I thought I'd make a quick posting today, thus not breaking a New Year's Resolution to post here at least once a month in 2010. So I'm going to list the books I've read this year. Usually, during the week off between Christmas and New Year's Day, I get a lot of reading done. But starting before Christms, I felt so bad that I didn't feel like reading—just lying around watching television—until December 29th or so. This picture is an illustration of me making a pecan pie on Wednesday, December 23, as I started feeling worse and worse. (I'm not sure the relevance to the subject, but here it is anyway.)
So here, in order of reading, are the books I've read in January 2010. To be more precise, these are the books I've finished reading in January 2010. I started the first one on December 29 and started one today that I won't finish before tomorrow. An asterisk (*) indicates rereading a book.
- Bad Boy – Jim Thompson
- Roughneck – Jim Thompson
- A City of Bells – Elizabeth Goudge
- Rumpole Rests His Case – John Mortimer
- The King of Schnorrers – Israel Zangwill
- The Deed of Paksenarrion* – Elizabeth Moon (three book omnibus)
- Surrender None* – Elizabeth Moon
- Liar's Oath* – Elizabeth Moon
- The Unbearable Lightness of Scones – Alexander McCall Smith
- Talking About Detective Fiction – P. D. James
- The Private Patient – P. D. James
The Elizabeth Moon volumes were reread in anticipation of a new book set in the same world, which is coming out in March. I've already pre-ordered it (Oath of Fealty) from Amazon.com. I've had The Private Patient since Christmas 2008, but hadn't yet read it because there's a good chance it may be the final Adam Dalgliesh mystery, and I hated to finish off the series. Then I got her book on detective fiction, and it was a natural progression to pick up the mystery and read it.
Yes we did eat the pie, and it was good.
