while you're ahead…

Last year, in vain, as it turned out, I attempted to read through the huge basket of books by my bed.   I had the brilliant idea of reading books in alphabetical order by author… one book per letter, A through to Z ,and as a boost, I even gave myself the permission of buying a new book (one of life greatest pleasures, no doubt) if I didn’t own one whose author started with a particular letter.  The idea was truly brilliant and fun… but I wasn’t.

As you know I failed miserably.  I think I got to the letter E… and then I lost the book… and then I got totally sidetracked and … well the rest is history.  That particular book is still missing, I’m thinking it ended up in a charity pile, and the basket of books is now well and truly overflowing.

So this year I’m trying something else.  First of all I purged the basket (still purging) of all the books I categorically know  I will never want to read.  None were presents, all impulse buys from charity shop.  (What was I thinking!!).

Then after seeing a similar ploy on Instagram I decided I’m going to try reading a book published in each year since my birth, and since I’m turning 48 (gulp) in June… that’s 48 books.  Probably VERY ambitious… but I don’t HAVE to do it in 12 months exactly, right?  Nor I intend to do it in any order either, which should help my weak staying power

Also I think it will be fun reading books from different decades…

These is the list so far.  The one crossed out is my current read.

2018

2017 – Magari domain resto (Lorenzo Maroni)

2016 – Upstream (Mary Oliver)

2014 – Storia della bambina perduta (Elena Ferrante)

2013 – Careless people (Sarah Churchwell)

2012

2011 – The Paris Wife (Paula McLain)

2010 – Salar the Salmon (Henry Williamson)

2009 – Let the gread world spin (Colum McCann)

2008 – The White Tiger (Aravind Adiga)

2007

2006

2005 – Never let me go (Kazuo Ishiguro)

2004 – The Sunday Philosophy Club (Alexander McCall Smith)

2003

2002 – Everything is illuminated (Jonathan Safran Foer)

2001 – American Gods (Nail Gainmand)

2000 – Coram Boy (Jamila Gavin)

1999

1998

1997 – Paradise (Toni Morrison)

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

1991- Regeneration (Pat Barker)

1990

1989

1988

1987 – Norwegian Wood (Haruki Murakami)

1986

1985

1984

1983

1982

1981

1980

1979

1978

1977

1976

1975

1974

1973

1972

1971

1970

 

Needless to say any suggestions are very very welcome.

 

 

 

SaveSave