Anne Tyler re-read project 2021
I’m re-reading all of Anne Tyler’s novels in order of publication in 2021. To do it in one year, I need to read two per month. I am not expecting anyone else to join in with all of them (though if anyone wants to, that would be amazing!) but if you can read one or two or more during the year, that would be lovely.
How will it all work?
My plan is to read one of the books each month by the 10th of the month and review it then, and the other by the 20th and review it then. Then my review will be available for linking and commenting by the middle and end of the month respectively.
I will link to my review on this page and I will try to link to anyone’s who does a review, including on Goodreads, and sends me the link.
How do I join in?
When you’ve read your book, you could do any of these things …
- Post a review in a comment on my review
- Write your own review and include a link to my review
- Write your own review and pop a link to your review in the comments on mine
THIS IS NOT PRESCRIPTIVE, HOWEVER
As with my Iris Murdoch challenge, I don’t really mind WHEN you read the books; I’m more interested in sharing thoughts. So if you get “behind” it doesn’t matter- post a review and links as above whenever you can and I’ll be very happy to see them.
The hashtag
And shall we have a hashtag for social media? How about #AnneTyler2021 ?
The schedule
Here’s the schedule and the reviews so far (do let me know about your reading even after the month in question!)
January
If Morning Ever Comes (1964)
Letters from a Hill Farm’s review
The Tin Can Tree (1965)
February
A Slipping-Down Life (1970)
The Clock Winder (1972)
March
Celestial Navigation (1974)
Searching for Caleb (1975)
April
Earthly Possessions (1977)
Morgan’s Passing (1980)
May
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (1982)
Brona’s Books’ review from 2014 (shared on my review and it’s a good one!)
Reading and Watching the World’s review
The Accidental Tourist (1985)
June
Breathing Lessons (1988)
My Head is Full of Books’ review
All the Vintage Ladies’ review
Saint Maybe (1991)
July
Ladder of Years (1995)
A Patchwork Planet (1998)
August
Back When We Were Grownups (2001)
The Amateur Marriage (2004)
September
Digging to America (2006)
Noah’s Compass (2010)
The Chocolate Lady’s review (an older one but she re-posted it and linked to the challenge)
October
The Beginner’s Goodbye (2012)
Brona’s review (older but discussed in my comments)
Bookish Beck’s review (as above!)
A Spool of Blue Thread (2015)
Jeanne’s review (from the time of publication, and excellent)
November
Vinegar Girl (2016)
Clock Dance (2018)
Jeanne’s review (from the time of publication)
Brona’s review (also from the time of publication)
December
Redhead by the Side of the Road (2020)
Jeanne’s review (from the time of publication and a welcome reassurance that I read it at the right time)
Brona’s review (from the time of publication)
March 2022 – it had to be done!
French Braid (2022)
Adventures in reading, running and working from home 
Dec 31, 2020 @ 08:11:09
I discovered her with The Accidental Tourist (as did most people), then forgot about her until a few years ago. I think I have Back When We Were Grownups in my collection, but I’m not sure if I’ve read it or not. But from Noah’s Compass afterwards, I’ve read all she published. I didn’t care that much for her Vinegar Girl – not the best modernization of The Taming of the Shrew, to be honest.
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Dec 31, 2020 @ 09:25:24
Ooh, you need to get hold of a few of the earlier ones and join in! I found she dipped for me a bit a few years ago and I actually enjoyed Vinegar Girl, although I don’t normally read retellings and modernizations; I just felt I had to read that in case it was her last book!
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Dec 31, 2020 @ 13:15:53
Actually, she said that A Spool of Blue Thread might have been her last book. She wrote it going backwards through the generations, and said “oh, I can go on forever doing this” but after she got to the third generation, she decided to publish it, and then we got the others. Mind you, seeing as Redhead was relatively short, I think she might be cutting back on word count instead of quitting! Fine with me. As long as she keeps them coming, I’ll be reading! As for getting older novels of hers… she’s so well known, her books almost never get discounted. I wish I had a library I could borrow them from!
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Jan 02, 2021 @ 07:48:55
Oh, that’s a shame, I’m never sure how available the older ones are. I do see them in charity shops here although mainly the newer ones … however all the charity shops are shut for the foreseeable future under Tier 4 Covid restrictions! I’ll hope to see you join in with the one you might not have read and any re-reading you can fit in.
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Jan 02, 2021 @ 09:00:39
I almost never re-read, but I will always keep a look out for any Tyler books on sale.
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Final 2020 Statistics and Retrospective / 2021 Reading Goals | Bookish Beck
Jan 01, 2021 @ 15:16:15
State of the TBR January 2021 and reading stats / best books of 2020 #AnneTyler2021 | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Jan 01, 2021 @ 20:58:24
Jan 02, 2021 @ 13:30:39
Jan 08, 2021 @ 23:30:43
I would like to join in as I’ve read and enjoyed a couple of her books, Digging to America and A Patchwork Planet, and possibly also Searching for Caleb, but I don’t own any so I’ll have to rely on the library’s online collection while we are in lockdown.
They don’t have either of January’s books, but I have reserved The Clock Winder for February.
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Jan 10, 2021 @ 17:35:59
Fantastic, it will be lovely to have you along for as many as you can get hold of. The first two are pretty obscure now but glad you can get The Clock Winder!
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Book review – Anne Tyler – “If Morning Ever Comes” #AnneTyler2021 | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Jan 10, 2021 @ 08:44:32
Jan 12, 2021 @ 15:33:06
Anne Tyler seems like a civilised author to read after the traumatic year of 2020. I’ve only read The Accidental Tourist (in Dutch) and Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, both of which really clicked with me, so I’ll try to share my reviews when you get to those. My library also has five of her more recent novels in stock (again, in Dutch, unfortunately). I’m not sure if her word choice and phrasing is necessary to the enjoyment of her writing, but I might just manage to read a couple this year and make my library subscription worth its while. Good luck with your challenge.
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Jan 13, 2021 @ 06:32:53
She is nice and quiet and civilised! Fair bit of death, though. I imagine a good translation will retain her language and style as far as possible in Dutch; it will be interesting to hear what you think of them in Dutch rather than English if you get a chance to read some! Sorted your typo and deleted your comment about that, by the way!
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Jan 13, 2021 @ 23:35:11
There’s an interview with Anne Tyler on Goodreads where she said “If I had the means, I would buy up every copy of my first four books and destroy them. I didn’t yet know what I was doing when I wrote those—I just wanted to write a novel, and it shows. For the others, well, I view them the way a mother cat views her grown kittens. They seem very distant to me, although I nourish a special affection for Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant.” https://www.goodreads.com/interviews/show/662.Anne_Tyler?ref=author-show It will be interesting to see if you agree.
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Jan 14, 2021 @ 19:56:42
Oh yes, I join you! AnnTyler has been one of my favourites for years and that’s something, voracious reader as I am. Little problem: I recently stopped being a member of the library, but I possess four or five of her books and let me start with buying the two January books.
Adriana, The Netherlands
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Jan 14, 2021 @ 21:43:39
Welcome, Adriana, lovely to have you with us. There’s no requirement to read everything and I’ll look forward to hearing your opinion on the ones you do get hold of! Enjoy!
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Jan 15, 2021 @ 14:19:34
Authors are often dismissive of their early books but I certainly enjoyed the first one and am looking forward to starting the second this weekend. Thank you for sharing the article!
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Book review – Anne Tyler – “The Tin Can Tree” #AnneTyler2021 | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Jan 20, 2021 @ 09:01:33
Jan 24, 2021 @ 13:59:46
I feel I’ve read most of Anne Tyler’s work over the years, though I may have missed a couple, and some I read over 20 yrs ago. They’re lovely books, I might jump in for some of the later reads!
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Jan 24, 2021 @ 15:38:16
The ones read decades ago are well worth revisiting, and I’ll look forward to hopefully having you along for a few of them!
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State of the TBR February 2021 and Book Confessions #AnneTyler2021 #ReadIndies | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Feb 01, 2021 @ 09:01:24
Six Degrees of Separation – from redheads to passion!
Feb 06, 2021 @ 11:09:02
Six Degrees of Separation: From a Redhead to a Blue Dress | Bookish Beck
Feb 06, 2021 @ 11:55:42
Feb 09, 2021 @ 10:41:44
Book review – Anne Tyler – “A Slipping-Down Life” #AnneTyler2021 | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Feb 10, 2021 @ 09:01:15
Feb 16, 2021 @ 14:41:55
Hello, I have finished another wonderful AT novel, The Slipping Down Life. My review is here: https://thecontentreader.blogspot.com/2021/02/a-slipping-down-life-by-anne-tyler.html
Already started The Clock Winder and I am really amazed how much I love her books.
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Feb 16, 2021 @ 15:04:18
A great review and I’m adding it to this page now. I reviewed this one here https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2021/02/10/book-review-anne-tyler-a-slipping-down-life/ in case you’ve not spotted it yet. And I’ve finished The Clock Winder.
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Feb 16, 2021 @ 19:49:29
Oh my goodness! I just googled “is Anne Tyler writing another book 2021” and happened upon your blog. Last week I decided I want to own her entire book collection, and was going to read them all in the same order you are. I have ordered every one and they are arriving in the mail daily. I would love to join along.
Rendy
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Feb 17, 2021 @ 06:25:13
Lovely – welcome to the blog and please do join in – you can find the reviews popping up on this page or subscribe to the blog by email or on a blog reader and you’ll see them pop up twice a month. But there’s no time limit on when you read and comment, of course! Happy reading.
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The Clock Winder by Anne Tyler (1972) | Bookish Beck
Feb 20, 2021 @ 15:03:19
Book review – Anne Tyler – “The Clock Winder” #AnneTyler2021 | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Feb 20, 2021 @ 15:40:35
State of the TBR March 2021 plus many book confessions #ReadIndies #Dewithon21 @atilatstokbroka | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Mar 01, 2021 @ 08:01:14
Mar 01, 2021 @ 12:29:49
I liked this book and found it more complex than her earlier ones. A lot of peculiar characters. My review is here: https://thecontentreader.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-clock-winder-by-anne-tyler.html
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Mar 07, 2021 @ 14:41:56
I finished The Clock Winder late in February but only got round to writing a review today, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3835099780. Ive reserved Morgan’s Crossing at the library ready for April.
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Mar 07, 2021 @ 17:11:51
Brilliant, I am adding the review to this page. You can always pop a review under the specific book (if I’ve reviewed it) as we go, too. Sorry you didn’t enjoy it too much, I am finding AT quite downbeat in general, although Celestial Navigation is becoming jollier as I go through it. I’ll look forward to you joining in again in April!
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Mar 08, 2021 @ 14:08:03
I’m not too worried about not liking this one, as I did enjoy the other books of hers that I have read. It’s not put me off continuing with the challenge.
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Mar 08, 2021 @ 15:06:32
Good news!
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Book review – Anne Tyler – “Celestial Navigation” #AnneTyler2021 | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Mar 10, 2021 @ 09:00:50
Book review – Anne Tyler – “Searching for Caleb” #AnneTyler2021 | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Mar 20, 2021 @ 10:53:02
Goodbye to Reading Ireland Month 2021!
Mar 31, 2021 @ 13:30:40
No 424 Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler
Apr 07, 2021 @ 14:29:38
Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler (1977) | Bookish Beck
Apr 10, 2021 @ 09:00:31
Book review – Anne Tyler – “Earthly Possessions” #AnneTyler2021 | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Apr 10, 2021 @ 10:05:15
Apr 10, 2021 @ 14:53:06
Book review – Anne Tyler – “Morgan’s Passing” #AnneTyler2021 | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Apr 20, 2021 @ 10:12:54
Book review – Anne Tyler – “Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant” #AnneTyler2021 | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
May 10, 2021 @ 08:01:32
My 20 Books of Summer ’21!
May 18, 2021 @ 09:58:16
Book review – Anne Tyler – “The Accidental Tourist” #AnneTyler2021 | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
May 20, 2021 @ 08:01:13
Book review – Anne Tyler – “Breathing Lessons” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Jun 10, 2021 @ 09:00:25
Book review – Anne Tyler – “Saint Maybe” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Jun 20, 2021 @ 08:00:41
Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler (1991) | Bookish Beck
Jun 21, 2021 @ 07:02:02
No 413 Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler Book 7 of #20booksofsummer
Jun 26, 2021 @ 09:27:26
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler (USA): Review no 164 – Reading and Watching the World: Books, Film and Art
Jul 07, 2021 @ 10:40:41
Book review – Anne Tyler – “Ladder of Years” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Jul 10, 2021 @ 14:50:48
Book review – Anne Tyler – “A Patchwork Planet” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Jul 20, 2021 @ 08:01:16
State of the TBR August 2021 | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Aug 01, 2021 @ 17:10:20
Book review – Anne Tyler – “Back when we were Grownups” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Aug 10, 2021 @ 08:06:09
Book review – Anne Tyler – “The Amateur Marriage” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Aug 20, 2021 @ 08:00:11
The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler (2004) | Bookish Beck
Aug 21, 2021 @ 14:06:06
State of the TBR September 2021 | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Sep 01, 2021 @ 08:00:30
Sep 01, 2021 @ 21:01:30
Sep 06, 2021 @ 16:12:33
Book review – Anne Tyler – “Digging to America” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Sep 10, 2021 @ 08:04:35
Book review – Anne Tyler – “Noah’s Compass” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Sep 20, 2021 @ 08:01:32
Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler (2009) | Bookish Beck
Sep 20, 2021 @ 10:05:57
The lure of the library – adding to the TBR – Market Garden Reader
Sep 27, 2021 @ 12:45:09
Book hauls (plural): adding to the TBR – Market Garden Reader
Oct 07, 2021 @ 01:34:38
Book review – Anne Tyler – “The Beginner’s Goodbye” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Oct 10, 2021 @ 08:00:29
Book review – Anne Tyler – “A Spool of Blue Thread” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Oct 20, 2021 @ 14:11:00
Book review – Anne Tyler – “Vinegar Girl” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Nov 10, 2021 @ 08:01:24
Book review – Anne Tyler – “Clock Dance” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Nov 20, 2021 @ 12:46:11
Book review – Anne Tyler – “Redhead by the Side of the Road” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Dec 10, 2021 @ 12:42:25
Anne Tyler reading project round-up | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Dec 20, 2021 @ 09:03:54
Book review – Anne Tyler – “French Braid” | Adventures in reading, running and working from home
Mar 07, 2022 @ 09:00:27
Sep 26, 2022 @ 06:50:15
I just ran into this as I was writing an article about one of my favorite novels which happens to be Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler. I was 22 years old and had my gallbladder removed when I read it and at first I couldn’t seem to get through the first chapter. I quickly realized that was the point.
The family that considered themselves lucky suddenly had to deal with tragedy after tragedy and the story quickly became a favorite even now that I’m 45 yrs old.
I’ve only recently read The UnAverage Marriage.
I feel like your list has shown me a whole world of Anne Tyler to explore. That’s always awesome!
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Sep 26, 2022 @ 09:03:55
Wow, that’s a great first read story! I’m glad you enjoyed that one and Amateur Marriage. I think they’re quite different so you would enjoy a large range of them. Do pop by with your thoughts on the individual novels if you read more soon!
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