November was a *very* busy month with reading events, and I had lots of plans – as I revealed in this post… I’m not sure it has gone entirely as I intended, although I *have* ticked the box for each one. But some were read before November, and I did have a bit of a slump in the middle of the month when work was ridiculously busy and then I had a hideous head cold (HOW! How could I catch a cold when I have basically been wearing a mask since March??????) I found it very hard to settle while the American Election drama was taking place, too – so much seemed to hinge on it and thank goodness for the result. Anyway, this is the small pile of books read during November:
Although it’s a smaller pile than I usually feature at the end of the month, there are some really interesting titles and authors in there. The Gallic Revolutionary Women books are something I’m covering for Shiny New Books. There are items from some of my bookish subscriptions, Penguin Moderns, crime, Atwood and Barthes! I did enjoy all the books I read, and there will be a review of the Barthes coming up this week; I will count that as a Non-Fiction November read as it’s definitely non-fiction and was definitely read in November! 😀
Looking forward to December, with all the stress and strain and confusion in the world at the moment, it’s going to be a difficult one I feel. So I plan to try to keep the reading simple and go with things I really want to read, and which will give me some escapism from rotten reality. One of the main issues I’ve been having is feeling overwhelmed with the amount of book piles lying around unread, so I had a bit of a tidy up and coralled a lot of the pending titles onto a little bookshelf which now looks like this:
This has made me feel a lot calmer and now I feel I can just pick what I fancy off the shelves and enjoy following my reading mojo. To look more specifically at the options, here are the possibles in the various rows…
The top shelf has some beautiful books sent by BL Publishing – Sci Fi Classics, Crime Classics and Women Writers. Any of these would be perfect comfort reads for a long month. Then there are subscription books from Fum d’Estampa, Renard Press and Sulunary Editions – I want to read them all at once…. There are review copies of Chekhov and Penguin classic sci fi, all of which look and sound lovely. And at the end, my collection of Susan Cooper’s “The Dark is Rising” sequence. I’ve wanted to re-read these for ages, and of course December is the time to do it. Should I? Could I?
Here’s the middle shelf! There are some incredibly beautiful NYRB editions here, and all of them are screaming for attention. Then there are some lovely books that wonderful people have sent me (thank you Olga Zilberbourg and QC Fiction). I still have a little stack of unread Fitzcarraldos, which I could read now, or hang onto in case Lizzy and I decide to do another Fitzcarraldo Fortnight! And I have a huge pile of Mike Walmer’s lovely editions to catch up on – such wonderful titles!!
The bottom shelf is more of a mish-mash, with a number of books which have been lying around for a while with no real connection between them. Again, all are interesting and would be good reads – it’s just a case of deciding! 😀
However, decisions are a little more complex thanks to the arrival of some new titles this week:
Some are review copies, and some are purchases (thank you Blackwells and Hive!) However, the arrival of five new Penguin Great Ideas editions has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works as far as my reading plans are concerned!
I had intended to read all 120(!!!!) in order, although after the first set of 20 I only have a piecemeal collection. These five were the ones I most wanted from the new set, and I got them at very reasonable prices. And now I’m thinking – as I don’t own the whole lot, would it be cheating to read them in whatever order took my fancy?? Do I actually *need* to read them in the order 1 to 120, bearing in mind that that wouldn’t be chronological beause each set of 20 starts with an ancient classic and ends with a more modern work? So I could maybe just read whichever one I wanted when the mood takes me….?
So what to you think? *Is* that cheating? Should I just read the Great Ideas in whatever order suits my reading mojo? And which of these books appeals most? Really, I don’t know what to pick up next!! ;D
Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings 
Nov 30, 2020 @ 07:29:48
There’s no cheating in reading – unless you pretend to read something you didn’t. I reckon you should read them in the order that takes your fancy. Anything else, really, is likely to feel a chore than something you are doing for pleasure.
I think a lot of us didn’t read as much as we expected in November. I sure didn’t. I’m not American, but I have dear American friends, including one in California with whom I correspond weekly, and we were focused on the election.
I have a plan to resort my TBR piles, or, at least the ones I really think I’ll read in the next little while, so good on you for doing it.
Nov 30, 2020 @ 10:08:11
Good point – and I’ve never pretended to read a book! 😀 It *is* my reading project after all, and I want to enjoy it – so reading in the order I prefer would be the best way to have fun!
The whole election saga was so intense – I didn’t realise till after the result became clear how invested I’d been in it.
And yes – shuffling the TBR piles does help a lot and I feel a lot less pressured having done so!
Nov 30, 2020 @ 08:22:59
Read what you want when you want. But DO read the Susan Coopers! Matthew and I did them starting at Christmas a few years ago (re-re-read for me, first time for him) and really enjoyed doing it. Oh, I just checked and we did them 30 Dec 2012 – end of Jan 2013. Anyway, it was great to do that at the turn of the year.
Nov 30, 2020 @ 10:40:10
I’m certainly feeling the urge to read in a random order and I probably will, as it’s my project! As for the Coopers, I’ve been wanting to re-read for a long time, and this could be the ideal Christmas to do so, as we’re not likely to be seeing anyone…
Nov 30, 2020 @ 09:49:30
Oh, I’m all for going with your mojo (which seems to be the group consensus here)! I always enjoy these glimpses into your reading shelves, despite the downside, i.e., I end up adding more titles to my own TBR list!
Nov 30, 2020 @ 10:40:42
Yeah, I think I may just do that! And sorry (not sorry) about the effect on the TBR…. ;D
Nov 30, 2020 @ 11:53:02
Read whatever you like, whenever you like, in any order you like!
Relax and enjoy it, I say:)
Nov 30, 2020 @ 18:36:34
Absolutely! I want to enjoy the experience and the books and the ideas, so I shall go where my whim takes me!
Nov 30, 2020 @ 11:56:13
I hope you enjoy December – reading what you want when you want! Sounds like a plan!
Nov 30, 2020 @ 18:35:53
I think so – at the end of the day I’m reading for enjoyment, pleasure, mental stimulation, escape, new ideas – and it has to be something I *want* to do!
Dec 01, 2020 @ 13:09:09
Exactly!
Dec 01, 2020 @ 15:59:33
;D
Nov 30, 2020 @ 12:12:13
I enjoy your Great Ideas reviews .You’ve made me think I should start collecting them and for what it’s worth I think you should read them as the mood takes you. Too easy for reading to turn into a chore otherwise.
Nov 30, 2020 @ 18:35:06
Thank you! It’s such an interesting set and you’re quite right – making them into a chore would spoil it, so I shall continue to read as the mood takes me!
Nov 30, 2020 @ 12:41:16
I wish I could read more hours a day than I do. I also let projects get away and try to read too much around each book before I blog or write — and I teach and write reviews for periodicals too. Evenings I can write but not take much in except through a movie. It’s hard to follow one’s plans 🙂
Nov 30, 2020 @ 18:23:18
It *is* difficult to stick to things, and I never have enough time to read either…. I’ll just have to give up sleeping! 😀
Nov 30, 2020 @ 15:34:46
Yes read in whatever order you like, they look absolutely gorgeous. I’m very tempted to copy you!
Nov 30, 2020 @ 17:36:07
I think I will – as the mood takes me! It’s a long-term project so I need to do it my way! 😀
Nov 30, 2020 @ 17:45:14
Absolutely not cheating at all – do whatever makes sense to you, and don’t make life difficult for yourself.
Love the sight of your shelves and book piles, I recognise some of those British Library books, the women writers series is fast becoming a favourite of mine. Happy reading.
Nov 30, 2020 @ 18:37:15
Yes, I shan’t beat myself uyp – I want to enjoy the process after all! And yes – some lovely books on those shelves, all calling loudly! 😀
Nov 30, 2020 @ 19:56:12
Reading is a pleasure, do whatever you want! 🙂
Nov 30, 2020 @ 20:46:04
I will! :DDD
Nov 30, 2020 @ 20:18:34
I’m a staunch reading mojo believer at all times, the books speak and know what they are doing! And look at all those beauties that will get their chance to speak to you. 🙂
Nov 30, 2020 @ 20:45:56
Tru! I do find I rebel if I feel I *ought* to read something. The reading mojo it is! 😀
Dec 01, 2020 @ 00:21:12
So many
Books, so little time.
Non-fiction
Fiction, crime.
How blessed we are to be of
Those who love to read.
Dec 01, 2020 @ 11:36:56
Indeed we are – always so many pleasures awaiting us! 😀
Dec 01, 2020 @ 11:06:05
Yes, time to relax and read whatever (he says, attacking review copies with gusto and thinking up new projects to boot!).
Dec 01, 2020 @ 11:35:59
Definitely! Though I have started December with a rush, throwing myself at a review copy, so there you go! 😀
Dec 01, 2020 @ 11:25:38
The Port of London Murders and The Long Gallows are on my TBR. Hopefully I’ll get to them this month.
Dec 01, 2020 @ 11:35:29
Port is wonderful….. And I’m looking forward to The Long Gallows as I’ve really enjoyed the Bencolin books so fara!
Dec 01, 2020 @ 16:14:43
My November has been a rather frustrating month for reading as I just haven’t had the time or mental energy to get through very many books. That said, the 3 or 4 I did manage to read in full were very good to excellent. The less said about two of my three DNFs, the better…
Anyway, I hope you enjoy whatever you chose in December, especially as it’s likely to be a busy month!
Dec 01, 2020 @ 16:17:22
Sorry you’ve had a bad reading month – mine has not been as bad as all that, though just frustrating that I couldn’t read more. As for December – I’m determined to have better reading experiences!
Dec 02, 2020 @ 06:24:04
I also have a cold and I have the same question; how did we get it sitting inside our homes and wearing masks? I think your December plans are great and I never plan any reading event for December….this is my month to do whatever I want including reading what I want! I think the very fact that your are reading all 120 of the Great Ideas deserves a huge applause. Read what seems right when you want to and that is not cheating. For the point of reading is to learn and observe and understand and there is no order to that!
Dec 02, 2020 @ 11:52:22
It’s bizarre, isn’t it? How do those pesky germs get in??? As for having no plans, that always seems to work best for me when it comes for reading and December definitely needs to be relaxing!
As for the Great Ideas – I am going to follow my heart. As you say it needs to be what I will love and learn!
Dec 03, 2020 @ 16:03:20
So is the freshly-tidied bookshelf mostly books with an element of duty to them (with a couple of exceptions you’ve mentioned); do I see some press-release shaped sheets tucked inside? That can certainly add a sense of responsibility all around. And if that’s true, it probably affects how you feel about reading in strict chronological order with this project. A reading project turning into a chore is a risk and introduces a counter-element to the pleasure reading can hold. But the other thing is, that a curated collection does have a shape to it from the publisher’s side too; starting from the beginning and seeing how one work connects to another as later volumes are published can be another layer of enjoyment to the “discovery” of it all. I think it’s probably like watching a single season of an anthology series (like American Horror Story, True Detective, etc.): the season can be enjoyed on its own just fine, but if you do enjoy studying the creative process behind the productions, watching in order offers another kind of pleasure.
Dec 03, 2020 @ 16:08:31
About 50% of the new shelves are review books – but I am trying to balance reading these with other books, and tbh I never accept review books I don’t have an interest in so I *do* want to read them.
As for the Great Idea, your point is a tricky one. Each set of 20 is chronological. So I would be starting with older books and working through to modern books for each set of 20 and then restarting that process again. So I don’t know if there are themes and links that would be teased out by the chronological process – I can’t see obviously links in any set. As I don’t perceive any great creative linking purpose it may not bother me to go off piste. But I will see how I feel as I read on. Basically I’m not sure if there is a creative modus operandi behind the sets!
Dec 04, 2020 @ 16:47:33
Isn’t it crazy how many, even with that limitation (i.e. truly wanting to read) on review/reading copies, accumulate over a short period of time? It comes from being a curious reader!
There must be a plan, but you’re quite right that the plan isn’t necessarily creative and perhaps not even interesting. *Laughs* It could also be quite random. Person A got to decide the last set and Person B the following set. Or Person C substituted midway because one of them moved into another position. How will the drama of Imaginary Editorial Floor Z resolve? And will anybody notice or care? 🙂 [I want to believe someone’s thinking about stuff like this, but many times, they’re not. Someone’s in charge and things happen.]
Dec 04, 2020 @ 18:37:21
Definitely – and having a grasshopper mind!!
In all honesty, I can’t *see* a plan with the Ideas, and as it’s not a small finite set e.g. the Poets, I think I will dip. It’ll be interesting to see how long the series goes on and what future authors are included!
Dec 15, 2020 @ 18:04:56
No wonder you struggle deciding what to read – so many wonderful and exciting books! It’s really a shame we cannot stop time or double, triple it in some way…
I’ve read so many great things about Cooper, but she’ll have to wait a bit longer because my December list is full!
Dec 15, 2020 @ 18:38:32
The number of choices available *does* make it hard to choose, but I am going by my gut at the moment and have just chosen something which is turning out to be wonderful. Yes – more time would help. I still hope to get to the Cooper – it’s only halfway through December – but I may run out of time…
Dec 15, 2020 @ 18:14:20
Another author I’ve been forever meaning to read! The only thing I’ve ever read is S/Z. It was back at the university so I no longer have an idea what it was about. On my list, he’s on the same page as Pessoa and Montaigne – something that demands time and dedication. I hope I’ll get to read him next year.
Dec 15, 2020 @ 18:18:15
I guess I am tired. This comment was meant for the post on Barthes! ehh
Dec 15, 2020 @ 18:36:25
LOL! No worries!
Dec 15, 2020 @ 18:37:22
You’re right – he does need that time and commitment, but I think the rewards are worth it. Pessoa is someone I need to get to – it’s not as if I don’t own lots of his books – it’s just finding the right moment for him….