You’ve read this before. Aspiring fiction writers should read widely across all genres. This will give the novice writer a better understanding of the craft of fiction. I believe new writers cannot improve their own writing unless they read quality fiction. It also gives all writers an appreciation for great literature.
Each year, I set a goal to read 25 books. I try to sprinkle in some non-fiction books in addition to the fiction books I read. Once in a while, I re-read a classic, as I did this year with To Kill a Mockingbird. I also make an effort to read e-books by new authors, as I did this year with Victorine Lieszke’s Not What She Seems and A.D. Bloom’s Bring Me the Head of the Buddha. Full disclosure: Aaron Bloom is a fellow member of the West Hartford CT Fiction Writers’ Group and a very talented writer.
Here is a list of books read this year:
Fiction
The Adults, by Alison Espach
The Red Thread, by Ann Hood
Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
Burritos and Gasoline, by Jamie Beckett
The Year We Left Home, by Jean Thompson
Faith, by Jennifer Haigh
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Whiskey Sour, by JA Konrath
Not What She Seems, by Victorine Lieszke
A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Eagan
Lethal Experiment, by John Locke
Baker Towers, by Jennifer Haigh
Mrs. Kimble, by Jennifer Haigh
Too Much Happiness, by Alice Munro
Who Do You Love, by Jean Thompson
The One That I Want, by Allison Winn Scotch
Solar, by Ian McEwan
Bring Me the Head of the Buddha, by A.D. Bloom
Northwest Corner, by John Burnham Schwartz
Maine, by J. Courtney Sullivan
Innocent, by Scott Turow
In Zanesville, by Jo Ann Beard
State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett
The Broker, by John Grisham
The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
While I Was Gone, by Sue Miller
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
The Good Mother, by Sue Miller
The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach
Non-fiction
Life, by Keith Richards
Decision Points, by George W. Bush
Decoded, by Jay-Z
Professional Development
The Art of Fiction, by John Gardner
Writing the Breakout Novel, by Donald Mass
Write Away, by Elizabeth George
Later this week, I will reveal my favorite book of 2011.
How many books did you read in 2011? Which one did you enjoy the most and why?
