I have an endless list of books that have piqued my interest, but I’ve found that prescribing a set list for a month or year never works -- I hate being told what to do, even by myself! The “stare at the shelves until something calls to you” is my usual method of picking my next read. :)
I just finished reading The Round House by Louise Erdrich. I would move that one way up on your list. What a voice. The writing inspires me. Can't believe it took that long to discover this author!
I do not compile a TBR list. I just read about books and browse bookstores and when something clicks, I will either download a sample on kindle, see if it’s available on Libby or just buy it. Just buy it seems to be my preferred method though, much to the chagrin of my husband lol. I have overflowing books everywhere. They keep me company and some are there to comfort, some to help me learn something new, some to entertain, and some to enrich my life. I am in a book group and they choose books I would never have purchased otherwise. Some are good and some I couldn’t finish, but I like it. And the wine. Lol. And most especially the camaraderie of fellow book readers.
p.s. Also, could you/we write about the books of our childhoods? You. mentioned Sherlock Holmes which was a great influence on me. I have two books published with a female Sherlock and Dr. Watson because of that influence.
I always look at Book Riot's Book Challenge for the year to see if I want to follow it that year. Ever since the first year I did that, I have read way more books by black authors, indigenous authors, and authors from other countries. I have always read LGBTQ books because I am a queer author myself. I read books recommended to me by my sister, and books that strike my fancy because I read reviews, or other readers recommended them. I gave up on book clubs when Zoom happened. I just finished two books by Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux, and am currently reading a book by a queer author. I have a thriller waiting for me at the library.
My TBR consists of books that are, well, to be read. No planning except for a monthly book challenge I participate in. I generally pick a book the same way as Ashley commented!
I was described by a writing class tutor some years back as ‘a promiscuous reader’. I don’t think she intended it as a compliment but I took it as one. I don’t do reading lists nor am a fan of book clubs. Last year you introduced me to ‘The Kitchen is Closed’ by Sandra Butler. I was reading a hard copy two days later and loving it. Thank you again for that. And today? Well,I am in bed for a second day with a stinking cold and starting to read ‘Anne of Green Gables’ for the umpteenth time, a favourite book since childhood 70 plus years ago. I didn’t know I would be doing this yesterday. It was watching a 1934 RKO film version on BBC iPlayer that has prompted me. In the film Anne’s school teacher says to the class ‘No definite rules are necessary for fine writing’. I can’t remember that in the book. I will see. I have never been good at grammar or clever with words. I enjoy you talking about books, but you might save yourself a lot of angst if you took one book at a time. Here’s to another great year for Spark. ❤️Robert 🐰
I track books that I want to read almost endlessly, but I've never actually created a full-on goal list of books that I want to read in a given amount of time. I'm a big fan of the idea and might create separate lists for the first half of the year and the second half of the year to make it more manageable. Also, would love to hear your tips on how to tackle those "monster" books like Ulysses, which I love to THINK about reading, but I always chicken out before I even start.
(And of course, I must thank you for the newsletter recommendation. Truly, it's greatly appreciated!)
I have an endless list of books that have piqued my interest, but I’ve found that prescribing a set list for a month or year never works -- I hate being told what to do, even by myself! The “stare at the shelves until something calls to you” is my usual method of picking my next read. :)
I just finished reading The Round House by Louise Erdrich. I would move that one way up on your list. What a voice. The writing inspires me. Can't believe it took that long to discover this author!
I do not compile a TBR list. I just read about books and browse bookstores and when something clicks, I will either download a sample on kindle, see if it’s available on Libby or just buy it. Just buy it seems to be my preferred method though, much to the chagrin of my husband lol. I have overflowing books everywhere. They keep me company and some are there to comfort, some to help me learn something new, some to entertain, and some to enrich my life. I am in a book group and they choose books I would never have purchased otherwise. Some are good and some I couldn’t finish, but I like it. And the wine. Lol. And most especially the camaraderie of fellow book readers.
p.s. Also, could you/we write about the books of our childhoods? You. mentioned Sherlock Holmes which was a great influence on me. I have two books published with a female Sherlock and Dr. Watson because of that influence.
I always look at Book Riot's Book Challenge for the year to see if I want to follow it that year. Ever since the first year I did that, I have read way more books by black authors, indigenous authors, and authors from other countries. I have always read LGBTQ books because I am a queer author myself. I read books recommended to me by my sister, and books that strike my fancy because I read reviews, or other readers recommended them. I gave up on book clubs when Zoom happened. I just finished two books by Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux, and am currently reading a book by a queer author. I have a thriller waiting for me at the library.
My TBR consists of books that are, well, to be read. No planning except for a monthly book challenge I participate in. I generally pick a book the same way as Ashley commented!
I was described by a writing class tutor some years back as ‘a promiscuous reader’. I don’t think she intended it as a compliment but I took it as one. I don’t do reading lists nor am a fan of book clubs. Last year you introduced me to ‘The Kitchen is Closed’ by Sandra Butler. I was reading a hard copy two days later and loving it. Thank you again for that. And today? Well,I am in bed for a second day with a stinking cold and starting to read ‘Anne of Green Gables’ for the umpteenth time, a favourite book since childhood 70 plus years ago. I didn’t know I would be doing this yesterday. It was watching a 1934 RKO film version on BBC iPlayer that has prompted me. In the film Anne’s school teacher says to the class ‘No definite rules are necessary for fine writing’. I can’t remember that in the book. I will see. I have never been good at grammar or clever with words. I enjoy you talking about books, but you might save yourself a lot of angst if you took one book at a time. Here’s to another great year for Spark. ❤️Robert 🐰
I track books that I want to read almost endlessly, but I've never actually created a full-on goal list of books that I want to read in a given amount of time. I'm a big fan of the idea and might create separate lists for the first half of the year and the second half of the year to make it more manageable. Also, would love to hear your tips on how to tackle those "monster" books like Ulysses, which I love to THINK about reading, but I always chicken out before I even start.
(And of course, I must thank you for the newsletter recommendation. Truly, it's greatly appreciated!)