You know what I haven't done for a while? I thought to myself as I sat in my room one night. I haven't made a sexy pile of books that I want to read kind of soon-ish for such a long time. I should do that right now. LOOK WHAT HAPPENED:
So. I have literally no idea if The Broke and the Bookish still do Top Ten Tuesdays (or if, in fact, they even still exist as a blog. Do they?!*) but long after I got tired of making lists of characters I wanted to hang out with, I still enjoyed doing the top ten spring, summer, autumn and winter reads list because picking books to read is totally the most fun a person can have ever. So, this is my slightly late spring reading pile, with, if you'll care to notice, ten books in it. #tbt, if you like (I know, it's Wednesday, shut up) but here are the books and why I want to read them:
- Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger- I really quite strongly dislike The Catcher in the Rye, but really quite strongly like Franny and Zooey. I'm hoping Nine Stories is a lot more like the latter, and would you just LOOK at how damn portable it is!
- Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dee Brown- I remember reading a review of this a really long time ago that knocked my socks off, and even though I've had it for quite a while, I still haven't read it. Now is the time to rectify this, I reckon.
- The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan- This book actually started this pile off, for I thought, 'Hey, I really want to read that book' and since I was over at my shelves already, why not pick out the rest of the books I want to read? Why not INDEED.
- Born to Run by Christopher McDougall- I really want to get into running again since I'm about to be so incredibly old, and I feel like the way to do this is with reading (of course). I'm not even sure that I know what this book is about, only that I bought it when I WAS super into running and would read anything about it. I'll let you know how both the book and the exercise goes.
- By Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept by Elizabeth Smart- I literally only bought this book for the title, but when I tried to read it a while ago I kind of just rolled my eyes and it seemed like too much. HOWEVER, I recently saw it in Waterstones and it was totally near me so I read a bit and it was much better than I remembered so now I'm definitely into trying to read it again. Plus, it's another teeeeeny portable book and I need those in my life.
- Landing by Emma Donoghue- Emma Donoghue is my homegirl but I haven't read any of her books for ages. Sorting that out RIGHT NOW.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez- I have to confess: I didn't really like Love in the Time of Cholera. I have tried to read THIS book and couldn't really get anywhere with it, so this is basically my final Marquez attempt (no pressure, book). If I don't like it, then it goes, no questions asked.
- Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami- Because Murakami is my homeboy, and, well, I read a new book of his like all the time but I wanna read this and it's my birthday soon and also shut up.
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy- Just some light spring reading... Yeah. I wanted to read this during this last year of my life which was an interesting goal, but I really do want to read it soon, mainly because my reward for that will be the BEAUTIFUL Clothbound version that I only knew existed after I got this one... *grumbles*
- V For Vendetta by Alan Moore- Because every season is the right season for Alan Moore. You dig?
I am actually pretty excited by this pile, by which I mean it's been on my table for about a week now and I'm not bored of it yet. I also plan on finishing To Kill A Mockingbird and the last Dark Tower book over the next few months or whatever, but these books are the ones I am currently most excited about. YAY READING MY OWN DAMN BOOKS!
*Update: They fully do still exist. They even still do Top Ten Tuesdays! Where have I been?
YES they do still exist and they DO still do TTT's - or at least, they did last time I went and looked a few weeks ago. A lot of their prompts are repeats now if you've been around a while, but occasionally there's a good one and I still love the seasonal TBRs! :)
ReplyDeleteI've been rather enjoying playing at 'book shopping' from my shelves and making pretty piles recently too. It feels like an awesome way to get the same kick I get sailing round Waterstones, only without having to pay £80 for the privilege.
I should try Franny and Zooey, I wasn't a Catcher fan but maybe I'll like that one better? I read a 'junior edition' of Bury My Heart at school and it completely blew me away, so I should definitely pick up my all-grown-up version at some point. I think it might break me a bit though. I also have Born to Run; I WANT to read War and Peace but not when I'm already Pickwicking because ONE EPIC BOOK AT A TIME, aaaaand V for Vendetta is the best so obviously I approve of that one. Might reread it in November actually, that seems appropriate.
CARRY ON, LAURA. CARRY ON.
Seasonal TBRs are the shit. I love them so much. Even if I don't read any of the books because I am a bad bad person.
DeleteBook shopping from our shelves is very good of us and I think we are doing really well in our lives not giving all our monies to Waterstones all the time. Go us!
I liked Franny and Zooey quiiiiite a lot, now that I think about it it was a bit Sylvia Plath-esque actually? Like kind of mental illness-y, but in a Plath way rather than a whiny teen way SORRY HOLDEN YOU SUCK. I love how you have feels about like allllll the books I have on my pile, way to know all about the books dude!
Ugh. Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I listened to the audiobook of One Hundred Years of Solitude and I...did not care for it at all. I don't wish to prejudice you or anything but I honestly can't see what people like about that book. It's odd and it's dull. If you're not into it in the first maybe third, the rest is the same.
ReplyDeleteWar and Peace is surprisingly readable! There are bits that are slightly hard work but from the most part, I liked it! Plus, you get to do that thing when people use War and Peace as some kind of joke and you can say "actually I've read that". Smug face earned.
THANK YOU, CHARLOTTE! See, yeah. I read Love in the Time of Cholera and I wasn't at all impressed, but I thought maybe I was being a pleb (plus I already owned 100 Years) and thought I'd give him another go. But maybe he's just not my thing. Maybe. But I will still give this a go, I just like having your permission to give up!
DeleteI love Anna Karenina so much that I'm willing to believe that War and Pease is going to rock my world just as much! It's just... It's so huge Charlotte. Am I really ever going to finish it? AM I?! (mebbe)
Omnivore's Dilemma is good and one I think you'd really enjoy though now I'm having trouble coming up with why this one in particular would be your thing. BUT I STAND BY IT
ReplyDeleteHahaha because of the meat thing? Idk I feel a teeeeeny bit like I'm maybe looking for a balanced argument about why a person should maybe eat meat, but in general I just like to read things about what the best way to eat is.
DeleteYou know, that's probably it. Though he does recommend MOSTLY plants and other not-meat things.
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