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| Plot twist AND a loveable antagonist. Spelled books wrong, though. |
Months 7-9 were Mystery, Thriller, and Classics. The first two were good for plot and characterisation, the third for prose. I'd read some thrillers before this year since my mum is a big fan of dead people (movies and TV shows, but books especially), so reading mysteries and thrillers weren't a huge leap like romances. I liked all the mysteries (Cadfael, Poirot, and Sherlock Holmes books, and a historical mystory, The Silver Pigs), because I didn't figure out the murderer and so when the reveal came I was all slapping my forehead and being amazed, but also because I liked how different each of the investigators were. They were all observant, but some valued witnesses/people (Cadfael) over evidence (Holmes), Poirot used more of a combination of the two, and the investigator in The Silver Pigs actually did some undercover work, which impressed me-- especially when you consider the undercover work was being a slave in a mine. Yeah, he was kind of dedicated.
The thrillers were so good for pacing, tension, and characterisation. I learned a lot about characterisation from disliking characters I was supposed to like (the stoic but weepy victim in The Surgeon) and from creepily loving the antagonists (Along Came a Spider), and a particular scene in Red Dragon had me taking notes on micro-tension like a maniac. Weirdly, it was so good it pulled me out of the story a little, because my writerly self popped up and said 'I see what you did there, how cool!'. And then there was the thriller (Killer Takes All) that taught me that you can take the adage about needing to kill the monster twice too far, by making the monster need killing about five times. It took what could have been a neat twist (the 'surprise! that wasn't the killer!' element and the reveal of the actual killer) and just obliterated it.
The classics... Some I loved (The Bell Jar and Revolutionary Road), one I liked quite a bit (The Picture of Dorian Gray), and one I had higher hopes for but adored one element of (Jane Eyre and crotchety Mr. Rochester). This was a good month for gorgeous prose -- I'm looking at you, Bell Jar -- although following two months of plot-heavy books there were times, particularly when reading Jane Eyre, when I wanted something more to happen than a walk through the countryside.
I love your last paragraph. I tried to brush up on some classics this (ironically, 3 of those 4 you mentioned were ones I finally picked up). I'm so used to reading plot-heavy, fast-paced books that it was a shock to my system to read 19th-century, slow books. A welcome shock after I recalibrated, but still.
ReplyDeleteI think this project is really interesting. I\ve been trying to read more of things I don't naturally lean to. Finding THE COLOR PURPLE in my house when I moved here started me on classics. And all year long I've been trying to read more Protagonists of Colour.
ReplyDeleteI am obsessed with Agatha Christie's Poirot series! Sooo good. Have you ever seen the movie adaptations? If not, you should definitely watch them. They're the ones on BBC starring David Suchet and they are so, so well done. I remember reading "Murder on the Orient Express" and thinking how incredibly clever the twist was.
ReplyDeleteI found I read them slower (apart from maybe Dorian Gray due to its length) because they weren't as 'page-turn-y', but it meant when an awesome line came my way I was able to fully appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteThat's an awesome reading goal, and I've thought about giving it a go myself-- inspired by you and the badge on your site. I did 'accidentally' read a few books with non-white protagonists though, and I find it encouraging that I was able to come across non-white protags without searching for them.
ReplyDeleteYesss, Murder on the Orient Express was the Poirot book I read, and I *loved* the twist. I've seen bits and pieces of the BBC series: like I said, my mum likes her mysteries!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to read more outside my genre, but it's hard when my YA TBR pile is out of control. :(
ReplyDeleteMaybe that should be my goal for the New Year. :D
I haven't read anything outside of YA since I graduated college in June. I am reading a NF about the wealthiest 1% of the world, though. but I categorize it under research...
ReplyDeleteGorgeous prose? Okay, now I REALLY want to read THE BELL JAR. Oh, and I replied to your earlier comment on my blog over on the post. Check it out, lady. :)
ReplyDeleteAh, Jane Eyre - one of my favorites. I really went into that one expecting to be a little amused and a little bored, just enough to keep me going; so it was a pleasant surprise when the repartee between Jane and Rochester turned out to be so good.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you hit gold with the mysteries! I've never actually read any of the Hannibal Lecter books, but I've seen all the movies and liked most of them! Maybe I should check them out...
ReplyDeleteLOL. Well, Jane Eyre is one of my all time FAVES. I guess because it's one of the first books where the character actually seemed to reach out to me and suck me in. I think Charlotte Bronte was amazing about getting you in her character's heads. So, we finally found something we're not twinkies on! And you know what? That's okay. I love hopping over and reading your reviews, regardless. BTW, I do agree w/you about "The Picture of Dorian Gray." AWESOME read. Now you need to see the movie. It's pretty cool, too. :)
ReplyDeleteSophia, it's been such a pleasure getting to meet you this year (Goblin Market Sistah)! Hope you have a wonderful holiday, and I look forward to hanging out w/you even more in the year to come!
One of the great things about YA is that it does contain so many different genres, though. You have the light contemporary romances and the dark issue books, and then there's the SFF spectrum and mysteries and and...
ReplyDeleteThe great thing about YA is that you can find so much variety, though of course it's good to read the occasional straight up mystery or thriller as opposed to only ever reading about teen protags.
ReplyDeleteYes, dooo ittt. I know Rebecca approves, too *peer pressure, peer pressure*
ReplyDeleteI went in knowing the ending and I could guess the twists, but like you I was surprised to find how much I loved the core romance. Especially considering I don't usually the heroes of gothic stories, because they're usually massive d-bags. I really need to figure out why Rochester worked for me, actually.
ReplyDeleteI saw the movies before reading the book. The story transitioned well from the page to the screen, and I definitely learned from the book, but I loved how the film tweaked the ending ever so slightly to give the ending even more punch.
ReplyDeleteI DO need to see The Picture of Dorian Gray! I've loved getting to know you too, Anita, I hope you had/are having a lovely Christmas, and I will catch up with you in the New Year (how exciting)!
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