Well, 2017 is now over and done with and 2018 is here with a
bang ( or… ball… depending on where you are). So let’s talk about what we read
in 2017.
I am the type of eclectic reader that always likes to keep
my attention in reading by choosing many books of many different genres. I don’t
just read novels! I literally read everything!
In looking over my Goodreads page, I see that my most read
authors last year were: Anne Rice, Julia Donaldson, Roald Dahl and Clive
Barker.
I dove head first into The Vampire Chronicles last year. I
made it all the way up to number 5 Memnoch the Devil before we had to move and
the remaining books got shoved into a box and I lost track of them for a short
time. I will definitely be finishing this series up this year.
My son and I love Julia Donaldson. She is the author of The
Gruffalo series and we just LOVE her books! My son has an adorable starter
boxed set but we check out any books not included in the set from the library
every chance we get.
Along with some other books such as The Boxcar Children,
Winnie the Pooh, The Wizard of Oz and Dinotopia, my son and I also delved into
the world of Roald Dahl. Some of which we really liked and some which we really
didn’t care for. We really liked James and the Giant Peach (my son’s name is
James), along with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. However we did not care
for The Fantastic Mr. Fox and we just plain didn’t like The Witches. I fee very
much that Dahl’s book are hit or miss cause when they hit, they hit big but
when they miss they dive bomb!
And then there’s Mr. Clive Barker. He holds a very special
place on my book shelves along with H.P. Lovecraft. I mean, being the horror
freak that I am, the writer and creator of The Candyman, Nightbreed and
Hellraiser is definitely most special to me. He has a way of telling his horror
tales that is very unique from every other horror writer/creator. Most of his
tales have a bit of eroticism to them which adds a nice little cherry on top
for the reader. However his children’s books (like The Thief of Always) are amazingly
told as well and deserve a special place on the shelf in their own right.
But with all these in mind and with all the other books I’ve
read last year the question still remains: which was my favorite? As difficult
as it is to choose a favorite amongst the many, the one book that truly sticks
out to me is Stephen King’s IT. Let me explain… when I was a child (around 7
years of age) I happened upon my father watching the TV series on television
and I decided to post myself at the end of the hall where he couldn’t see me
but I could see the tv set. I watched the film in secret and now I wish I hadn’t.
As captivating as it was, it really traumatized me as a young child. I decided last
year that now I am an adult and it is time to put childish things behind me. In
so doing I challenged myself to read the book and watch the TV series before
going to see the new film just released late last year. It was a VERY emotional
process. I laughed, I cried, I was too scared to sleep many nights but I was
determined. And by the gods I did it! I succeeded in finishing the book and
even rewatched the series that traumatized me so terribly when I was a child. I
accomplished what I set out to do and faced one of my ultimate fears… my own
childhood fears! For this reason, this book stands above the rest I’d read and
has earned a permanent place on my book shelves (whether I read it again or not
is inconsequential).
And so I would have to place Stephen King’s IT as my
favorite read of 2017!
What was your favorite read of 2017? I’d love to hear about
it in the Comments Section!
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