Well I had at least heard of 4 of your books! I tried Where the Crawdads Sing' but couldn't get away from the fact that every one was raving about the film which put me off. It just seemed to be another another class clash in America. I read the David Mitchell one some years ago. Probably time to find it on my shelves and read it again . I have only seen the Bourne ones as films. Interesting that the story differs. Whah not just make a film and call it something different.? No Country For old Men... I want to see the film but perhaps should read the book First. So none of my last year's reads are there. Isn't it great that there are always so many to choose from 😊
With 'Crawdads' it was the very fact it was raved about when it first emerged that put me off. I haven't seen the film. I wouldn't be afraid of watching No Country for Old Men before the book (it might even enhance the read? Also, The Road - same thing. I saw both films before reading the books and absolutely loved the books). The Bourne book was long and quite complex. Possibly tricky to make the film of it. Happy reading, Clare. Thanks for peeking in. Barrie
Underworld has been unread on my bookshelf for 25 years as well. Is 2024 the year? Did you enjoy it? I finally read The Goldfinch this year after looking at it on the shelf for years, and loved it!
I really did enjoy the story; because it took a long time to read, sometimes it was hard to hold the plotlines in my head ... but I think it meant I read it more intentionally and so got more from it. 'The Goldfinch' I haven't read ... yet!
Love the list and even found a few I've read. Cloud Atlas, absolutely brilliant, Bird by Bird, interesting and helpful. I also have chosen not to read the Crawdads. However I probably will in the future.
I cut right back on my reading a few months ago for the same reason, there was little time left for writing, and I really want to write more not less. Maybe once I retire I can do more of both, meanwhile I like 23 for this year. 🙏
It just feels so much kinder to ourselves to stay away from big targets and deadlines. Writing more always feels like the answer, whatever the question.
My aversion to 'must reads' is no secret, and I still haven't been tempted to pick up Crawdads. You have reminded me, however, that Bird by Bird and the Border Trilogy are waiting on my shelves, and I'm interested to see your thoughts on Ansell's book (I loved Deep Country, too). And Soundings is on my list after being recommended by Wendy (Notes From The Margin) Pratt.
I have the border trilogy and I’m planning a reread of The Road (and a first go at No Country for Old Men). I actually REALLY enjoyed Crawdads. Not seen the movie and no intention to. So many good books around!
It sounds like you had a fantastic reading year in 2022! Fifty-nine books is quite impressive. Setting a goal of 23 books for 2023 seems like a balanced approach, allowing more time for your writing. How do you plan to strike that balance between reading and writing this year?
By setting myself up on Substack I seem to have incentivised myself to write more. A real mix too of encouragement and fiction (a new direction for me). The balance feels about right. On track for the book target and scribbling furiously.
That’s great. Its always wonderful when you get an extra benefit! I’ve read nowhere near that this last year. I need to get back on the reading horse. My bookshelf is creaking but I’ve got tied up with other stuff. 🤦🏻♀️
I haven’t read so many of these Barrie, Cloud Atlas - yes, brilliantly inspiring and creative, Murakami - always, although I’ve not read all yet... Jo Nesbo - because it was in a book swap box but wow, what intricate cast weaving... and the Last Wilderness is in my ‘to read’ pile but now I want to read Derp Country.. 🙏🏽
I really loved Deep Country whereas The Last Wilderness was just ... okay. I feel bad saying that. There were nice bits. Overall it just felt it tried a bit hard. Nesbo is great.
Ooh some gems in this list! Riding the iron rooster 🥰 and Cloud Atlas 💯 To go with each of those, may I suggest Ghost Train to the Eastern Star (+ the Great Railway Bazaar) and The Bone Clocks... 🙌
So sorry, Jill, missed this ... love your recommendations. The Bone Clocks caught my eye ... intriguing title. I read (and loved) The Great Railway Bazaar ... 'Ghost Train' on the list. And I have a notion to take a rail journey to 'somewhere' (ask JoJo and she'll roll her eyes and say "are you angling for Istanbul again" - yes is the obvious answer!) ... we'd take an apartment and I would have the bare bones of a thriller by the end of the stay! Watch this space!
Every year I join the Goodreads reading challenge and I always set my goal at 100, but there's no particular reason for that. I don't try to achieve the goal per se. It's just an easy reminder that I want to track what I do read. I also always give the books I read five stars on Goodreads because if I bothered to finish the book then I liked it enough to finish it. :)
Anything which inspires us to read regularly (and widely, I think) feels good ... I like the idea of tracking and also sharing positive recommendations ... always good to guide folk to our favourites
Yes, it's also an easy place for me to track what I've read so when I want to recommend a book to someone and can't remember the name (which is always) I can skim there and find it :)
I find myself wondering now if I'd relate to my list any differently if I set my book goal to 1 rather than 100. Since I don't actually try to meet the goal anyway, it shouldn't matter ... and yet I think somehow it would make a difference. Gonna muse on that.
I'm not sure how I would cope with 100 (even knowing it is notional). It is such a big number. 57 was daunting last year but I was determined to kickstart a habit. The 59 I ended up reading included some necessary 'lighter' reads (a bit of sword and sandals, some Bond, John Rebus) to pick up the pace every now and then. Like you, I struggle to pop up with a recommendation so these lists are good places to guide folk to. And reading is so subjective ... I'm terrified of foisting my favourites onto other folk who'd hate them!
It just really helped me, Mark ... I am a bear of little brain and the fragmentation had me spinning like Beetlejuice. They're all great stories and for me they hung together better when I pieced them together as whole 'chapters'. Hope you enjoy the re-read
Great list! I'm a big believer that less is often more when it comes to reading goals. Of these I've only read Bird by Bird and Cloud Altas. Not my favourite David Mitchell book, but I think one of his most ambitious creations!
Thanks so much, Simon ... I think you're right - in fact, no goals at all planned for next year. Yes, I'm a fan of Ghostwritten. I even liked 'Black Swan Green', which the critics were sniffy about, as I recall. I'm out of date and see he's written way more. Any recommendations from his more contemporary work? I love the creativity and ambition of Cloud Atlas - as a writer it makes you believe in anything being possible.
Oh I wanted to like Black Swan Green, but it felt a bit like I needed to know all his other books better to appreciate it. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet was one of my favourites, perhaps because of my weakness for historical fiction. The Bone Clocks is brilliant, and reminded me of Alan Moore and a little of Emily St. John Mandel.
Love how my list is growing ... SO much left to read! Great recommendations, thank you, with a fabulous undercurrent of enthusiasm and book loving! Thanks, Simon. In the meantime, I have bookmarked your 'Footnotes' from today for a read - lovely to see it getting a lot of sharing. B
Hi Sutee, wait til you see last year’s list. 59 crackers. Love the setting for your profile picture. Is that home or a local restaurant/coffee shop? Nice vibe! Thanks for peeking in.
Thanks! The photo was taken at Mil Centro, Virgilio Martinez's restaurant in the Sacred Valley, Peru. They offer a one-of-a-kind tasting menu featuring Andean ingredients.
How do you track which books you read and which ones you want to read next?
Great question, Sutee ... my goodness, I wish I had a system. Recommendations that people make, scribbled in notebooks, occasionally recompiled into a 'list' for a shopping trip. We're living in France now so the freedom to pop into favourite UK independent stores is saved for visits. Maybe I'll have to finally give in to Kindle ... or maybe not - I do like a physical book. We have a decent collection and there are still books on the shelf I haven't read or which I want to re-read.
Just finished Underworld. It’s name kept cropping so I took that as an omen. Enjoyed but hard at times. The opening prologue on the baseball game had me absolutely gripped. Incredible writing to capture the energy of the game. I’m not a sports fan, have no knowledge of baseball (apart from isn’t just rounders made complicated!?) but it took me right into that sports stadium.
If you like the separate storylines that intertwine then can recommend Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr.
Thanks so much for the recommendation, Andrea. Like you, I was a little uncertain around the baseball - well, the whole American culture is so outside my experience - but the human stories are so compelling. I was ready to start with a sprawling, slowly unfolding epic and it fitted the bill. Luck not judgement! It’s funny how a book pops out. Published in 1997 and still being read for the first time.
Cloud Atlas is getting some love. And I love how the Murakami is as much about life as anything else. A gentle philosophy, a reminder to follow our own path.
I love how confident it made me as a writer that ‘anything goes’. Such a mash up of styles, settings, characters, bound together so cleverly. And the fragmentation of it blows the mind. It really is an astonishing piece. ‘Ghostwritten’ was a big favourite too.
Well I had at least heard of 4 of your books! I tried Where the Crawdads Sing' but couldn't get away from the fact that every one was raving about the film which put me off. It just seemed to be another another class clash in America. I read the David Mitchell one some years ago. Probably time to find it on my shelves and read it again . I have only seen the Bourne ones as films. Interesting that the story differs. Whah not just make a film and call it something different.? No Country For old Men... I want to see the film but perhaps should read the book First. So none of my last year's reads are there. Isn't it great that there are always so many to choose from 😊
With 'Crawdads' it was the very fact it was raved about when it first emerged that put me off. I haven't seen the film. I wouldn't be afraid of watching No Country for Old Men before the book (it might even enhance the read? Also, The Road - same thing. I saw both films before reading the books and absolutely loved the books). The Bourne book was long and quite complex. Possibly tricky to make the film of it. Happy reading, Clare. Thanks for peeking in. Barrie
Underworld has been unread on my bookshelf for 25 years as well. Is 2024 the year? Did you enjoy it? I finally read The Goldfinch this year after looking at it on the shelf for years, and loved it!
I really did enjoy the story; because it took a long time to read, sometimes it was hard to hold the plotlines in my head ... but I think it meant I read it more intentionally and so got more from it. 'The Goldfinch' I haven't read ... yet!
Thank you for the list of potential reads!!
A great pleasure ... any particular favourites?
I’d like to read...
4.
6.
9.
13.
And 16
I’ll start with those. Haha
That's a fine selection!
Love the list and even found a few I've read. Cloud Atlas, absolutely brilliant, Bird by Bird, interesting and helpful. I also have chosen not to read the Crawdads. However I probably will in the future.
I cut right back on my reading a few months ago for the same reason, there was little time left for writing, and I really want to write more not less. Maybe once I retire I can do more of both, meanwhile I like 23 for this year. 🙏
It just feels so much kinder to ourselves to stay away from big targets and deadlines. Writing more always feels like the answer, whatever the question.
Always 🙏
My aversion to 'must reads' is no secret, and I still haven't been tempted to pick up Crawdads. You have reminded me, however, that Bird by Bird and the Border Trilogy are waiting on my shelves, and I'm interested to see your thoughts on Ansell's book (I loved Deep Country, too). And Soundings is on my list after being recommended by Wendy (Notes From The Margin) Pratt.
I have the border trilogy and I’m planning a reread of The Road (and a first go at No Country for Old Men). I actually REALLY enjoyed Crawdads. Not seen the movie and no intention to. So many good books around!
It sounds like you had a fantastic reading year in 2022! Fifty-nine books is quite impressive. Setting a goal of 23 books for 2023 seems like a balanced approach, allowing more time for your writing. How do you plan to strike that balance between reading and writing this year?
By setting myself up on Substack I seem to have incentivised myself to write more. A real mix too of encouragement and fiction (a new direction for me). The balance feels about right. On track for the book target and scribbling furiously.
That’s great. Its always wonderful when you get an extra benefit! I’ve read nowhere near that this last year. I need to get back on the reading horse. My bookshelf is creaking but I’ve got tied up with other stuff. 🤦🏻♀️
Looking forward to hearing what you read over the next few months.
I haven’t read so many of these Barrie, Cloud Atlas - yes, brilliantly inspiring and creative, Murakami - always, although I’ve not read all yet... Jo Nesbo - because it was in a book swap box but wow, what intricate cast weaving... and the Last Wilderness is in my ‘to read’ pile but now I want to read Derp Country.. 🙏🏽
I really loved Deep Country whereas The Last Wilderness was just ... okay. I feel bad saying that. There were nice bits. Overall it just felt it tried a bit hard. Nesbo is great.
Ooh some gems in this list! Riding the iron rooster 🥰 and Cloud Atlas 💯 To go with each of those, may I suggest Ghost Train to the Eastern Star (+ the Great Railway Bazaar) and The Bone Clocks... 🙌
So sorry, Jill, missed this ... love your recommendations. The Bone Clocks caught my eye ... intriguing title. I read (and loved) The Great Railway Bazaar ... 'Ghost Train' on the list. And I have a notion to take a rail journey to 'somewhere' (ask JoJo and she'll roll her eyes and say "are you angling for Istanbul again" - yes is the obvious answer!) ... we'd take an apartment and I would have the bare bones of a thriller by the end of the stay! Watch this space!
Every year I join the Goodreads reading challenge and I always set my goal at 100, but there's no particular reason for that. I don't try to achieve the goal per se. It's just an easy reminder that I want to track what I do read. I also always give the books I read five stars on Goodreads because if I bothered to finish the book then I liked it enough to finish it. :)
Anything which inspires us to read regularly (and widely, I think) feels good ... I like the idea of tracking and also sharing positive recommendations ... always good to guide folk to our favourites
Yes, it's also an easy place for me to track what I've read so when I want to recommend a book to someone and can't remember the name (which is always) I can skim there and find it :)
I find myself wondering now if I'd relate to my list any differently if I set my book goal to 1 rather than 100. Since I don't actually try to meet the goal anyway, it shouldn't matter ... and yet I think somehow it would make a difference. Gonna muse on that.
I'm not sure how I would cope with 100 (even knowing it is notional). It is such a big number. 57 was daunting last year but I was determined to kickstart a habit. The 59 I ended up reading included some necessary 'lighter' reads (a bit of sword and sandals, some Bond, John Rebus) to pick up the pace every now and then. Like you, I struggle to pop up with a recommendation so these lists are good places to guide folk to. And reading is so subjective ... I'm terrified of foisting my favourites onto other folk who'd hate them!
Very interesting, thank you. Iwas thinking of rereading Cloud Atlas so maybe I'll do it ion the order you suggest this time
It just really helped me, Mark ... I am a bear of little brain and the fragmentation had me spinning like Beetlejuice. They're all great stories and for me they hung together better when I pieced them together as whole 'chapters'. Hope you enjoy the re-read
Great list! I'm a big believer that less is often more when it comes to reading goals. Of these I've only read Bird by Bird and Cloud Altas. Not my favourite David Mitchell book, but I think one of his most ambitious creations!
Thanks so much, Simon ... I think you're right - in fact, no goals at all planned for next year. Yes, I'm a fan of Ghostwritten. I even liked 'Black Swan Green', which the critics were sniffy about, as I recall. I'm out of date and see he's written way more. Any recommendations from his more contemporary work? I love the creativity and ambition of Cloud Atlas - as a writer it makes you believe in anything being possible.
Oh I wanted to like Black Swan Green, but it felt a bit like I needed to know all his other books better to appreciate it. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet was one of my favourites, perhaps because of my weakness for historical fiction. The Bone Clocks is brilliant, and reminded me of Alan Moore and a little of Emily St. John Mandel.
Love how my list is growing ... SO much left to read! Great recommendations, thank you, with a fabulous undercurrent of enthusiasm and book loving! Thanks, Simon. In the meantime, I have bookmarked your 'Footnotes' from today for a read - lovely to see it getting a lot of sharing. B
Thanks! Footnotes getting a foothold on substack. It's a nice place to be able to share my writing.
There's some encouragement for my Encourage Meant too ;)
Agree wholeheartedly, a good place to find ourselves
Great list. I've read just enough books on this list to know that I want to read the rest of the books on the list!
Hi Sutee, wait til you see last year’s list. 59 crackers. Love the setting for your profile picture. Is that home or a local restaurant/coffee shop? Nice vibe! Thanks for peeking in.
Thanks! The photo was taken at Mil Centro, Virgilio Martinez's restaurant in the Sacred Valley, Peru. They offer a one-of-a-kind tasting menu featuring Andean ingredients.
How do you track which books you read and which ones you want to read next?
It sounds like the sort of place we would love.
Great question, Sutee ... my goodness, I wish I had a system. Recommendations that people make, scribbled in notebooks, occasionally recompiled into a 'list' for a shopping trip. We're living in France now so the freedom to pop into favourite UK independent stores is saved for visits. Maybe I'll have to finally give in to Kindle ... or maybe not - I do like a physical book. We have a decent collection and there are still books on the shelf I haven't read or which I want to re-read.
What about you?
Just finished Underworld. It’s name kept cropping so I took that as an omen. Enjoyed but hard at times. The opening prologue on the baseball game had me absolutely gripped. Incredible writing to capture the energy of the game. I’m not a sports fan, have no knowledge of baseball (apart from isn’t just rounders made complicated!?) but it took me right into that sports stadium.
If you like the separate storylines that intertwine then can recommend Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr.
Thanks so much for the recommendation, Andrea. Like you, I was a little uncertain around the baseball - well, the whole American culture is so outside my experience - but the human stories are so compelling. I was ready to start with a sprawling, slowly unfolding epic and it fitted the bill. Luck not judgement! It’s funny how a book pops out. Published in 1997 and still being read for the first time.
Books!!! Hell yes, I love this so much. 9 & 13 are favourites of mine for sure 👌🏽
Cloud Atlas is getting some love. And I love how the Murakami is as much about life as anything else. A gentle philosophy, a reminder to follow our own path.
You've got some real favourites of mine here. Cloud Atlas was the book that inspired me to start writing when I was 15.
I love how confident it made me as a writer that ‘anything goes’. Such a mash up of styles, settings, characters, bound together so cleverly. And the fragmentation of it blows the mind. It really is an astonishing piece. ‘Ghostwritten’ was a big favourite too.
I may have to re-read it next year. It truly is a beauty. How Neil Ansell holds so much knowledge in his head is amazing