OscarWilde87's reading log 2019

Hi there and welcome to my thread!
This is my sixth year on CR and I just love being part of this group of eclectic readers. So, thanks for having me. I have never been this late to the game as this year, though.

I'm a teacher of English and mathematics at a German high school and I'm in my thirties. I tend to read more fiction than non-fiction, but I generally enjoy both. My reading is all over the board and I'm interested in a wide range of topics. You'll probably find me reading classics as well as popular fiction. I finish every book that I start and I will be reviewing everything I've read here.

Each year I set some reading goals for myself and my challenge for this year will be quite simple:
1. Read a book with more than 1,000 pages. This is something I do every year and there have been so many amazing recommendations for which book that could be last year that I intend to read (at least) one of the books on that list.
2. Read at least 7,500 pages. In past years this goal read "read 25 books", but as I tend to read lots of bigger tomes Im going for a change this year.

This post will serve as my reading summary and provide some stats about my overall reading.

Reducing the TBR pile: This year's challenge (to be updated)



Currently reading:

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen


__________________________
Finished in 2019
#1:

__________________________
2019
Books read: 0
Pages read: 0

2018
Books read: 17
Pages read: 9,373

2017
Books read: 18
Pages read: 6,403

2016
Books read: 28
Pages read: 10,426

2015
Books read: 20
Pages read: 8,280

2014
Books read: 27
Pages read: 7,164

2013
Books read: 26
Pages read: 11,618

This is a re-post from last year lest I forget all the very intriguing recommendations on a 1,000+ pages book. I really plan to finish at least one of these this year.

Books with 1000+ pages
- A Suitable Boy, suggested by Liz, seconded by avaland and dukedom
- The Tale of Genji, suggested by Liz
- Bleak House, suggested by Liz
- Kristin Lavransdatter, suggested by Liz
- The Count of Monte Christo, suggested by Liz
- Les Misérables, suggested by Liz
- Against the Day, suggested by Bas
- Infinite Jest, suggested by Bas
- War and Peace, suggested by Bas
- The complete Poems, D H Lawrence, suggested by Bas
- Cairo Trilogy, suggested by avaland
- The Raj Quartet, suggested by avaland
- Against the Day, suggested by dukedom
- Jerusalem, suggested by chlorine
- It, inspired by bridgey's review
- A Dance to the Music of Time, suggested by dukedom

Dropping my star!

>3 OscarWilde87: Thank you for including the previous suggestions, so I don't have to go back and re-find all the 1000+ page books from the 1001 list. :D

Btw, you have Against the Day listed twice.

Also, I am adding a recommendation for Pilgrimage by Dorothy Richardson. Somewhere on LT there is a year-long read of it and I found the first volume challenging and wonderful. Bonus in Pointed Roofs the narrator leaves England to work as a teacher in a finishing school in Hanover, Germany.

I’ve starred your thread. I look forward to your reviews.

Good to see you here again

I find it extremely amusing that your previous years of reading reflect these numbers:

2013 = 11,000+ pages
2016 = 10,000+
2018 = 9000+
2015 = 8000+
2014 = 7000+
2017 = 6000+

2019 tba … we shall see where it falls in your running tally! It makes me curious to see how life events and circumstances can alter reading habits, by limiting or maximizing opportunity and intent. This is only my second year to observe and track my book and page counts, so I have no 'history' as you do. =) Fun puzzle!

Also, I hope to undertake my first Roth novel this year. Do you have any favourites (he's listed as one of your four favourite authors) or is there a way to ease into his work? I find him intimidating, but would like to read something after noticing that American Pastoral (2016) was made into a film by Ewan McGregor with Jennifer Connelly and Dakota Fanning. I have not seen it, but hope to after reading it. I'm just unsure if this is the best place to start. With Faulkner, I went out of my way to not read the books in an order that most fans suggested. I chose a collection of ten works, to read three annually, alphabetically. More than that, as with Hardy, is too much for me. Sometimes due diligence with research is helpful, and sometimes it becomes an obstacle. Best to ask someone who sees the author's worth. =)

>8 frahealee: Oscar is dealing a straight!

Finally got here, OW. Nice to see your thread show up. I hadn’t realized how much you prefer longer books, but the numbers show it. Wishing you good reading and curious what you’ll make of Freedom. (I have an unread copy).

>4 frahealee: >6 NanaCC: >7 baswood: Thank you all! This makes me really glad to be back in this wonderful reading community!

>5 ELiz_M: Thanks! I really hadn't noticed that before. I'm going to edit it. I do like you recommendation, but knowing myself and my reading habits it sounds really hard for me to follow a yearlong thread.

>8 frahealee: Haha, I had not seen that. :) I assume this year might become the worst of all, seeing that it's the middle of February and I have only read about 400 pages so far.

As for the Roth. I remember that I started with The Human Stain and for me it is still his best novel. You might want to start with it, if you're planning on reading at least one Roth. I also liked American Pastoral but not quite as much as The Human Stain. I'll be looking forward to hearing your thoughts on either of the two, or on yet another Roth for that matter.

>9 dchaikin: I hadn't realized that I tend to read longer books either. It only appeared to me last year, I think. Knowing it made me change my reading goal, though. It's hard not to reach you reading goal year after year after year.
I'll post a review on Freedom as soon as I have finished it. So far, I'm about 400 pages in and I have to say that I do like it.