I read 38 books in 2016. 4 were about writing. 9 were fiction I read and enjoyed for research on something I wrote. 14 were non fiction biographies / autobiographies.
Here’s the best in various slightly random categories I’ve created especially:
Best literary fiction – The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. My MA dissertation tutor commented on my current reading taste (Diana Her True Story by Andrew Morton) and suggested I might like to read something he recommended. As a swapsies, I told him how much I adored Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susanne and he read it, in one sitting, that week.
Best non-fiction – Crusader in Pink, Henry Cloud’s biography of Barbara Cartland – such an interesting life, reading about her writing process and society background was wonderful; Behind the Candelabra – very sad, much better than the film, showed me how far we’ve come with gay marriage etc; My Family and other Animals, G Durrell, a brilliant way to present someone’s life in a slightly fictionalised way; Lost and Found, Lynda Bellingham, I laughed, I cried, I cried some more. So sad she is no longer alive; Joan Collins by Graham Lord – she appeared in so many terrible films yet kept coming back for more. She’s referred to as the British Open because of her sexual appetite.
Best non-fiction that isn’t an autobiographies – Mindfulness Plain and Simple by Oli Doyle – such a simple philosophy but so hard to actually do in practice. I’m trying every day to implement the learning from this which can be summed up: don’t worry about the fearful future, or dwell on the painful past, focus on living and enjoying the beautiful now moments of life.
Best popular fiction – The Beach by Alex Garland – I didn’t read it at the time because hype and I like to swim against the tide of hype. It was so simply written yet so clever how gradual the creeping realisation of how not perfect the island community is; A Spanish Lover by Joanna Trollope – I’ve recently got into this author. I love how she portrays family, women, men, relationships. Plus, she writes a very good sex scene without any stuffing of the turkey. She provided a great source of material for my talk on when to tell and not show I gave last year.
What did you read and enjoy in the last year? I'd love to hear from you.
Love and light,
Liam Livings xx
Here’s the best in various slightly random categories I’ve created especially:
Best literary fiction – The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. My MA dissertation tutor commented on my current reading taste (Diana Her True Story by Andrew Morton) and suggested I might like to read something he recommended. As a swapsies, I told him how much I adored Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susanne and he read it, in one sitting, that week.
Best non-fiction – Crusader in Pink, Henry Cloud’s biography of Barbara Cartland – such an interesting life, reading about her writing process and society background was wonderful; Behind the Candelabra – very sad, much better than the film, showed me how far we’ve come with gay marriage etc; My Family and other Animals, G Durrell, a brilliant way to present someone’s life in a slightly fictionalised way; Lost and Found, Lynda Bellingham, I laughed, I cried, I cried some more. So sad she is no longer alive; Joan Collins by Graham Lord – she appeared in so many terrible films yet kept coming back for more. She’s referred to as the British Open because of her sexual appetite.
Best non-fiction that isn’t an autobiographies – Mindfulness Plain and Simple by Oli Doyle – such a simple philosophy but so hard to actually do in practice. I’m trying every day to implement the learning from this which can be summed up: don’t worry about the fearful future, or dwell on the painful past, focus on living and enjoying the beautiful now moments of life.
Best popular fiction – The Beach by Alex Garland – I didn’t read it at the time because hype and I like to swim against the tide of hype. It was so simply written yet so clever how gradual the creeping realisation of how not perfect the island community is; A Spanish Lover by Joanna Trollope – I’ve recently got into this author. I love how she portrays family, women, men, relationships. Plus, she writes a very good sex scene without any stuffing of the turkey. She provided a great source of material for my talk on when to tell and not show I gave last year.
What did you read and enjoy in the last year? I'd love to hear from you.
Love and light,
Liam Livings xx
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