In the last few weeks books have been on my mind. As I think I've said before there was a time when books, and the reading of them, was a central organising principle of my life. But in recent years it has all but disappeared as a leisure activity for me. First there was the post child sleep deprivation thing, then postgraduate research sucked all the will to read out of me. I was reduced to the occasional summer holiday read. I don't even have a bedside light anymore. PATHETIC!
But the Time Traveller's Wife has really got me back on the horse. I'm obsessed with finding another good book, and making the time to read it. With only four weeks to go until I finish my job, and hence my daily commute and reading opportunity, I'm scrambling to lay the ground work for a bumper reading list.
And because I'm an obsessive process oriented list loving kind of gal I decided it would be unreasonable of me to expect anyone to make reliable recommendations without first assessing my general literary taste. So perhaps it is time to start on my list of favourites. And then I'll let someone take me on, bird under the wing style, to steer me back into the literary fold.
But when I saw Suse's bookshelf views I thought that might be a place to start. I should say I don't actually own many books. Lots of house moves, limited space and loans never returned have resulted in just a glimpse of the books I have read, and whilst I endeavour to hold on to favourites, I'm pretty hopeless.
When I look at the selection I realise that there's some crap in there I'd never dream of re-reading (why do I hold onto them?!) and many of my favourites are missing, but it's a starting point. One day when I am bored or something I might actually try and sort them in descending order based on how strongly I feel about them. That should fuck with my head. And then I'll write it out in a nice neat list.
4 comments:
Have you heard of www.bookmooch.com or Bookcrossing.com? The first is a place where you request books you want and send ones to others. The second is where you track books you've randomly released into the wild for others to pick up...
I second the above suggestions. I've been a BC member for a few years now, and although releasing books into the wild and tracking them is the main feature, there's also the bookrings and bookrays which you might want to give a try (check the forum). Bookmooch is also great if you have books you want to trade, and it works very well. And a third suggestion for keeping your book list: http://www.librarything.com/.
In addition to the others I've recommended, I simply must add 'A Fine Balance' by Rohinton Mistry which is one of the most beautifully written, poignant-funny-sad books I've ever read. I borrowed it from the library so can't lend it to you, but it's worth getting hold of.
Yay! List making, process oriented, Type A's UNITE! I really liked this book blog...and I have some good book recommendations: "Housekeeping" by Marilyn Robinson, "Oryx and Crake"(dark, but good)by Margaret Atwood, "All Falling Down" (??did I get that title right?) by Nick Hornby, "My Year of Meats" by Ruth Ozeki, "Middlesex" by Eugenides (yikes, forgot his first name and misspelled his last name, for sure...) and about a thousand others. Happy reading fellow bibliophile.
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