Last Saturday we had our last book club meeting for the year. We were supposed to each read an Afrikaans book of our choice (all of us being Afrikaans-speaking), and then sharing our reads and thoughts with the group. I read 20 pages of the book I chose. I simply couldn’t get into it. That’s only part of it. Reading a paperback is an absolute indulgence, since it is possibly the only time I don’t multitask; sort of (there’s likely to be music playing if I’m reading words on a page). And this has been a crazy busy few weeks, so audio books ruled.

And I really battle to find Afrikaans authors I like. I’m rather fond of Eben Venter, but couldn’t find anything of his on shelf. I have decided that I’ll give Deon Meyer a go over the holiday.

What I have read since my last update though, are these 20 books. Yes, that means I’ve exceeded my 100-book goal. There are those who would contend it’s cheating because I didn’t actually read them. I say I had read them as much as my blind brother would have.

But back to the books themselves.

“Perfect” is actually a paperback. One of the ladies from book club brought it to the previous meeting, and since I enjoyed “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry”, I was keen to read this. And it was another great, but emotional read.

“The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp” is not really my kind of book, and I’m surprised that I stuck with it after the slow start. Not an unpleasant read; definitely one I’d recommend for teen boys.

“Cruel Beauty” was nominated on Goodreads for one of the best new authors. I enjoyed this book, although it took a bit to get into it too. I do love when authors take fairy tales and reimagine them in modern times, dystopian scenarios, etc.

“Enchanted, Inc. series” was seven fun, magical books. Great escapism – keep them for when life gets hectic; don’t waste it on the holiday.

“Eleanor & Park” was okay. I didn’t like it as much as Fangirl, but I didn’t feel like I wasted my time.

“The Goldfinch” got mixed reviews by the people I follow on Goodreads. Some were really horrible, some were full of praise. It was a very long book, and I’m not entirely sure all the very many words were necessary, but I didn’t really mind it all that much. The story pulls you in, and in the end, the a good story is all that matters – to me, in any case.

“Stardust” LOVE everything Neil Gaiman writes. Of course I’ve seen the movie years ago, and after reading this I want to watch it again. Absolutely magical. “The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection CD” was more of the same great fun.

I finally got around to reading the rest of the “Parasol Protectorate series“. I wish there were more books in the series, but there are more books by the author, so I’m sure I’ll get my fix of unusual characters. Alexia Tarabotti is the kind of woman I want to be when I grow up 🙂

I also can’t believe it’s taken me so long to read “V for Vendetta“; glad I eventually did.

After battling through “The Poisonwood Bible” I didn’t think I was a fan of Barbara Kingsolver. Fortunately “Flight Behavior” changed my mind. Maybe I could relate better to the time in which this book was set in, and subsequently also the characters.

I’ve since read another two books, so I’ll do a final roundup at the end of the year, highlighting my top (three, five, ten?) reads from the year.