It seems all I've done is post lists lately... I promise this will be the last one! I've decided to attempt the 2012 TBR ("To Be Read") Pile Challenge sponsored by RoofBeam Reader. To conquer the challenge, I must read twelve books I've had on my bookshelf for at least a year and write a review for each, all before December 31, 2013. These are the books I have chosen:
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
Figures in Silk by Vanora Bennett
Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler
Queen Margot by Alexandre Dumas
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
In a Dark Wood Wandering by Hella S. Haasse
Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex
The Light Possessed by Alan Cheuse
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
The Girl at the Lion d'Or by Sebastian Faulks [completed 1/27/13]
Alternates:
Particles and Luck by Louis B. Jones
The Royal Physician's Visit by Per Olov Enquist
Twelve books leaves me plenty of room for new releases, as I read nearly thirty books this past year. If I make it through these twelve, I won't feel guilty replenishing my shelves!
Have you read any of them? Where should I begin? I still need to finish Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage and Abraham Vergese's Cutting for Stone before I start another book. I'm halfway done with each of those.
There's still time to join the challenge! Find twelve unread books published before 2012 on your shelves and link to your list at RoofBeam Reader's blog.
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5 comments:
Wolf Hall is a must. Mantel's writing is truly superb. I would not waste much time on The Inheritance of Loss. I love Sebastian Faulks. I hope you'll keep us posted on which ones you enjoy.
A nice list! Wolf Hall is wonderful; after reading it, it was a while before I could pick up anything else. Figures in Silk and My Name Is Red are also excellent, as is the Haasse (her masterpiece, imho). I wish there was more set during that period of French history. Sarah Canary is a distant memory for me but I recall it as rather quirky, not that that's a bad thing. I wasn't reading nearly as much literary fiction then, so I may want to reread it at some point.
I'm embarrassed that I haven't read Wolf Hall yet; I started it a while back but got sidetracked. The Cheuse, Fowler and Jones books were ones I got when I attended the Squaw Valley Writer's conference, which has a literary fiction bent.
Part of the challenge is to write reviews of the books read, so you'll definitely hear what I think. :)
I, also, hear good things about Wolf Hall, though I haven't read it. It's been on my list for some time. I've had Brighton Rock for YEARS and still it sits there, I don't know why. I've read one other Graham Greene (The Power and the Glory) and enjoyed it, and I'll be reading another this year for the 2013 challenge/Spring semester course. I haven't read any of the others on your list, so I'm interested to see what they're all about & hear your thoughts. Thanks for joining the challenge - glad you're with us, and good luck!
Thanks for hosting the challenge, Roof Beam! Time to clear those shelves and make room for new books!
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