Five books worthy of re-reading

Wow! I can't believe it's been a year since I made the commitment to start this blog. My love for reading has thrived under the commitment of reviewing each book I read. Blogging has forced me to read genres that I wouldn't otherwise have read. It's also given me more impetus to research and read between the lines of the books I read. And, as a result I've discovered reading preferences I didn't know I had.

After reading books like The Antagonist and Larry's Party, I discovered a preference for reading from a male perspective. I think I like reading books where the narrator is male because it's easier for me to accept the voice. Whenever the narrator is female I find myself judging her voice, and asking questions like: would I say that? would I notice something like that? With a male narrator, I just accept the differences as a product of gender. 

In 2011, I tried my hand at e-reading. I'll admit there's a lot to be said for these compact devices (I bought a Kobo) but at the end of the day I still prefer paperback - nothing beats the comfort derived from flipping the pages of a good dog-eared paperback.

Oddly enough, the book that had the greatest impact on me didn't make it on to my 5ers: highly recommended book list. Chris Salewicz's Bob Marley: The Untold Story changed the way I listen to Bob Marley's music because it changed the way I view Bob Marley the man. The book is filled lots of interesting details and facts but Chris Salewicz's writing style oozes cheese, and he doesn't know the first thing about bridging different ideas. 

Without further ado, here's my list of the five books I read in 2011 that I feel are deserving of a second (or third) go around:




The Color Purple by Alice Walker

 


Half Blood Blues  by Esi Edugyan

 




Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

 


Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 



Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

 I chose the above novels because the stories are so layered and multi-dimensional, a second or third read is likely to reveal details I didn't get the first or second time around.