Well, here’s the current state of the TBR and I have chipped away at it a bit since February’s excesses, even though some books have come in (more on those later) and I didn’t feel like I’d been reading much this last month. The front row ends with Dolly Parton. At least I was fairly frugal with my acquisitions last summer, so I’ll be on September’s books soon, which feels a bit better.
I’m currently reading Karen Armstrong’s “The Spiral Staircase”, which is about her post-nunhood life, and is OK although there were a few themes I wish they’d highlighted in the blurb. Not getting into the trigger warnings debate, but when there are two main themes and the blurb only mentions one, it’s a bit annoying. I’ve also finished but not yet reviewed Iain Sinclair’s “Edge of the Orison” which was Quite Hard but makes a nice mental-health related pair with the Armstrong, and Vita Sackville-West’s “The Edwardians”, recently also read by Ali, which has intersections with the world of the Forsytes, handily enough.
Coming up on the TBR, I have two books about the Vikings – the first one is a biography of Snorri Sturluson, who collected many of the sagas together in manuscript form but was also a bit warlike himself (I’ve been to his house, which was very exciting), and a more picture-book style one on the Vikings in general. This will be good preparation for our upcoming return trip to Iceland (I also have that lovely book of sagas to continue dipping into. Then I have Nick Hornby’s reading diary, what I’d call some “easy” books – one on rock stars’ children and two novels by the lovely Helen Cross, before diving into some Iris Murdoch stuff and some slightly elderly literary theory which should help with my Iris Murdoch research (so I’d better get on and get my new business books written before I get there, right?).
Of course I’ll also be reading my third book in the Forsyte Saga, “To Let”, which will conclude the first three-volume set, and I might start my next Anthony Trollope, too, although that might need to stretch over a couple of months.
In acquisitions / confessions, I fear I’ve missed a few as I have had a couple more in from lovely friends, but I’ve lost track so you’ll have to see those as I read them (in the “fullness of time”, as I somewhat euphemistically call it). I had a small bonanza on Saturday, first of all collecting Josephine Pullein-Thompson’s “Race Horse Holiday” and a very amusing tea infuser from the parcel office, courtesy of my friend Verity. I can’t believe she found one I didn’t already have, but so she did! And it fills in 1971 in my Century of Reading, too – hooray!
And then in The Works, I found Philip Hensher’s book about handwriting, “The Missing Ink”, which was on my wishlist, so one down, 3,000,000 to go off that list and it looks like a lovely read. I read seven books in February, but I should have a couple of bus and train journeys this month which will encourage some nice long bouts of reading, so here’s to a good reading month for everybody. What are you tackling? Have you read any of my upcoming books?
Nordie
Mar 01, 2015 @ 18:49:43
I’m ignoring my TBR at the moment – I picked up 3 books at the local Bookcrossing meeting on Saturday, and suspect they will go straight on the #TBR20 plle beside the bed, as I am running out of shelf space to hide them on……One day, someone will make a plan as to what’s going on with my TBR!
Must admit that Christmas/Birthday book tokens have allowed me to buy both the new Neil Gaiman “Trigger Warning” in hardback, plus “The Art of Asking” by Amanda Palmer, both of which I’m hearing excellent reviews of……
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Liz Dexter
Mar 01, 2015 @ 18:52:59
Oh no – surely you haven’t filled your famous TBR cupboard again?! I am hoarding my book tokens from Xmas / Bday – I know what I’m planning to get and they’re not going to go away …
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Nordie
Mar 02, 2015 @ 20:46:58
not quite into the cupboard – yet! – though they are beginning to spill onto non-bookshelf spaces, so must do something. The three books I picked up on Saturday dont help!
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Carianne Carleo-Evangelist
Mar 02, 2015 @ 16:47:26
Definitely look forward to hearing your thoughts on the Armstrong one. I’ve read and enjoyed some of her stuff. That handwriting one looks cool. Quit filling my wishlist :p
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Liz Dexter
Mar 02, 2015 @ 16:49:46
Hehe! Would you like me to send you the Armstrong? It is a BookCrossing book, so drop me a line via the contact form. I’ve been on so many of your bookrings over the years. I can’t promise to only read stuff you don’t want to add to the wishlist in future, though!
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Carianne Carleo-Evangelist
Mar 02, 2015 @ 17:53:08
Message sent. Thank you! I miss the days of BookRings. Rays/RABCKS/etc. are the one major downside to me of ebooks. Just not as fun to lend an ebook. It’s funny – the ones I add to my wishlist from your posts seem to have more of an impact on my recommendations than those from others. Weird how Amazon metrics work. Thanks again!
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vicki (skiourophile / bibliolathas)
Mar 15, 2015 @ 04:05:18
“so one down, 3,000,000 to go” – gorgeous! Know that feeling…
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Liz Dexter
Mar 15, 2015 @ 11:23:01
Well, it’s nice to have a full, rich wish list, right?!
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