brought to you by The Latter Day Bohemian, courtesy of Middle-Aged Woman, and mixed up a little by me
- Pick
12titles from your To Read Pile. These should be titles youcurrently ownhave wanted to read for a while, but to which you haven't gotten around. - Post your list in your public space of choice by
September 1, 2010whenever. If you prefer not to post, you can just leave a comment with your list. - Read all
12titles between now and September 5, 2011 (or, you know, whenever). - When you finish a title on your list, post about it in your public space of choice. If you prefer not to post, you can just leave a comment with your thoughts.
- Once a month, I’ll try to post a round-up of the reviews/thoughts posted from that month so that we all know what everyone else has read.
- The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science, by Natalie Angiers. Why haven't I read this yet? It's been in my "To Read" pile for at least 2 years. And I'm still totally excited about it, but every time I start a new book, this one isn't it.
- I'm Down: A Memoir by Mishna Wolff: A memoir about growing up in a white family that identified most with their black neighbors, this caught my eye when it first came out and I finally bought it (on sale - thanks, Powell's Books!) Now to get it off the bedside table, where it could otherwise languish...
- Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism, and the American Girl by Susan Campbell. Well, duh. This one practically lept into my arms and said "Your Life! Here! Buy me!".
- Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship by Gail Caldwell. I bought this because it's supposed to be a "great novel about coping with grief"...but then I started reading it and realized that it's about 2 women who bonded over dog raising and AA. Both of which are...yeah. And then one died and the other one wrote a book about it. Hopefully the grief-coping part will grab me, because I've been languishing on page 100-something for a while now.
- Under the Dome by Stephen King. I've heard this compared to the best of Stephen King's work (The Stand, It) enough to know I want to try it. This one is a bit of a crapshoot, but I am hoping to LURV it.
- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. See #1. Same. Exact. Problem.
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I think I've tried this exact same thing before. Everybody loves this novel, and I love the ~theory~ of this novel, but couldn't make it past the first chapter the last 2 times I tried to read it.
- The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. I thought I had already read this until my niece blogged about it and then it didn't sound familiar at ALL and I wasn't sure I ~had~. So maybe this will be a quick recognition...
- My Fair Lazy: One Reality Television Addict's Attempt to Discover If Not Being a Dumb Ass Is the New Black or a Culture-up Manifesto by Jen Lancaster. I have a lot of guilt around liking uptight, right-wing Jen Lancaster. But...she's funny and sharp and - when she doesn't talk about politics - I like her. I haven't been able to wince my way through her latest book yet, but...maybe this is my motivation.
- Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin. I love UKLeG's writing, but this one has been on the bedside table for a while now...here's my chance to reinvigorate my interest in this book.
- Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. I'm not sure if I'm kidding about this one. It's sat on my shelves for 100 years because the first chapter is about war and then...I never got to Chapter 2. Maybe this year...
- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. Jamie loved it. I loved the first 80 or so pages, and then I put it down and then...I don't know what happened.
What are YOU going to read?
7 wafflers...:
Ooh, I like your list! I'll compile my own list soon and post it.
I wonder what you'll think of The Alchemist. There are several Christian themes and references in the book (although many of which can be interpreted in a wider, spiritual, well-being-ish sense). I didn't feel like Coelho was trying to force dialogue about religion, per se. But I hope you like it...
I'm really intrigued by the Susan Campbell book.
I like the idea of SOME books in SOME months. That seems like an achievable goal!
(I've been reading Cryptonomicon for almost two years now and I am almost half-way through.)
Please let us know how the Steven King one is. I LOVED The Stand, but his recent books I haven't liked as much.
Give Middlesex another try.
I couldn't get into the Alchemist.
My list has two loooonng books on it - Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrel, too, thanks for the reminder - worth 5 books, and 2666, another loooonng book, worth, oh another 5 books :D. Started JS & MN a couple of days ago and am loving it. Gotta break that 80-page barrier, tho.
Ha! I love your list, Sophie! You are right, big books are worth exponentially more book-credits. Provided one doesn't have to write the equivalent of 5 reviews.
Loved the King book, it is a biggie, but the story is fascinating. The Stand will always be his best as far as I'm concerned. I actually rank Duma Key second to The Stand.
Re: JS & MN - totally stuck at p. 61. I think the problem is the footnotes; while they are all perfectly engaging, they impede the narrative flow. I keep thinking they'll become a part of that flow, but it hasn't happened yet. I don't know - maybe it's a matter of getting in sync with the odd rhythms of this particular book.
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