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The Big Re-Read

February 27, 2012 in Challenges | 5 comments

So, I got into a really deep conversation with my friend Silvery Dude before Christmas about how I might mark my turning 50. This has turned into two distinct projects: Films to Watch Before I’m 51 over on Bride of the Screen God, and now the The Big Re-Read, which is about re-visiting books that have been important to me for whatever reason over the years.

It won’t come as any great surprise that it took a great deal of consideration before I settled on my final what was supposed to be 12 books (one a month until 31 January 2013) and which is now what I’m calling a Baker’s Dozen plus Two. And I’m also starting a month later than intended which also tells you how much pondering I have done, adding books right up until yesterday. Some quite important titles haven’t made the cut for various reasons which I will explain when I get there.

I will write about these books once I’ve re-read them but they won’t be reviews as such, more an explanation of why they are important to me and a little bit of metadata (when I first read it, how many times since and so on). This is meant to be a fun thing, looking back over a reading life, which sounds a bit serious but really, really isn’t intended to be so.

Finally the list (in abasolutely no order whatsoever):

Nemesis by Agatha Christie
Katherine by Anya Seton
The Abbess of Crewe by Muriel Spark
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
Jacob’s Room by Virginia Woolf
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse
Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood
Life: A User’s Manual by Georges Perec
Gilles et Jeanne by Michel Tournier
The Telling of Lies by Timothy Findley
Goodbye Without Leaving by Laurie Colwin
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
Bride of the Rat God by Barbara Hambly

The honourable non-inclusions are:

Lord of the Rings – well , I’ve read this so many times and it had a huge impact on me but it is so magnificent that it really needs to stand on its own; and a re-read will happen at sometime I’m sure
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark – her masterpiece but already dealt with here
Family Happiness by Laurie Colwin – covered here
Duplicate Keys by Jane Smiley – a marvelous thriller/crime novel which I talked about here
Espedair Street by Iain Banks – Scottish rock novel extraordinaire

Sunday Salon – reading update 26 February

February 26, 2012 in Sunday Salon | 5 comments

A momentous week! I have finished not one but two books and am feeling very pleased with myself indeed. The Hunger Games is done, as is On Monsters, which the Book God bought me for Christmas and which I have been reading steadily since then. Reviews on both to follow shortly (I hope).

No new books made it into the Bride’s home this week, but I still haven’t spent my birthday book token so that situation will change I’m sure.

I have a lot of books (almost too embarrassed to say how many there are in our joint library) which means that I sometimes forget exactly what I have. This leads to an occasional duplicate purchase, but can also result in a very nice surprise. That happened today when I was discussing this article with the Book God and half way through our chat realised that I had one of the books mentioned (At Day’s Close) – now started as my non-fiction read.

But this weekend is all about the Oscars. I have the day off work tomorrow so I can stay up all night and watch the ceremony. I have seen hardly any of the nominated films this year but nevertheless will be cheering on some of my favourite actors (Kenneth Branagh, Christopher Plummer, Gary Oldman) and enjoying the clothes!

Sunday Salon – reading update 18 February

February 19, 2012 in Sunday Salon | 3 comments

So far 2012 has been focussed around my special birthday, and this means that I haven’t yet managed to finish a book, though I have been doing a bit of reading as and when I can.

I have about half a dozen books on the go at the moment and really do want to have a go at finishing a couple before the end of February to break my duck for 2012.

In addition to my birthday presents, which I talked about here, other books have made their way into the Bride’s abode:

A Card from Angela Carter by Susannah Clapp – a miniature study of the sadly missed author, who left us before her time
The Hunting Ground by Cliff McNish – “is not for younger readers” – I considered myself warned
Pure by Andrew Miller – winner of the 2011 Costa Novel Award
Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins – just in case I ever finish The Hunger Games
Death Walks in Eastrepps by Francis Beeding – and Arcturus Crime Classic – an imprint showcasing “unjustly neglected works by great writers” from the 1930s to the 1970s
The Twenty-Third Man by Gladys Mitchell – I love Mrs Bradley with a passion
Mr Briggs’ Hat by Kate Colquhoun – “a sensational account of Britain’s first railway murder”
The Greatcoat by Helen Dunmore – “in the dark she slid back the curtain again and there he was” – ooh, more ghosts
Pathfinders by Jim Al-Khalili – the golden age of Arabic science

Just need to finish something!

Birthday loot

February 18, 2012 in Book buys | 4 comments

I have been very quiet on the blogging front, mostly because January was spent planning and preparing for my 50th birthday party which was held on 4 February and was really lovely and fabulous. I was a very lucky woman, being given some gorgeous presents, though not many were books – I can understand why, though; given the size of my library it would be a brave person who would buy me a book on spec.