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2019 Reading Challenge !!
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Mod
In 2018 I stumbled upon books written by essayists, I finished reading Calypso, the latest personal essays by David Sedaris which are very funny (and right after reading Circe I found the title of the book amusing too...). From there I also discovered a few contemporary female writers which I've had a glimpse of their work and would love to explore more. Finishing a collection by Joan Didion is a goal for the year 2019.
Another genre I didn't know I would enjoy is poetry. I'm reading The Sun and her flowers by Rupi Kaur, which is modern, and I would say very feminist. I think Amanda Lovelace's work are more light-hearted and I look forward to reading them this year. My list also includes the work of traditional poets like TS Eliot and even Shakespeare's sonnets, although I'm not too ambitious about finishing any particular book of theirs.
2018 is also a year which I found Irish writers really flourished (or am I just late to the party?). Young writers like Sally Rooney with her new book Normal People is now high on the list of my favourite writers and fictions. Man booker prize winner Milkman is on my reading list for this year, and also cannot wait to get my hands on a hardcopy of Tana French's new book.
One of my new year resolutions is to find ways of adjusting my habits so I can read more... am very excited about the new year of Books!!!
Mod
Last year, I found good rhythm reading approx. one book per week and alternating between favorite authors; continuing series; new publications; and old classics that I had missed. New books I'd recommend: Educated; Circe; The Leavers; There There; The Witch Elm; and I Have a Right To. Classics that I would include on must read list: To Kill a Mockingbird; 1984; Memoirs of a Geisha; The Alienist; and Ready Player One (for 1980s nostalgia). For those reading series: A Death in Vienna (Daniel Silva); Death on the Nile (Agatha Christie); and The Big Sleep (Raymond Chandler) were all excellent.
My 2019 reading list currently includes:
- 2018 notable publications: Milkman (Booker prize winner); Washington Black; The Great Believers; Asymmetry; Beneath a Scarlet Sky; and Where the Crawdads Sing
- Non-Fiction: Beloved (Michelle Obama); Dopesick (Opioid crisis); Mastering the Market Cycle (Howard Marks); How Democracy Dies; and Social Physics
- Favorite authors: Ruth Ozeki (The Face); Murakami (Killing Commendatore plus The Rat series); and Harper Lee (Go Set a Watchman)
- Classics: The Help; It Can't Happen Here; Beloved; and I Am Pilgrim.
- Series: Gabriel Allon (Daniel Silva); Agatha Christie; Sherlock Holmes; and Philip Marlow (Raymond Chandler)
Lastly, there are authors I've never read that will eventually tackle, notably Dickens; John Irving; John le Carre; and Raymond Carver.
Once get past feeling overwhelmed by how many amazing books to read, can use this approach to get motivated and excited to explore new ideas and adventures.
I’m looking forward to reading everyone's thoughts, even if only a few lines!
Happy New Year! (Can I still say that or is it too late?) I'm still behind all my reading ambitions from last year and only adding more and more to the list of books I want to read... I'm gonna tentatively say I'm targeting 30 books this year...
If any of you or your friends are crime readers and would like to give some fresh names a try, a couple of my MA Creative Writing classmates had their debuts published last year and this year:
Guess Who by Chris McGeorge
After the Eclipse by Fran Dorricott (who spent many nights on my couch during our MA and had to wait 2 years since her publishing deal for her novel to finally come out this March)
All Your Fault by J.C. Lewin
These are all commercial fiction fast reads, so I wouldn't expect this to blow your socks off but if you'd like an easy read in between and an author who really appreciates a review, here they are.
I'm done reading all of Ruth Ozeki and am waiting for another author to blow me away in the same way.
I loved reading John Niven's "Kill Your Friends" and would really recommend it to anyone with a bit of a dark humour. I've started reading Straight White Male hoping it would be just as good but have a been disappointed so far.
Happy reading!
Mod
http://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment...
This is the 3rd year of our group. We have 18 people members now. The group is public and open to anyone so feel free invite friends who would add to our growing dialogue.
How many books are you planning to read in 2019? Any favorites to recommend from 2018? I'll add my own to this chain later.
Looking forward to hearing new ideas and approaches.
Thanks!
Eric