First of all, a very happy International Workers’ Day! I can’t believe we’re so far into the year already, but I thought I would look back at April’s reading as it was a really good month for me – and here are the books I enjoyed!
Several of these were for 1937, some are review books and some I just felt like reading – reviews will follow in due course of those I’ve not covered yet. It was a bumper month and not a single dud there, which is always a great joy!
After the frenzy that was the #1937Club (and thank you all for taking part – such fun!), I am hoping for a slightly quieter month; though I must confess that I’ve already had a look in the stacks to see what I have for 1970 in October. So far, I have gathered these ones:
The Christie, Brautigan and Mandelstam were already on the shelves (the latter thanks to lovely @PigIron on Twitter) and I’m aiming to get to all of them in the next six months. Plus I have plans for another book, a collection of short stories, but that depends on me reading some other things between now and then!
As for other reading during May, I do have a couple of review books outstanding, but I am currently reading this:
Hannah Arendt has been on my to-read radar for ages, and I have a couple of her titles in Penguin Black Classics (including the above “Eichmann in Jerusalem”), as well as a novel. I discovered recently that a rather idiosyncratic lad called @JoeSpivey on BookTube (the bookish area of YouTube) is hosting a slow readalong of the book, a couple of chapters a week. I figure I can manage that and so have read the first two and am hooked (if unsettled).
Apart from this, I am reminded that I have stalled on my reads of both “Middlemarch” and “Dombey and Son”; I think I may try reading sections of them on alternate weekends, along with my weekly chapter of the Arendt and see how that goes.
However, I am also aware that I have inactive Penguin reading projects, in particular the ‘Great Ideas‘ series, and Lisa’s recent review of one of these (a Perec title) made me pull some out – specifically, the most recent releases with a pale blue spine:
These are the titles I have from this set, authors from the left to right are Hannah Arendt, Simone de Beauvoir, Simone Weil, Albert Camus, Italo Calvino, John Berger and Georges Perec. You know, I could just sit down and happily read through the lot! 😀
Apart from that, I’m making no plans, which feels lovely – I shall follow my reading whims! How about you? How was your April reading and do you have plans for May??
JacquiWine
May 01, 2024 @ 09:35:08
Goodness, what an impressive pile of books for April. I’m lucky if I manage to read 6 each month, so you’re well ahead of me there!
Congratulations again on the success of the #1937Club, which must have been the most popular yet. I shall have to take a look at possible options for 1970, just to get ahead of the game! 🙂
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 01, 2024 @ 16:03:56
LOL, it was a particularly good month, and if I’m honest I’m probably reading more to ignore the awful state of the world.
And yes, 1937 was great – plus I have some nice ideas for 1970 so I may managed to be organised in advance.
griffandsarahthomas
May 01, 2024 @ 10:15:16
Gosh – your book piles always look so intriguing and tempting! And impressive in their range and depth of different genres and interests. The 1937 club was a fantastic success and I was really glad to have read The Years after a year of it sitting pristine on my shelf. I have NIght and Day hopefully for May reading.
April was a good month of reading for me, thanks partly to inspiration from your posts: Tim Parks’ Pen in Hand, Antidote to Venom, Deaths of the Poets, and Anne Sexton poems were all books that I know will stay with me. Thanks to Jacquiwine I have become a Deirdre Madden books lover and I enjoyed Time Past and Time Present in April as well as Her Side of the Story (Alba de Cespedes). I also read Why we Remember by Dr Charan Ranganath, which was an interesting read on the latest discoveries about our memory. I’m currently reading The Rising Tide (Molly Keane) thanks to Madame Bibi’s 1937 review and A Bite of the Apple, which is adding to my list of Viragos I want to read!
Looking forward to your May posts. Happy Reading!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 01, 2024 @ 16:03:05
April *was* a good month for books, definitely, and I’m glad the 1937 Club spurred you to read the Woolf. She’s just so good.
And you had a really good month yourself. So glad the poetry is speaking to you. I really loved A Bite of the Apple, it makes a wonderful companion piece to the Silver Moon book, and both the publisher and the bookshop have been important parts of my life.
As for May – onwards and upwards!!
thecontentreader
May 01, 2024 @ 10:27:49
That is a lot of books for a month. I had a very slow month with only five books. Hannah Arendt is also on my list of authors to read, although, as you say, probably hard to read.
After Calvino’s ‘… Traveller’s Night’ which I did not like at all, or probably did not understand, I am reluctant to read anything more by him. But, I will try out something just to see if this first try was exceptionell.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 01, 2024 @ 15:51:55
It was a particularly good month, even for me. I tend to be a fast reader, but life gets in the way sometimes.
Arendt is interesting so far, based on the two first chapters, and I’m not finding it too hard to follow her. But we shall see, and I suspect being part of a readalong could help.
As for Calvino, he’s not for everyone. You could try the Cosmicomics stories, which are lovely, and perhaps not quite so confronting as some of his books can be!
madamebibilophile
May 01, 2024 @ 11:03:41
What a stack! Such an impressive April Kaggsy. I’ve had a hunt for 1970 titles in the TBR and have found four 🙂 I’m also having a free-wheeling May which I’m looking forward to – happy reading!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 01, 2024 @ 15:49:54
Thanks Madame B – it really was a bumper month, and I’m looking forward to continuing in my bookish groove for May. And glad you’ve found some 1970 titles – it’s always good if they’re already in the TBR! 😀
Calmgrove
May 01, 2024 @ 11:43:19
Again, thanks to you and Simon for the impetus to seek out 1937 titles to read; and I’ve already started drafting a post to list possible reads for the #1970Club! May reading for me will be mostly fantasy, the Wyrd and Wonder meme providing a suitable excuse, but mostly I’ll be making a longlist of titles I fancy reading for 20 Books of Summer. It’s also a busy month for us, with a series of concerts for a music festival this weekend and a visit to Oxford planned for next week (more concerts! exhibitions! walks! browsing!).😁
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 01, 2024 @ 15:49:01
I’m glad you enjoyed 1937 Chris, and will look forward to see what you consider for 1970 – it has some fascinating choices. And good luck with the 20 Books of Summer. I never join in with this formally, but I always read (more than) 20 books over the period anyway. The problem I would have is sticking to a list during this time which is why I don’t do it.
And the non-bookish elements of May sound good too. I hope Oxford will involve book shopping… 😉😉
Calmgrove
May 01, 2024 @ 18:16:42
Bookshopping in Oxford? In an ideal world, yes, but I shall be trying to keep my TBR pile pristine for a lot longer … but it will be extremely tempting!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 01, 2024 @ 20:24:23
I couldn’t resist…. 🤣
Margot Kinberg
May 01, 2024 @ 12:06:19
You did have a lovely month of reading in April, and 1937 was such a good year for novels! And with de Beauvoir, Calvino and Camus, May should be great, too. You’ve got some interesting books lined up for 1970. I wonder what you’ll think of Passenger to Frankfurt…
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 01, 2024 @ 15:47:10
It was such a good month Margot – some wonderful books. And plenty of choices for May although also some flexibility to follow my whims! As for Passenger to Frankfurt, I think I’ve read it once, but that was a very long time ago so I’m keen to find out what I feel about it nowdays…
WordsAndPeace
May 01, 2024 @ 14:04:03
Congratulations!
The 1937 club was great, I had two fantastic books through it.
Otherwise, April was slow for me:
https://wordsandpeace.com/2024/04/30/2024-april-wrap-up/
And here are my plans for May:
https://wordsandpeace.com/2024/05/01/the-top-7-books-to-read-in-may-2024/
I did also create my 1970 list, on Goodreads!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 01, 2024 @ 15:45:59
Glad you enjoyed the club! And 1970 looks to be such a good year! 😀
Jane
May 01, 2024 @ 16:09:35
What a successful month! Enjoy May, it looks like you have some great reads ahead!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 01, 2024 @ 16:10:26
It was definitely a good one, and I have some lovely ideas for May! 😀
1streading
May 01, 2024 @ 18:27:06
That is an impressive month of reading! I know the feeling of plans getting away from you – while my Elizabeth Taylor and Maigret plans are progressing well this year, others have not really got started yet!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 01, 2024 @ 20:24:10
I do think it was a particularly good month! But I’d like to pick up some of the readings plans – I always start them so optimistically and then things go to pot…
Lory
May 01, 2024 @ 18:50:22
Glad to see the Deptford trilogy in there! I found my second 1937 read (Dancers in Mourning) more successful than the first (Vintage Murder), though I didn’t finish in time for the Club. Other than a reread of Fifth Business, I think tops on my list for 1970 would be The Bluest Eye or Fire from Heaven.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 01, 2024 @ 20:23:32
Yes, I couldn’t resist it, even though I have the other two trilogies unread! Glad your second 1937 read was better, and hope you get on well with 1970 -= I’m looking forward to it!
Marcie McCauley
May 13, 2024 @ 20:05:59
Ohhhh, The Bluest Eye will be a fabulous reread (but of course not arguing against Davies, or any other option really); I’ve reread it with about ten years between each of two rereadings and found so much more with each revisiting. And in such a short book!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 13, 2024 @ 20:12:51
😊😊
BookerTalk
May 01, 2024 @ 21:17:58
I can relate to stalled projects. I start off with great enthusiasm and somehow never manage to keep up the momentum….
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 02, 2024 @ 15:49:03
It’s hard, isn’t it? Particularly as there are so many other books to distract us…
BookerTalk
May 02, 2024 @ 22:02:10
I’m never going to run out of distractions
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 03, 2024 @ 10:42:33
Me neither… 😳😳
Tony
May 02, 2024 @ 11:00:42
Yes, looks like a good month – here’s to more of the same for May 🙂
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 02, 2024 @ 15:47:54
It was, and I hope I can keep my current reading groove going during May!
heavenali
May 04, 2024 @ 20:18:27
You had such a good, varied month of reading, thanks no doubt to the 1937 club. I will need to look for 1970 books now. Well done though on another successful club week.
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 05, 2024 @ 19:59:56
It was a particularly bumper one, and 1937 certainly helped – such a popular year. 1970 looks great too and I hope you can find something suitable.
Liz Dexter
May 06, 2024 @ 21:19:58
I really enjoyed my 1937 Club read and have one for 1970 TBR already, hooray! No reading challenges for May but I do have three chunky books to review …
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 07, 2024 @ 11:59:02
Hurrah, glad you have some 1970. And no challenges can be good… 😀
Marcie McCauley
May 13, 2024 @ 20:31:53
Earlier in the year I felt like I was keeping up with all my reading challenges and plans, but April felt a little more crowded-not in a bad way, just busy-so we’ll see how May turns out!
kaggsysbookishramblings
May 13, 2024 @ 20:48:29
Some months creep up on you, for sure. Fortunately, May has been fairly calm so far… 😀