favorites. Thanks for the feedback Jane...and no worries re Rand :)

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  3. Good for you, keeping up w/ Pickwick Papers. I gave up b/c I had too much on my plate. And I gave up on The Little Prince a few years ago.

    I'm going to check out that Oswald Chambers Daily Bible. I'm always interested in finding was to read through the Bible, though I'm not set on reading the whole thing in one year -- just something as a guide for daily reading.

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    1. Thanks Ruth. I'd definitely recommend the Oswald Chambers Study Bible then. Chambers offers some pretty profound commentary.

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  4. a lot of my favorites in her, eg The Man Who Was Thursday. happy 2017 year of reading!

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  5. Thanks Emma. Happy 2017 reading to U 2.

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