Literary.feline goes to war against the Leaning Tower of TBR
Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2015
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1literary.feline
Hi everyone!
I’m a PhD student in French literature and general bookworm. I didn’t have much spare time to participate in the group last year, but I’m hoping to be a bit more active this year and not just lurk around adding all kinds of books from various threads to my TBR :)
During the first portion of the year, I’ll be reading a lot for my upcoming exams so there’ll be more literary theory and contemporary French literature on my thread. I still manage to read for pleasure and I tend to read quite a wide range of books, including YA, travel, anything dystopian as well as whatever else happens to catch my eye.
I read 115 books last year which was a personal best. I’m hoping to get close again this year but between my studies, working abroad and traveling this year, I’m not sure how close to my goals I will get. I’ll aim for 75 again so that there’s no pressure, but I’m secretly hoping to get to 100.
Top Books of 2014
Le dernier des Justes by André Schwarz-Bart
Un habit de lumière by Anne Hébert
A Fortunate Age by Joanna Smith Rakoff
Un aller simple by Didier van Cauwelaert
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
Nord perdu suivi de “Douze France” by Nancy Huston
Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle
La vie devant soi by Romain Gary
2015 Reading Resolutions
This year, I’d like to make a big push towards tackling my TBR piles that are taking over my house. I have about 280 unread books on my shelves and since I’ll likely be moving this fall, I’d like to reduce the amount that I put in storage. I read quite quickly and enjoy reading on my Kindle so my goal is to work towards a more curated collection of my absolute favourite physical books.
1. I’m going to try and not purchase any physical books this year between January to April. I’ll be working in France in June and July so I’d like to have the freedom to pick up a couple of books while I’m there, but otherwise, I’m going to try and stick to reading what I already have.
2. I’d like to donate at least 50 books to Little Free Libraries in my area. These don’t all need to be read this year as I have a few from 2014 that I’d like to pass along, but my goal is to part with at least 50 friends books.
3. I’d also like to read at least 30 physical books from my TBR shelf. I know that for many people that doesn’t seem like a lot, but I have a lot of books on my Kindle that I’d like to read. It's also likely that I won’t be near my shelves often this year so I’ll end up reading from my Kindle quite a bit.
This is the first year that I'm making actual resolutions for my reading, but we will just have to see if this becomes a recurring tradition.
Wishing everyone a fantastic 2015!
Rebecca
I’m a PhD student in French literature and general bookworm. I didn’t have much spare time to participate in the group last year, but I’m hoping to be a bit more active this year and not just lurk around adding all kinds of books from various threads to my TBR :)
During the first portion of the year, I’ll be reading a lot for my upcoming exams so there’ll be more literary theory and contemporary French literature on my thread. I still manage to read for pleasure and I tend to read quite a wide range of books, including YA, travel, anything dystopian as well as whatever else happens to catch my eye.
I read 115 books last year which was a personal best. I’m hoping to get close again this year but between my studies, working abroad and traveling this year, I’m not sure how close to my goals I will get. I’ll aim for 75 again so that there’s no pressure, but I’m secretly hoping to get to 100.
Top Books of 2014
Le dernier des Justes by André Schwarz-Bart
Un habit de lumière by Anne Hébert
A Fortunate Age by Joanna Smith Rakoff
Un aller simple by Didier van Cauwelaert
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
Nord perdu suivi de “Douze France” by Nancy Huston
Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle
La vie devant soi by Romain Gary
2015 Reading Resolutions
This year, I’d like to make a big push towards tackling my TBR piles that are taking over my house. I have about 280 unread books on my shelves and since I’ll likely be moving this fall, I’d like to reduce the amount that I put in storage. I read quite quickly and enjoy reading on my Kindle so my goal is to work towards a more curated collection of my absolute favourite physical books.
1. I’m going to try and not purchase any physical books this year between January to April. I’ll be working in France in June and July so I’d like to have the freedom to pick up a couple of books while I’m there, but otherwise, I’m going to try and stick to reading what I already have.
2. I’d like to donate at least 50 books to Little Free Libraries in my area. These don’t all need to be read this year as I have a few from 2014 that I’d like to pass along, but my goal is to part with at least 50
3. I’d also like to read at least 30 physical books from my TBR shelf. I know that for many people that doesn’t seem like a lot, but I have a lot of books on my Kindle that I’d like to read. It's also likely that I won’t be near my shelves often this year so I’ll end up reading from my Kindle quite a bit.
This is the first year that I'm making actual resolutions for my reading, but we will just have to see if this becomes a recurring tradition.
Wishing everyone a fantastic 2015!
Rebecca
2literary.feline
Books Read in 2015
January
1. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (Started in 2014)
2. Georgette! by Farida Belghoul (Started in 2014)
3. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (Started in 2014)
4. Le chercheur d'Afriques by Henri Lopes
5. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi - ROOT
6. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
7. My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody (Started in 2014) - ROOT
8. Un Amico Italiano: Eat, Pray Love in Rome by Luca Spaghetti (Started in 2014) - ROOT
9. Half Life by Roopa Farooki - ROOT
10. The Real Real by Emma Mclaughlin - ROOT
11. Bleu-Blanc-Rouge by Alain Mabanckou
12. Gare du nord by Abdelkader Djemaï
13. Geocriticism: Real and Fictional Spaces by Bertrand Westphal (Started in 2014)
14. Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell
15. More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell
16. Le petit prince de Belleville by Calixthe Beyala
17. Kiffer sa race by Habiba Mahany
18. Vivre à l'arrache by El Driss
19. Le coeur des enfants léopards by Wilfried N'Sondé
20. Writerly Identities in Beur Fiction and Beyond by Laura Reeck
21. Mon nerf by Rachid Djaidani
22. Le roman français aujourd'hui: Transformations, perceptions, mythologies edited by Bruno Blanckeman and Jean-Christophe Millois
23. L'ostie d'chat, Tome 3 by Iris and Zviane
24. La petite Malika by Habiba Mahany and Mabrouk Rachedi
25. Racaille by Karim Sarroub
26. Le roman urbain contemporain en France by Christina Horvath
27. The Coming Community by Giorgio Agamben
28. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
29. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
30. Je suis noir et je n'aime pas le manioc par Gaston Kelman
31. Afrique sur Seine: Une nouvelle génération de romanciers africains à Paris by Odile Cazenave
32. Postcolonial Theory: A Critical Introduction by Leela Gandhi
33. #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso
34. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
35. Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam - ROOT
February
36. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
37. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
38. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
39. Ils disent que je suis une beurette by Soraya Nini
40. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
41. In the United States of Africa by Abdourahman A. Waberi
42. The Painter from Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein - ROOT
43. Bird Box by Josh Malerman
44. Into the Wild by John Krakauer
45. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
46. Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - ROOT
47. Night Film by Marisha Pessl
48. Cités à comparaître by Karim Amellal
49. Listening for Small Sounds by Penelope Trevor
50. The Laughing Cry by Henri Lopes
51. Punch Like a Girl by Karen Krossing - ER
52. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
53. L'aîné des orphelins by Tierno Monénembo
54. The Martian by Andy Weir
55. The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan
56. The Lampshade by Mark Jacobson - ROOT
57. Ces âmes chagrines by Léonora Miano
March
58. Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed
59. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
60. The Beach by Alex Garland
61. The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
62. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
63. Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler
April
64. Food by Jim Gaffigan
65. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
May
66. This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
67. The Diviners by Libba Bray
68. Opportunity Rings by Sheryl Steinberg - ROOT
June
69. Six Weeks to Toxic by Louisa McCormack - ROOT
70. Mr. Commitment by Mike Gayle
71. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
August
72. René by Disiz
73. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
74. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
75. Italian Shoes by Henning Mankell
76. Soumission par Michel Houellebecq
77. Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisburger
September
78. Zone cinglée par Kaoutar Harchi
79. The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff
80. Europa by Tim Parks
October
81. La petite marchande de souvenirs par François Lelord
82. The Quest for Postcolonial Utopia by Ralph Pordzik
83. Gueule de bois par Insa Sané
84. Oracle Night by Paul Auster
85. Sarajevo Marlboro by Miljenko Jergovic
86. The Postnational Fantasy by Masood Ashraf Raja
87. Tu seras partout chez toi by Insa Sané
88. Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic
November
89. Around the World in 80 Lays by Joe Diamond - ROOT
90. Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
91. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger - ROOT
92. A Teeny Bit of Trouble by Michael Lee West - ROOT
93. The Attack by Yasmina Khadra - ROOT
94. Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner - ROOT
December
95. Lost Between Houses by David Gilmour - ROOT
96. Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella
97. Maidenhead by Tamara Faith Berger - ROOT
98. All That Glitters by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez - ROOT
99. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - ROOT
100. La bella vita: Live and Love the Italian Way by Aminda Leigh and Pietro Pesce - ROOT
101. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman - ROOT
102. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson - ROOT
Total 102/75
ROOT 23/30
January
1. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (Started in 2014)
2. Georgette! by Farida Belghoul (Started in 2014)
3. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (Started in 2014)
4. Le chercheur d'Afriques by Henri Lopes
5. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi - ROOT
6. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
7. My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody (Started in 2014) - ROOT
8. Un Amico Italiano: Eat, Pray Love in Rome by Luca Spaghetti (Started in 2014) - ROOT
9. Half Life by Roopa Farooki - ROOT
10. The Real Real by Emma Mclaughlin - ROOT
11. Bleu-Blanc-Rouge by Alain Mabanckou
12. Gare du nord by Abdelkader Djemaï
13. Geocriticism: Real and Fictional Spaces by Bertrand Westphal (Started in 2014)
14. Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell
15. More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell
16. Le petit prince de Belleville by Calixthe Beyala
17. Kiffer sa race by Habiba Mahany
18. Vivre à l'arrache by El Driss
19. Le coeur des enfants léopards by Wilfried N'Sondé
20. Writerly Identities in Beur Fiction and Beyond by Laura Reeck
21. Mon nerf by Rachid Djaidani
22. Le roman français aujourd'hui: Transformations, perceptions, mythologies edited by Bruno Blanckeman and Jean-Christophe Millois
23. L'ostie d'chat, Tome 3 by Iris and Zviane
24. La petite Malika by Habiba Mahany and Mabrouk Rachedi
25. Racaille by Karim Sarroub
26. Le roman urbain contemporain en France by Christina Horvath
27. The Coming Community by Giorgio Agamben
28. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
29. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
30. Je suis noir et je n'aime pas le manioc par Gaston Kelman
31. Afrique sur Seine: Une nouvelle génération de romanciers africains à Paris by Odile Cazenave
32. Postcolonial Theory: A Critical Introduction by Leela Gandhi
33. #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso
34. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
35. Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam - ROOT
February
36. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
37. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
38. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
39. Ils disent que je suis une beurette by Soraya Nini
40. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
41. In the United States of Africa by Abdourahman A. Waberi
42. The Painter from Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein - ROOT
43. Bird Box by Josh Malerman
44. Into the Wild by John Krakauer
45. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
46. Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - ROOT
47. Night Film by Marisha Pessl
48. Cités à comparaître by Karim Amellal
49. Listening for Small Sounds by Penelope Trevor
50. The Laughing Cry by Henri Lopes
51. Punch Like a Girl by Karen Krossing - ER
52. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
53. L'aîné des orphelins by Tierno Monénembo
54. The Martian by Andy Weir
55. The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan
56. The Lampshade by Mark Jacobson - ROOT
57. Ces âmes chagrines by Léonora Miano
March
58. Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed
59. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
60. The Beach by Alex Garland
61. The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
62. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
63. Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler
April
64. Food by Jim Gaffigan
65. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
May
66. This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
67. The Diviners by Libba Bray
68. Opportunity Rings by Sheryl Steinberg - ROOT
June
69. Six Weeks to Toxic by Louisa McCormack - ROOT
70. Mr. Commitment by Mike Gayle
71. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
August
72. René by Disiz
73. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
74. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
75. Italian Shoes by Henning Mankell
76. Soumission par Michel Houellebecq
77. Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisburger
September
78. Zone cinglée par Kaoutar Harchi
79. The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff
80. Europa by Tim Parks
October
81. La petite marchande de souvenirs par François Lelord
82. The Quest for Postcolonial Utopia by Ralph Pordzik
83. Gueule de bois par Insa Sané
84. Oracle Night by Paul Auster
85. Sarajevo Marlboro by Miljenko Jergovic
86. The Postnational Fantasy by Masood Ashraf Raja
87. Tu seras partout chez toi by Insa Sané
88. Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic
November
89. Around the World in 80 Lays by Joe Diamond - ROOT
90. Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
91. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger - ROOT
92. A Teeny Bit of Trouble by Michael Lee West - ROOT
93. The Attack by Yasmina Khadra - ROOT
94. Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner - ROOT
December
95. Lost Between Houses by David Gilmour - ROOT
96. Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella
97. Maidenhead by Tamara Faith Berger - ROOT
98. All That Glitters by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez - ROOT
99. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - ROOT
100. La bella vita: Live and Love the Italian Way by Aminda Leigh and Pietro Pesce - ROOT
101. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman - ROOT
102. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson - ROOT
Total 102/75
ROOT 23/30
3literary.feline
Books Donated in 2015
1. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman
2. My Booky Wook by Russell Brand
3. A Desirable Residence by Madeleine Wickham
4. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
5. The Art of Saying Goodbye by Ellyn Bache
6. The Real Real by Emma McLaughlin
7. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
8. Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal
9. Truth or Dare by Ella Monroe
10. Copenhagen by Michael Frayn
11. My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody
12. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
13. Dirty Little Secrets by Kerry Cohen
14. How to Lose a Battle by Bill Fawcett
15. Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman
16. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
17-27. Various history and language books to charity
28. The Lampshade by Mark Jacobson
29. Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
30. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
31. The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
32. Fighting for Hope by Petra Kelly
33. Conversations with Stalin by Milovan Djilas
34. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
35. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
36. A History in Fragments by Richard Vinen
37. Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig
38. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
39. The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx
40. Weekend in Paris by Robyn Sisman
40/50
Books Acquired in 2015
1. The Martian by Andy Weir (audiobook)
2. My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki (e-book)
3. The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood (e-book)
4. Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell (e-book)
5. More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell (e-book)
6. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (e-book)
7. Punch Like a Girl by Karen Krossing (Early Reviewer)
8. L'ostie d'chat Tome 3 by Iris and Zviane (Gift)
9. A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah (Little Free Library)
10. Listening for Small Sounds by Penelope Trevor (Little Free Library)
11. Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler (e-book)
12. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (e-book)
13. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton (e-book)
14. The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide (e-book)
15. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (e-book)
16. Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris (e-book)
17. Frog by Mo Yan (e-book)
18. Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (e-book)
19. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (e-book)
20. Lock In by John Scalzi (e-book)
21. Rickshaw Boy by Lao She (e-book)
22. Bird Box by Josh Malerman (e-book)
23. Snobs by Julian Fellowes (e-book)
24. The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes (e-book)
25. Revival by Stephen King (e-book)
26. No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (e-book)
27. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters (e-book)
28. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed (e-book)
29. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
30. No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
31. Paradise News by David Lodge
32. La place by Annie Ernaux
33. Le Grand Meaulnes by Henri Alain-Fournier
34. The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart
35. The Continuity Girl by Leah McLaren
36. In the Wings by Carole Corbeil (Little Free Library)
37. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
38. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
39. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
40. Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
41. The Pearl by John Steinbeck
42. Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck
43. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (e-book)
45. The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer (e-book)
46. Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix (e-book)
47. Torch by Cheryl Strayed (e-book)
48. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (e-book)
49. The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki
50. The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
51. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
52. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
53. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
54. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
55. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
56. The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
57. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (Little Free Library)
58. The Boy Who Loved Rain by Gerard Kelly (Early Reviewer)
59. Lost Between Houses by David Gilmour
60. The Attack by Yasmina Khadra
61. Sexy by Joyce Carol Oates
62. Le ravissement de Lol V. Stein by Marguerite Duras
63. How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton
64. A Death in Vienna by Frank Tallis
65. Where is Here? by Joyce Carol Oates
66. The Only Problem by Muriel Spark
1. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman
2. My Booky Wook by Russell Brand
3. A Desirable Residence by Madeleine Wickham
4. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
5. The Art of Saying Goodbye by Ellyn Bache
6. The Real Real by Emma McLaughlin
7. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
8. Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal
9. Truth or Dare by Ella Monroe
10. Copenhagen by Michael Frayn
11. My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody
12. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
13. Dirty Little Secrets by Kerry Cohen
14. How to Lose a Battle by Bill Fawcett
15. Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman
16. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
17-27. Various history and language books to charity
28. The Lampshade by Mark Jacobson
29. Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
30. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
31. The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
32. Fighting for Hope by Petra Kelly
33. Conversations with Stalin by Milovan Djilas
34. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
35. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
36. A History in Fragments by Richard Vinen
37. Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig
38. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
39. The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx
40. Weekend in Paris by Robyn Sisman
40/50
Books Acquired in 2015
2. My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki (e-book)
3. The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood (e-book)
6. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (e-book)
12. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (e-book)
13. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton (e-book)
14. The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide (e-book)
16. Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris (e-book)
17. Frog by Mo Yan (e-book)
18. Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (e-book)
20. Lock In by John Scalzi (e-book)
21. Rickshaw Boy by Lao She (e-book)
23. Snobs by Julian Fellowes (e-book)
24. The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes (e-book)
25. Revival by Stephen King (e-book)
26. No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (e-book)
27. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters (e-book)
29. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
30. No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
31. Paradise News by David Lodge
32. La place by Annie Ernaux
33. Le Grand Meaulnes by Henri Alain-Fournier
34. The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart
35. The Continuity Girl by Leah McLaren
36. In the Wings by Carole Corbeil (Little Free Library)
37. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
38. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
39. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
40. Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
41. The Pearl by John Steinbeck
42. Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck
43. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
45. The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer (e-book)
46. Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix (e-book)
47. Torch by Cheryl Strayed (e-book)
48. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (e-book)
49. The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki
50. The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
51. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
52. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
53. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
57. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (Little Free Library)
58. The Boy Who Loved Rain by Gerard Kelly (Early Reviewer)
61. Sexy by Joyce Carol Oates
62. Le ravissement de Lol V. Stein by Marguerite Duras
63. How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton
64. A Death in Vienna by Frank Tallis
65. Where is Here? by Joyce Carol Oates
66. The Only Problem by Muriel Spark
5literary.feline
Thanks, Jim! Let's see if I manage to stick with them :)
6The_Hibernator
Hi literary.feline! Good luck with your reading resolutions this year. :) So far, I am surprised by The Coldest Girl in Coldtown - the beginning was quite interesting. But I'm only a few chapters in. We'll see. Glad you liked it.
7literary.feline
The read-a-thon has really helped me finish up some books I started in 2014 and get ahead with some of my studying, which is basically just reading.
I also just finished my first ROOT of the year: Reading Lolita in Tehran. I really enjoyed this memoir, although not for the reasons I expected. While it was nice to hear about Nafisi's opinions on certain books, I was more keen on following the different women she taught and following their stories. Overall, this was a great choice to start off the year because it's really making me want to find what other little gems have been hiding out on my bookshelves for the past couple of years.
I also just finished my first ROOT of the year: Reading Lolita in Tehran. I really enjoyed this memoir, although not for the reasons I expected. While it was nice to hear about Nafisi's opinions on certain books, I was more keen on following the different women she taught and following their stories. Overall, this was a great choice to start off the year because it's really making me want to find what other little gems have been hiding out on my bookshelves for the past couple of years.
8AuntieClio
>7 literary.feline: I really enjoyed Reading Lolita in Tehran, although I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read all the books discussed. Lolita would have to be the only book on Earth, and I would have to be extremely bored and desperate before I ever read it.
Oh, and hi! I'm dropping a star.
Oh, and hi! I'm dropping a star.
9The_Hibernator
>8 AuntieClio: Lolita would have to be the only book on Earth, and I would have to be extremely bored and desperate before I ever read it.
Ha!
Ha!
10literary.feline
>8 AuntieClio: Haha, that made me laugh :) Unfortunately, as a literature student, I feel that someday I shall have to confront Lolita just so that I can properly understand all the references to it in criticism. Hopefully I can put off that day a little while longer!
11The_Hibernator
Happy weekend!
12curioussquared
Just found your thread - I graduated in June with a BA in French lit and am always looking for French recommendations so I'll definitely be dropping by occasionally!
13literary.feline
>11 The_Hibernator: Thanks! Hope your week has been going well! I've been hunkered down in study mode and looking forward to a bit of a break this weekend.
>12 curioussquared: Yay! It's always nice to meet someone who studied French lit. You'll have to let me know what French lit you like to read, I'm sure I'll have some suggestions for you!
Oh, and some other news. My boyfriend started reading on my Kindle and enjoyed it so much that I decided to order a new Kindle early so that he could keep using my older one. I think I would have ended up prying it out of his hands if I ever wanted to read on it again. Anyway, my new Kindle is supposed to arrive today and I think I'm a little too excited to see what the Paperwhite screen looks like. Since my life has consisted of nothing but studying for the last few days, this Kindle arrival is definitely a bright spot in my otherwise monotonous constant studying life.
Even though I've been reading a ton for my dissertation, I haven't had any standouts that I would recommend for people to just pick up to read for pleasure. Bleu-Blanc-Rouge by Alain Mabanckou was quite enjoyable and I know that there's a very good English translation for those that want to read a bit more contemporary French lit that deals with immigration issues.
I've also been slowly reading Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures on and off over the past couple of days. This has been my "fun" book and I've been really, really enjoying it. The stories aren't too long and it's written in a very accessible way. I can definitely see why it won the Giller a few years back. There are some interesting stylistic things that have caught my attention as well and make the book quite a pleasant read. My edition has a sticker on it mentioning that there was an HBO show made based on the book. I'm wondering if anyone has watched it since I'm quite curious to see how the adaptation is.
>12 curioussquared: Yay! It's always nice to meet someone who studied French lit. You'll have to let me know what French lit you like to read, I'm sure I'll have some suggestions for you!
Oh, and some other news. My boyfriend started reading on my Kindle and enjoyed it so much that I decided to order a new Kindle early so that he could keep using my older one. I think I would have ended up prying it out of his hands if I ever wanted to read on it again. Anyway, my new Kindle is supposed to arrive today and I think I'm a little too excited to see what the Paperwhite screen looks like. Since my life has consisted of nothing but studying for the last few days, this Kindle arrival is definitely a bright spot in my otherwise monotonous constant studying life.
Even though I've been reading a ton for my dissertation, I haven't had any standouts that I would recommend for people to just pick up to read for pleasure. Bleu-Blanc-Rouge by Alain Mabanckou was quite enjoyable and I know that there's a very good English translation for those that want to read a bit more contemporary French lit that deals with immigration issues.
I've also been slowly reading Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures on and off over the past couple of days. This has been my "fun" book and I've been really, really enjoying it. The stories aren't too long and it's written in a very accessible way. I can definitely see why it won the Giller a few years back. There are some interesting stylistic things that have caught my attention as well and make the book quite a pleasant read. My edition has a sticker on it mentioning that there was an HBO show made based on the book. I'm wondering if anyone has watched it since I'm quite curious to see how the adaptation is.
14literary.feline
Starting the weekend off reading Station Eleven on my new Kindle and getting a kick out of all of the Toronto references. I'm definitely hooked and have a feeling I will be flying through this novel.
15literary.feline
During a train ride back to Toronto from Quebec City this week, I decided to take a break from studying and ended up finishing All the Light We Cannot See and reading about two-thirds of The Silkworm.
I went into reading All the Light We Cannot See with high expectations but I felt like the alternating perspectives got a bit tiring about halfway through. It's strange because I didn't feel that way at all while reading Station Eleven and I'm having a bit of trouble putting my finger on exactly what left me feeling just a bit dissatisfied with the Doerr novel. It was still very beautifully written and enjoyable, but I was happy to reach the end...
I went into reading All the Light We Cannot See with high expectations but I felt like the alternating perspectives got a bit tiring about halfway through. It's strange because I didn't feel that way at all while reading Station Eleven and I'm having a bit of trouble putting my finger on exactly what left me feeling just a bit dissatisfied with the Doerr novel. It was still very beautifully written and enjoyable, but I was happy to reach the end...
16curioussquared
I loved The Cuckoo's Calling and The Silkworm - just pure fun. How are you liking it?
In terms of what I like to read French lit-wise, I'm honestly open to anything! A few things that I read semi-recently and enjoyed were Magnus by Sylvie Germain, Piege pour Cendrillon by Sebastien Japrisot, and Oscar et la dame rose by Eric Emmanuel-Schmidt but I'd be interested in any recommendations you might have :)
In terms of what I like to read French lit-wise, I'm honestly open to anything! A few things that I read semi-recently and enjoyed were Magnus by Sylvie Germain, Piege pour Cendrillon by Sebastien Japrisot, and Oscar et la dame rose by Eric Emmanuel-Schmidt but I'd be interested in any recommendations you might have :)
17literary.feline
>16 curioussquared: I actually read The Cuckoo's Calling and The Silkworm while I was taking the train from Toronto to Quebec City and I felt like they were the perfect books to make the 9 hour journey pass by quickly. I really enjoyed them and was happy to hear that there are a few more books planned in the series
Here are some books you might want to check out (and that aren't too long or difficult as well):
La délicatesse by David Foenkinos
L'amour dure trois ans by Frédéric Beigbeder
Un aller simple by Didier van Cauwalaert
Passion simple by Annie Ernaux
Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise by Dai Sijie
Also not sure if you've gotten to read anything by Milan Kundera, a Czech writer who published his first books in Czech and now writes in French. You might enjoy the translation of The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
Happy reading!
Here are some books you might want to check out (and that aren't too long or difficult as well):
La délicatesse by David Foenkinos
L'amour dure trois ans by Frédéric Beigbeder
Un aller simple by Didier van Cauwalaert
Passion simple by Annie Ernaux
Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise by Dai Sijie
Also not sure if you've gotten to read anything by Milan Kundera, a Czech writer who published his first books in Czech and now writes in French. You might enjoy the translation of The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
Happy reading!
18literary.feline
Oops! I succumbed to my book buying ban today. One of the few used bookstores in my neighbourhood is closing and almost all books are only a dollar. There were a lot of really excellent books that were like new and I wouldn't be surprised if I stop by again over the next few weeks. Here's what I ended up buying:
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - I've read this before, but really wanted my own copy because I'm hoping to re-read it this year.
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
Paradise News by David Lodge
La place by Annie Ernaux
Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain-Fournier
The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart
The Continuity Girl by Leah McLaren
I've been a bit down from studying so much over the past few days so it was a nice treat to go for a walk (it was the perfect temperature outside today too) and pick up some fun books.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - I've read this before, but really wanted my own copy because I'm hoping to re-read it this year.
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
Paradise News by David Lodge
La place by Annie Ernaux
Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain-Fournier
The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart
The Continuity Girl by Leah McLaren
I've been a bit down from studying so much over the past few days so it was a nice treat to go for a walk (it was the perfect temperature outside today too) and pick up some fun books.
19curioussquared
Thanks for the recs! Will definitely look into them :) I have an English copy of the Sijie sitting around but I'll have to look for it in French as well.
