Well, I’ve been a busy lady and have had to save this state of the TBR post for the second day of the month, as I spent yesterday talking about my Top Reads of 2013 and my planned book challenge for 2014 and beyond.
I’ve also renamed this blog as I feel it’s more about the reading and writing and less about reports from the front line of self-employment, so reflects the blog better. AND I’ve added a blogroll in the right-hand column which pulls together the best book review blogs that I read on a regular basis. I was looking at everyone else’s blogrolls, thinking this blog wasn’t on them, thinking this blog didn’t have a very suitable name to be on such lists, and thinking that I should do my own list … and it all came together into a bit of housekeeping!
Here’s the TBR as it is now (above), with my Christmas books added. Not too bad, actually! Only one of the Christmas books went into A Month of Re-Reading in January, but I’d done sterling work getting through some good reads in December, so plenty of room. If you can’t see it clearly, the Virago to the right of the tall grey book is the last one on the front row.
Of course, not only did I add Christmas acquisitions from the BookCrossing Christmas meal and Christmas Day itself; I also received an extra book on 31st December – a gift from one of my Russian clients, sent via Amazon. And such a good book, which I hadn’t heard about before but which would definitely be on my wish list if I had. Hooray!
A Month of Re-Reading in January
As has become customary, since July 2012, I’ve been doing a Month of Re-Reading every July and January. I’ve really, really enjoyed revisiting some old friends, checking that I want to keep the authors and genres that I’ve been keeping all these years, and seeing whether my opinion of books changes over the years (I have paper reading journals going back to 1997 and can remember what I thought about a lot of my favourites earlier than that). I feel it’s a valid and worthwhile thing for me to do, stepping off the conveyor belt of the To Be Read pile and enjoying some different reads from around my shelves.
Although I teased my Facebook friends with my first Project 365 photo of the year (pictured left), I did intend to reveal my choices, and can do so now …
So, from top to bottom, we have …
Winifred Holtby – “The Crowded Street” – received for Christmas in the Persephone edition but I know that I’ve read it before so off the TBR and onto the January pile!
Simon Elmes – “Talking for Britain” – a survey of British regional language, received and read around 2006. This sits on the English Lang & Lit shelf outside the bathroom and was a late addition when I spotted it after making the pile shown above left.
Jane Austen – “Mansfield Park” – I’ve done an Austen in each Month of Re-Reading, and as I have “Murder at Mansfield Park” coming up on the TBR, it seemed appropriate to take this one to read this time.
Thomas Hardy – “Jude the Obscure” – handily this is the Hardy Project read for Jan/Feb, so reading this achieves two aims. At the beginning of the Hardy project, I wasn’t keen on re-tackling this one, but I’ve read all the books so far and got back into Hardy’s way of looking at things, so really quite looking forward to it now.
Jane Smiley – “Moo” – I was reminded of this marvellous campus novel when discussing “The Art of Fielding“. Smiley famously writes in different genres and I’ve read most of her books, but haven’t re-read this one since I originally read it back in 1997, it seems. I’ve started this one today.
Wendy Perriam – “Born of Woman” – I used to love this writer back in the 90s, with the heady mix of women’s freedom, religion and taboo-breaking. She sits with Marilyn French and Erica Jong in my memory. Anyway, I’ve got a lot of them, all quite substantial, so this is one of my tests to see if I want to keep her books or pass them along …
Molly Moynahan – “Living in Arcadia” – this is another ‘woman breaks free’ road-trip novel. I selected it for last July but never got to it, so re-added it for this month. If I fail to read it again, I think that’s telling me something and it will have to go!
Brian Hinton – “South by South-West: A Road Map to Alternative Country” – bought and read a while ago, I probably know more of the bands he talks about now.
Tim Moore – “Frost on My Moustache” – his first travel book, where he travels to Iceland. I’m going there this year, so want to up my reading on the country.
Anthony Powell – “To Keep the Ball Rolling” – his memoirs. As we read “Dance to the Music of Time” last year, this seemed appropriate!
Vera Brittain – “Testament of Youth” – this will be my third read of this heartbreaking narrative of the effect of the First World War on the families and women at home. I remember sobbing over it last re-read, in my flat in Brockley. This is a beautiful edition gleaned from a set of books my friends Julie and Barry left behind with me for BookCrossing etc. when they returned home to Australia, and is being read to honour the 100th anniversary of the start of the War.
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Anyone else doing any re-reading this month? It’s not a proper challenge and you don’t need to do more than one, but I do recommend a hearty re-read! And do let me know what you think about the new blog title and shuffle around of the side menus … Happy reading!
braith an' lithe
Jan 02, 2014 @ 09:57:16
Ooh I was thinking of re-reading Testament of Youth! Last read and sobbed over when I was 17.
Also the Flambards series – read and loved as a child, re-read and loved in my late twenties…time to read them again,I reckon. Plus some Bronte re-reading would be lovely….
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Liz at Libro
Jan 02, 2014 @ 10:31:21
The Flambards books do bear re-reading, and I did “Dear Fred” last Jan, by Peyton too!
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kaggsysbookishramblings
Jan 02, 2014 @ 09:58:53
Nice books Liz (and thanks for including me in your Blogroll!) I have a couple of books I’m itching to re-read but there are so many news ones too. I shall try and clear the immediate TBR pile first. Good luck with your month of fun!
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Liz at Libro
Jan 02, 2014 @ 10:32:07
Thanks for the vote of confidence on the choices, and you’re welcome – you’ve had a few click-throughs already as far as I can see. Do some re-reading! It is great!
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Samantha
Jan 02, 2014 @ 13:36:25
Aww, I think you’re one of the first people ever to include me in his/her blogroll! That’s very sweet; thank you. It’s also a reminder that I need to update my own!
I hope to re-read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings this January, once I finish Agnes Grey. I’ve read only ONE of your re-read choices, so clearly I need to add a few more books to my list! Thanks for sharing!
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Liz at Libro
Jan 02, 2014 @ 17:17:22
You’re welcome – I particularly like reading your reviews of YA books but find the whole blog interesting. Enjoy your re-reading, sounds good! This pile is a little random, if representative of my reading habits as a whole …
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Alex
Jan 02, 2014 @ 17:14:48
Do you know ‘Chronicles of Youth’ which are the actual journals that Brittain kept during that time? They might not qualify as a re-read if you don’t but I’ve always enjoyed reading the two accounts together.
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Liz at Libro
Jan 02, 2014 @ 17:16:23
I’ve read that at some point but don’t own it now (I do have the other Testament books, however). I might source and read that in November 2018 …
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heavenali
Jan 02, 2014 @ 17:31:11
My tbr is at crisis point – actually is beyond that now – so I am hoping to re-read The Woman in White this month and that may be the onlyu re-read I do this month – unless I start Jude this month too.
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Liz at Libro
Jan 02, 2014 @ 17:35:17
Well that’s fair enough, it’s there as a project to dip in and out of. I said I’d just do my pile then resume going through the tbr, but then chose a big pile of substantial books!
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Ste J
Jan 02, 2014 @ 22:08:32
Tim Moore’s earlier books were all a hoot… although not so much in his recent efforts. If you go to Iceland mind the banks, they’ll just lose your money.
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Liz at Libro
Jan 03, 2014 @ 03:05:54
Yes, indeed – if this wasn’t his first book, it was the first that I read and I’d like to go back to the good ones!
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Ste J
Jan 04, 2014 @ 01:03:47
I believe this was the first, followed by either French Revolutions or Continental Drifter….both of which are good reads as well.
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Liz at Libro
Jan 04, 2014 @ 09:39:41
Yes, I have and enjoyed both of those. Nul Points was one of his, wasn’t it, and that was OK, but I haven’t fancied his newest one about the UK at all.
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Ste J
Jan 04, 2014 @ 19:43:39
That was quite good in places, like the British weather it was patchy. I think Nul Points whilst interesting on some levels was definitely his nadir.
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skiourophile (@skiourophile)
Jan 03, 2014 @ 09:24:40
I did a lot of re-reading towards the end of last year – I now feel sort of freshened up and prepared to tackle something new from the out of control mounds of books around my room!
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Liz at Libro
Jan 03, 2014 @ 11:19:33
Excellent news – I’ll look forward to those new reviews, too! Have fun!
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Book reviews – Life’s Little Ironies and Moo, a DNF and three acquisitions | Adventures in reading, writing and working from home
Jan 05, 2014 @ 18:31:51
Cathy746books
Jan 19, 2014 @ 17:22:14
A month of rereading is such a wonderful idea! I rarely reread anything, but I’d love to revisit some of my favourites from when I was a teenager to see how they withstand the test of time. I loved Jude the Obscure when I was in my 20s but have never read it since.
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Liz at Libro
Jan 19, 2014 @ 17:30:30
Yes, I love it – I think this is my fourth month of doing and I love selecting the books to re-read and revisiting some old friends. Otherwise I just stay on the conveyor belt of new books and never re-read the – um, 2500 – books I already have!
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