Top Ten Tuesday

So, this weeks top ten, I'm assuming, relates to books that are going to be newly released this autumn (I'm sorry, I can't say fall. I just can't do it.) and I'm excited to read. Since I basically never read new books (autobiographies sometimes excepted, I'm looking at you Rob Lowe), I'm going to use this opportunity to tell you about the books that I have that I plan to read this autumn, preferably next to a nice warm fire, or in a pleasantly cool park with lots of trees that I can watch the leaves fall (the only way fall should be used, seriously!) as I read. So...


Top Ten Books that are on my TBR List for autumn


1. All of Orwell- I have a wicked fun plan for October that involves reading all the Orwell books I have (6 fiction, 3 non-fiction, and 1 collection of essays) for something that I have been calling Orwell October in my head since about May (I did also toy with the idea of Shakespeare September... but maybe I'll be brave enough to do that next year...). Clearly we're all very excited by this prospect, yes?

2. Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates- I got this for my birthday in April and I really want to read it, but just haven't yet. I started it on Sunday night and I already love it- it might end up being an end of summer rather than an autumn read at this rate though!

3. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing- For a very particular and special reason, more about which will be revealed on Thursday...

4. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood- I've still only read The Handmaid's Tale by the marvellous Atwood, and this clearly needs to change. I've got my sights set on The Blind Assassin, and I'll be damned if I let anything get in the way of reading it this autumn. If, however, you think I should read either Alias Grace, or Oryx and Crake instead, speak now or forever hold your peace... or you know, let me read a book that isn't as good as either of them may be...

5. The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck- I've read this before but I can't really remember it, just that it was pretty amazing. I also picked it for this list because it has a season in the title, albeit the wrong season... yeah, I don't really know where I was going with that, so you should probably just ignore this one. Although I am probably going to read it!

6. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson- I have about 5 or 6 Bryson books and so far I've read only one (Shakespeare, which was really good!) which I should probably change or, you know, get rid of the books if I'm not going to read them! I've decided on this one because I think (think) it's kind of related to Walden which, I'm sorry I've tried, but I really can't get through. This seems like a good compromise/a cop out...

7. Life by Keith Richards- This is on loan from my dad, and I really need to read it sometime soon (not because he wants it back, just because I think it's going to be awesome!) I've looked at the pictures already, and there's one of Johnny Depp, so things are looking good on that front... (I'm kidding! Mostly. But Johnny Depp pictures in a book=not at all a bad thing. Just sayin')

8. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon- Another re-read, but this one I really want to review so that I can inspire people to go and read this book because I do love it desperately! Also because the last time I read it was in an afternoon, and I'm not sure I appreciated all its nuances fully enough. But mainly just because it rocks.

9. White Teeth, or possibly On Beauty by Zadie Smith- Because I have had these books for so long that I really need to read one of them before they just never get read ever. This may be a tad dramatic. But I still want to read one of them!

And, one book that is being released this autumn:


10. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides- Eugenides irritated me with The Virgin Suicides, then wholly redeemed himself with Middlesex (I mean, really really redeemed himself) so I'm quite excited to read The Marriage Plot when it's released. That will make 3 Eugenides books in one year, which might well make this the year of Eugenides. But we'll see...

So these are my top ten books to read this autumn. Sorry if you wanted to see new releases, but that's what I read everyone else's blogs for- inspiration for new books that I can read in about 3 years time! That doesn't count as using you, right?