Oh, the horror, the horror! It’s always bad in February, the TBR – after all, there’s Christmas, and then my Birthday, and those do tend to attract the booky kind of gift. Which is GREAT, of course, if a little terrifying. I have had a Month of Re-Reading in January in the past but have eschewed that this year … and I don’t think it’s going to happen in February now, either (see Failures, below). In positive news, I did finish eleven books in January (three reviews still to post), which is a better total than I have been getting, but the TBR is looking a little, well, full at the moment.
I’m currently reading a book about Penguin Books and its editors. It’s a little slow, partly because I’ve recently read a history of Penguin and Allen Lane and one about Puffin Books, and partly because it’s made up of a lot of quotations, but the main text is in small print and the quotations in larger print, which keeps confusing me!
Coming up, I have the next volume in The Forsyte Saga, which I’m very much looking forward to, and then I WILL start on Anthony Trollope’s Barsetshire Novels (see Failures, below). I also have this variety of fiction and non-fiction – political diaries, psychogeography, the Vikings, a novel I know nothing about, a memoir about being and not being a nun, a Virago and a book about books. There’s a nice variety there, anyway.
I also have a Book Confession, in the form of two Ian Sansom books in the Mobile Library mysteries series – Gill kindly offered to pass them to me so here they are, although she assures me that she doesn’t need them back, I can BookCross them when I’ve finished with them, and there’s no rush to do that, so they’ve popped onto the end of that bursting shelf above. I have also acquired a new book about Iris Murdoch, which I will photograph in due course. It’s one of those Hard Books with all philosophy in, so I’ll be gentle with myself when I get to it.
Those failures. Looking through my bookshelf and thinking about my plans for reading for this year, I find that …
- I have failed to get a Month of Re-Reading in yet, even though I love doing it. I have too many lovely new books, and I’m letting them get out of hand. Some of these have to be read before I re-read.
- I have failed to start Anthony Trollope yet! I must do that this month. I am SO looking forward to reading him, so I’m going to make a big effort not to let him get shoved aside again.
- I completely failed to read any WW1 stuff last year apart from Rupert Brooke’s poems. I had a book of general WW1 poems on the TBR shelf ALL YEAR last year, and now it’s being shelved again. Oops.
- I bought that lovely book of Icelandic saga translations (horizontal on the TBR pic) and set up a Facebook group to discuss sagas: have I opened it more than once? I have not. I must make time for some of these before our wedding anniversary in April.
In successes, well, I did read those 11 in January and if I’ve managed to make room to READ and comment on blogs that I follow, so I’m pretty up to date now, I can definitely make more room for BOOK READING, too. I’ve also got to half-way in my Reading a Century project, counting books read and on the TBR, so that’s quite exciting. Any suggestions for filling in the 60s and 70s gratefully received!
And, one review I didn’t post because it was destined for elsewhere has now been published in the Shiny New Books e-magazine, new edition available now. This is “Merchant Adventurers” by James Evans, which was a very good read – why not pop over and read my slightly-longer-than-the-ones-on-this-blog review, here. Thanks to the Shiny New Book people for thinking of me when the non-fiction was up for grabs!
So I’m not going to moan and maunder and dwell – I’m going to read and enjoy my books, make more time to do so, and not fret if I don’t do what I plan to do, as long as I’m reading!
How are your booky 2015s going so far? Do you have a TBR glut, too?
Feb 01, 2015 @ 23:19:16
Looks as if you have lots to look forward to and I can’t wait to hear what you think of Galsworthy’s In Chancery. As you know, it is against my principles to have a TBR because it makes me anxious. However, I will admit to a ‘backlog’. At present I am half way through listening to what I think will become my all time favourite travel book: Blue Highways by Least Heat Moon, have just started reading on Kindle the first of Elena Ferrante’s trilogy My Brilliant Friend, also heading for the favourites list, also listening to Entry Island by Peter May for book group, not so sure about this.
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Feb 02, 2015 @ 09:18:27
Thanks for the recommendations! I can’t wait to read In Chancery, I have to say. I’ve looked at those My Brilliant Friend ones – they’re the story of a long friendship between two women, aren’t they? – but somehow not fancied them. Hm. Lots of things to think about there.
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Feb 02, 2015 @ 18:16:46
My Brilliant Friend is the story of two women and starts when they are in primary school in a very poor district of Naples. The ‘brilliant” refers to their intellects and their different uses of their except ional intelligence. It appeals to me because the characters are sharp and unusual and the descriptions of the poor district and distinctive characters is well drawn. But I have only read up until they are 13 with the cleverest working mending shoes in her father’s shop and the other moving on to high school. I also like the complete absence of sentimentality. Not a cosy read!
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Feb 04, 2015 @ 08:28:35
Ah yes, that’s the one I was thinking it was. I’ll see if I fancy those in the fullness of time, I think …
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Feb 02, 2015 @ 03:32:02
“booky kind of gift”
might have to steal that phrase. As a November bday I also have this “problem” although it’s one I too enjoy. Have a glut but trying to clean off my TBD as it has grown unwieldy. Tried to start 2015 with more non fiction but my brain needs a break so I’m switching off.
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Feb 02, 2015 @ 09:19:21
It makes me feel I should have a bookday birthday in the summer or something. But there are indeed worse problems to have. I think I’m coming down with a cold, so I may well be picking some easy reads off that shelf for a few days …
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Feb 02, 2015 @ 14:47:03
Feel better. Time for some brain candy
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Feb 02, 2015 @ 11:09:32
I don’t think I’ve ever seen your TBR so big before, Liz! I don’t think your failures are too hideous – and you’re right to just enjoy your books, because that’s what we read for!
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Feb 02, 2015 @ 11:56:57
Hehe – I THINK it’s been bigger with no room for the Pile – if I had time, I’d click on the State of the TBR category and look back through them all! But thank you for the vote of confidence! It’s not like I’ve failed to do reviews in time on review or SNB copies!
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Feb 02, 2015 @ 17:41:07
Ha ha well that tbr does n’t look that bad compared to mine. Lovely to have had lots of bookish gifts though.
I think you will love Trollope he is very readable.
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Feb 04, 2015 @ 08:26:48
It’s not the worst it’s ever been, anyway, I’ll take comfort in that. Quite a few challenging reads coming up. I’m starting the next Forsyte tonight then it’s Trollope time!
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Feb 03, 2015 @ 15:39:09
Trollope will wait until you’re ready, and he’s so readable that you will in all probability race through some big books and feel so virtuous. It might not help with the moth of rereading if you join the ranks of Trollope lovers, but you can’t have everything!
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Feb 04, 2015 @ 08:27:59
I’d feel more virtuous if I’d filled that TBR with hefty Trollopes then taken them off to read but yes, he will wait for me and I know I’m going to love him. Just the next Forsyte to do and I’ll be onto him. A bit bogged down in this Penguin book at the moment, but I have some quicker picks after that.
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Feb 11, 2015 @ 22:13:30
Is that picture the whole of your TBR? I would be delighted if mine was that small…..
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Feb 12, 2015 @ 09:39:09
Yes – it is two layers and a pile, though, quite a lot for me. And there’s a lot of reading in that, if you know what I mean – not much light fiction!
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State of the TBR March 2015 | Adventures in reading, writing and working from home
Mar 01, 2015 @ 18:39:27