I want to apologize for not keeping up with my blog. I did start some posts, but time got away from me. I love writing this blog, and I want to continue with it. I will try to do better and post more regularly.
When I was looking at my shelves in November, trying to figure out what I wanted to read this year, I noticed a lot of books that had been on my shelves for a long time, and I never once opened them up and read them. Some have survived multiple moves over the years. So, I will try to get to many of them this year. I’m jokingly calling it my Clearance Sale TBR.
Before I went to my friend Dan Wilcox’s house for his annual New Year’s Day party, I took a picture of the books I wanted to read this year. The list of the books is as follows :
- Captain Courageous by Rudyard Kipling
- Searching for Caleb by Anne Tyler
- The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
- Devil With the Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
- Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis
- Crazy in Berlin by Thomas Berger
- Nana by Emile Zola
- The White Hotel by D. M. Thomas
- David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
- Bel-Ami by Guy De Maupassant
- The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Mila Kundra
- The Family of Max Desir by Robert Ferro
- Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgnev
- The Dwarf by Par Lagerkvist
- The Monkey King by Timothy Mo
- The Lost Language of Cranes by David Levatt
- Waterland by Graham Swift
- Breaking and Entering by Joy Williams
- Charming Billy by Alice Mc Dermont
I’m not discussing all the books on this list, but I want to mention some things. David Copperfield is my current read. I’m doing it as a buddy read with my friend Rolly. I didn’t read any LGBT authors last year, so I plan to read The Lost Language of Cranes and The Family of Max Desir. I haven’t read Anne Tyler in a while, so I added her. I read Germinal by Zola in my 20s and never read anything by him since. Now is a good time as ever to read Nana. Also, the books I’ve had on my shelves for too long include Waterland, The House of Spirits, The Monkey King, Arrowsmith, Fathers and Sons, and Breaking and Entering.
However, looking at my original post, I realized I only had four female authors on my list. I believe in reading diversely. So two days later, I posted another photo of eight books by female authors I would love to read this year. The list for that stack is as follows:
- Speedboat by Reanta Adler
- Innocent Blood by P.D James
- Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym
- Stories by Katherine Mansfield
- The Bell by Iris Murdoch
- Nightwood by Djuna Barnes
- Roman Fever and Other Stories by Edith Wharton
- My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
I always say that my TBR is not carved in stone. I forgot I wanted to read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig because I’ve had my copy for the longest time. I might add Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eyes to my list. I haven’t talked to Rolly about this year’s #victober read, but we usually read one book together. I’m not sure what book I will read after David Copperfield, except it will be short. In the end, I am happy with my list. It’s an eclectic group of books. Fingers crossed, I won’t be reading David Copperfield all year long! I hope everyone has a great reading year in 2024.
