Remember part one, about the pile of books that I'm currently reading? I've finished Decca and Organic Housekeeping (and, I dare say, Decca never cleaned a house in her life).
If I'd been more organized about the other pile, the to-be-read pile, I'd have actually posted this list before starting one of the books from that pile. Because now it's not really the to-be-read pile. Oh well.
Want to know what's in the to-be-read pile? I know you do.
Top to bottom:
- The Great Cat - Christmas present - an anthology of poems about cats
- High Rising (Angela Thirkell) - Verlyn Klinkenborg, who usually writes about driving across Iowa or standing around in the cold with his horses, wrote a paean to Thirkell at the beginning of January. It sounded great, and I'd never heard of her, so I scrounged up a copy of her first book. And it is great - perfect fluff. I may have to get the whole series. If you like EF Benson and Dorothy Sayers, you'll like Thirkell.
- Growing a Girl (Barbara Mackoff) - Christmas present. This book was something I'd put on my Amazon wishlist. My mother and sister were shopping on-line together, and both thought that I didn't need this book, as its sub-title is "Seven Strategies for Raising a Strong, Spirited Daughter". We have nothing if not a strong spirited daughter. But, you know, I want to help her stay that way, and not get sucked into conformity and materialism.
- Musicophilia (Oliver Sacks) - Christmas present
- The $64 Tomato (William Alexander) - Christmas present
- Atonement (Ian McEwan) - pass-along from my sister
- God is not Great (Christopher Hitchens) - Christmas present
- Paradise Lost (John Milton) - I got it into my head to read this because of the Philip Pullman Dark Materials trilogy. I'm not sure that it's going to happen - but it's not yet been relegated to the "never to be read" pile.
- Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog (Kitty Burns Florey) - Christmas present. A book on how to diagram sentences, which, if I ever learned, I have long since forgotten.
- A Stew or a Story- Christmas present, last year.
- Watership Down (Richard Adams) - I remember this as a family read-aloud when I was a kid. I stumbled on a copy and thought I'd revisit my childhood, but I haven't gotten there yet.
- Wondrous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould (Kevin Bazzana) - Christmas present, last year
- The Thurber Letters: The Wit, Wisdom and Surprising Life of James Thurber - Christmas present, last year. Now that I'm done with Decca, I can put some more letters in rotation.
- An Episode of Sparrows (Rumer Godden)
- The Game of Kings (Dorothy Dunnett) - I bought this because Julia said it was fabulous and she likes other writers I like, like EF Benson and Dorothy Sayers and Patrick O'Brian, so I had to have it.
- A Very Long Engagement (Sebastien Japrisot) - another pass-along from my sister
- Running with Scissors (Augusten Burroughs) - and another pass-along from my sister
- Jerome Robbins: His Life, His Theater His Dance (Deborah Jowitt)
- Nobody Knows the Truffles I've Seen (George Lang)
I'm almost through with #2 - what shall I start next?
18 comments:
yikes. if i wrote all mine down in a list it might be as daunting as yours.
i love the idea of a "never to be read" pile. i just moved some books there (and then on to a thrift store...)
Oooh some good ones on the list.
Love Richard Adams. And ooh the Thurber letters one, intriguing! Glenn Gould. Hmm.
But I'm going to say reasd the Dorothy Dunnett, The Game of Kings next.
And then will expect a full review. I read it a while back, was told if I LOVED Sharon Kay Penman I'd like this one too.
So let's compare. ;)
(Did I just sound like a huge nerdy bookworm? Gosh I hope so!)
I LOVE Watership Down - have since I was a child.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I've never read Watership Down. Why?? I don't know. I've thought about reading it lots of times. I guess I should put it on my "to read" list.
Wow. What a list.
I'm reading Atonement- it's great so far. You have me totally interested in Growing a Girl- I'm putting that on my list too.
(I have something for you at my place...)
Maggie ... Have a look in the index of the George Lang book and look up Edward Levine ... Harvey's father.
A little snippet
An anti-recommendation? I found Running with Scissors' narrative to be too intentionally constructed, and I found the adoptive family so infuriating that I just couldn't get more than a third of the way in.
J. Walls' Glass Castle, otoh, was an amazing, harrowing, fantastic and naturally told tale.
I remember reading Watership Down as a kid.
I liked Running with Scissors, but liked his 3rd one: Possible Side Effects even more.
I can't pick for you because there are too many excellent choices on this list.
But I highly recommend Amy Bloom's new book.
Happy reading.
Wow. If I made a list of all my books to read I would feel so overwhelmed that I might never again go into the room that held the pile of said books. Does it feel that way to you ever?
Wow, I'm jealous. Back in the day I used to read a novel a week. I think I read a novel a year now.
Sooooo jealous. Burning envy.
I'd start with Paradise Lost myself.
Watership Down is one of my all time favorite books. Five minutes into it, you start to forget at times that the characters are rabbits!
I love Rumer Godden too--that book may be one of the only books by her I HAVEN'T read.
Must dash--I've got challah in the oven. I made part of the dough into rolls, but the rest is in a braid in a bread pan--you inspired me to experiment. And I WILL e-mail to find out the source of your recipe!
It has been a long, long time since someone has come and left a comment on my blog containing Yiddish. I'm so glad to meet you!
I loved Running with Scissors. I think I am one of the few people on the planet that found Atonement boring, but there it is. I too have been meaning to read some classics - good luck with Watership Down and Paradise Lost.
-andi
What an interesting list. I've read a few -- Atonement for one -- on your list.
My book pile is smaller but I keep a running list of the books I'd like to read.
I'm curious about the rate of reading statistics I keep coming across. I wonder if bloggers, by being bigger readers to begin with, if they are reading more online and less by book???
That's an amazing list. I didn't like Running w/scissors either.
We did a liveblog at my site a few days ago. I'm thinking of doing another one but with a book. Interested?
Wow. That is an impressive list! It reminded me of how little time I've been spending with actual books, now that I've been sucked into the blogging vortex...
we saw the movie of #16, and while it was sad, it was also very good. Perhaps that then?
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