The first book I finished this year was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling.
I started re-reading the series last year, but got distracted after book 5 and didn't manage to finish the 6th one before the new year started. If you've not read the series, then I'm sorry, but don't even talk to me, just go and read them. The Half-Blood Prince isn't my favourite (I'm a Azkaban girl myself, with OOTP coming a close second), but the thing that I dislike about it is also the thing that makes it stand out from the others - the awful, awkward teen romance angle that plays out so heavy across the book, and hugely in the film (and here we pause, and take a minute to appreciate the delight that is Tom Felton's Draco in TH-BP...)
Moving on, I like how this book grounds the series in reality, and gives you more information about the characters and their emotions, allowing you to get to know them better, and their motivations for how they behave. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't ridiculously over-immersed in the series, so I care about the characters and the small details of their lives. But at the same time, it all gets a bit Twilight-y and overdoes it on the hormones, and the quality of the writing suffers for that. It's still Harry Potter though, so I'd read it again (and again), in a heartbeat. And you do get all the joy of Snape being brilliant (film and book), which makes it all worthwhile really. Snape is only second to Hermione, who I've been obsessed with since Day 1, in my eyes, so I'd easily still give it a 9/10.
Given how much I read it's not a ridiculous challenge, but since my reading tends to happen in fits and starts, it will require some effort on my part to make sure I have enough to write about each week! I'm already on my 4th book and racing through it (so good), so I've given myself a bit of breathing space, AND, super excitingly, I'm going to start a mini-book club with one of my friends. I can't think of anything better then dedicating a hour or two every week/fortnight/month (we've not really worked out the details yet) to discussing literature over the phone or skype (it's a long distance book club), as well as all the excitable texting that I'm sure will ensure during good plot developments. I've always wanted to join a book club so forgive my geekish glee. Our first book is going to be Wuthering Heights and as I mentioned, I'm super excited :)
Have you ever done anything like this with your friends? Any tips or advice for a novice?
I'm in a nonvirtual book club and it's seriously the greatest group of people and I love reading and discussing books with them. Can't wait to hear how yours goes!
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