Bridget Jones's Diary: Check!

A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!! I finished another book!!

So not only was this book hilarious and so so entertaining (to the point that I rarely checked to see what percent of the book I had finished), it was also the PERFECT book to read just before new years.

Bridget's diary covers a full year of her life. It starts with a list of new years resolutions, most of which fall by the wayside even though she tries to keep track of them. It then chronicles her life with her friends, parents, work, and love interests. And by the end of the year her life is not the perfect life she imagined but she did accomplish some of the things on her list of resolutions.

I think the thing about this book is that it brings out how hard it is to change yourself. Bridget struggles with her weight (although it would have been more realistic if she weighed closer to 150 than 125), her alcohol consumption, smoking, and her constant checking of England's version of Caller ID. She is insecure and hopes that overnight she will be able to quit smoking and drinking and suddenly be a size 0. She tries to quit smoking a few times throughout the book but still smokes by the end. Similarly she drinks and weighs 2 more pounds in December than she did in January. But her personality and the ability to see so many people in her is what makes her such a likable character.

I didn't really realize, although I have seen the movie many a time, that this book would be such a perfect read around New Years time. (I also failed to realize that the movie was based on a book, which is embarrassing). I am a huge fan of holidays in general, but I don't tend to enjoy New Years very much. I think people like that it's a new beginning (which leads to overcrowding of gyms for about a month) and a fresh start--the perfect time to rid themselves of bad habits, just like Bridget. For me it's TOO much pressure to change, and I start having new years like moments randomly throughout the year, suddenly deciding in July that I'm going to run a marathon some day and also learn to cook (which ironically doesn't seem terribly compatible, although this is a real life example). With each passing year I feel like I am in the same spot I was in the year before and before and before, and this year I feel no different. Another year has passed and I am still unemployed with several degrees, living at home, and single. I have no prospects on any of those fronts, and I desperately hope at this time every year, that the new year brings good things. And while I don't find myself with a dream job, a house, and an engagement ring, I do find redeeming qualities of this year, just as Bridget found that after a year she had at least solved one of her dilemmas. I haven't really solved mine in as black and white terms as Bridget did, but I think on each of the fronts I am closer to what I want eventually. And like Bridget, I need to be patient and look back after some time has passed, although it is OK to get frustrated on the way. Overall, if I can get even a little closer to my goals in 2012, I'll be content.

I read this book in 2 days. I got it from the library thinking it would be an easy read, but I didn't realize it would go so quickly (same with The Secret Garden). This brings this year's total up to 10:
* Jane Eyre
* Catcher in the Rye
* The Lovely Bones
* The Wind in the Willows
* The Little Prince
* The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
* 1984
* Little Women
* The Secret Garden
* Bridget Jones's Diary

So, while I missed my original goal of 12, I did read one more book than last year, which I am going to count as "winning" (although I did read more than 12 books this year--Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Water for Elephants, The Two Towers, The Horse and His Boy--some just weren't on the list or didn't count as one book because it's part of a series). I still have books that I haven't read yet and they're the same ones I've been listing for a year or so. My goal is to read the ones I have waiting before taking any more out of the library or purchasing any more online. Ones not on the list that I want to read include:
* The Girl Who Played With Fire
* The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest
* Treasure Island
* Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn
* Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
* Beatrice and Virgil (a new book by Yann Martel)

Looking back, it's interesting that over half of my 2011 books are intended for children or young adults. Not sure where I'm going with that, but just thought it was interesting.

I think to deal with my current romantic situation, I will be trying to read more books with romantic themes. Bridget Jones was a good introduction to that. At some point this year I'm going to bite the bullet and read Pride and Prejudice. I'll be trying to find others in a similar vein (although not all Austen...ick! Not all at once, anyway). When I get annoyed with that, as I no doubt will, I'll resume with the ends of series that I've started and other non-romantic publications to get back on track.

My goal for 2012 is going to be 12 books (aka numbers to cross off the list) again, to allow for books that are long. Even though I will most likely have more free time, I don't want to be choosing books based on pages in order to meet a yearly goal. Who knows if this blog will even be still going in a year. Anyway...

Cheers and Happy 2012 to you!

The Secret Garden: Check!

In the last 24 hours or so, I have started and finished reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I watched the movie semi-recently, so I had an idea of the plot before I started reading. However, I really enjoyed this book so much more than the movie.

I thought it was interesting how both the garden and Mary started out figuratively and literally ugly, for lack of a better turn, and how they worked together to grow from each other and both began to flourish. I also enjoyed how Mary and the garden helped to heal Colin, who was not a cripple at all but instead a bratty little nincompoop who wanted everything his way. I am glad that it had a happy ending though. (I really wanted an epilogue where Mary and Dickon got together, though. Too bad they weren't a little older).

This book has made me want to read A Little Princess as well. I watched that movie a few weeks ago and it reminded me of The Secret Garden because both girls had moved from India to England. I discovered that both books were written by the same author, but that the author herself had never been to India, which is what I would have expected based on the beginning of those two books. I also would have never guessed that she spent her adult life in Tennessee of all places. Interesting.

So, that brings this year's total to 9. I'm wondering if I can squeak in another book, but chances are I won't. Ah, well...I tried. I really would like to finish Lord of the Rings, but I just don't have the patience for it. Maybe the new year will bring some renewed energy for that series. I really want to find out what happens to Frodo, I just can't deal with 100+ pages of whatever is going on with the others. If that one fails again, I'll try again with Midnight's Children, Middlemarch, Sherlock Holmes, or even venture out into some Pride and Prejudice to spice things up.