The list of books I want to read is always growing, but recently it's become almost intimidating. And although I'm not usually one for planning how and when I read - unless it's holiday packing time, and I have to choose between socks and stories - I took some time to pick out the books I'm most excited for and dedicate the last few months of the year to those.
Here are some thoughts on each book prior to starting them:
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafrón. My grandfather has been telling me to read this translated book for as long as I can remember, so it takes priority. Set in postwar Barcelona, this follows a boy who sets about hunting down the author of a mysterious book. It appears he has the only copy of his works in existence, and someone has been intent on destroying all evidence of his writing. This is said to capture the magic of libraries, and the power of books. Unsurprisingly, I'm intrigued!
Being an Adult: the ultimate guide to... by Lucy Tobin & Kat Poole. This came highly recommended by Leena Norms, who I trust explicitly with book advice. Written with tips from 'proper adults' including plumbers, doctors and finance experts, this should go beyond the clichés we all hear. Hopefully this will give some practical advice about renting, asking for pay rises and everything in between. I'll report back!
The Pisces by Melissa Broder. I think Beth Mccoll recommended this, whose writing style I adore - honest, confessional, brave, funny... This is Melissa's debut novel about a character's crawl from rock bottom, fuelled by an obsession with love. Melissa explores how love can feel like the very thing that could both 'fix and break you' at the same time. People are very divided with this one, which makes me all the more excited to give it a try.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. This was recommended by a friend, and is about a father who takes his family to the Belgian Congo in 1959, and their lives are transformed. This is supposedly eye-opening when it comes to postcolonial Africa, which is something I know embarrassingly little about. I sense this will be similar to The Girls by Emma Cline with its cult-like themes, or Amity and Sorrow by Peggy Riley which shows how someone can convince a huge number of people that the end of the world is coming.
A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood. A blogger compared Laura's richly descriptive writing to Fitzgerald's, and that alone was enough to have me joining the hype. The main character (an aspiring writer) has always been curious about the empty house in her village (Similar to When Marnie Was There) and the owners arrive one summer, bringing with them a world of 'moonlit cocktail parties and glamour beyond (...) wildest dreams'. Very Gatsby. I can't wait.
I doubt I'll finish all of these before the year is up, and I'm not necessarily challenging myself to (I've already read a lot this year and there's no rush to read them all) but these are in the 'next-up category'. I'll update on progress here and on GoodReads. Let me know what you're wanting to read on the run-up to Christmas, I'm always curious.
