Blog du Wren

Reading Season

Last year at about this time, I posted about the beginning of knitting season. And while I am still excited to starts me some knitting, it would be kind of a cop out to post about that again. So instead, I'm going to post about the beginning of reading season!

Most people talk about the summer reading season, but I find there is just so much else to do in the summer. Granted, if you find yourself at a beach, it is always good to have a book handy, but my reading time is just before bed, and when the sun is still up when I go to bed, I just don't feel like reading. But now that days are getting darker sooner and it won't be long before outdoor activities become somewhat tedious due to rain and whatnot, I'm getting my winter reading list ready.

One of the things that may have gone unnoticed in the big switch over to the new skin here at BdW is the addition of the "Life Book List"* link on the header. It is a list of all the books I have read since the beginning of high school, sortable by author, title, and date read*. I've found it a great asset for when I am looking for a new book of a particular type. I just go through and find an author that I had forgotten about, and see if s/he has written anything new. Or when a friend asks me for a suggestion, I can quickly scan what I've recently read and hopefully come up with one.

At the beginning of this reading season, I'm feeling pretty ambitious. Last night, I started Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. It is merely 837 pages, so I should be able to finish it easily before the spring thaw, maybe even sooner. If I do finish it sooner, do you have any suggestions for me (and others), esp. based on what I've read so far? Please limit your recommendations to 1 fiction and 1 non-fiction. (We don't need to go recreating GoodReads here.) I'll list my recommendations in the comments below.

Wednesday October 1 2008

File under: books

Toggle Comments (9)

comment?

on Wed 01st Oct, 2008 07:04 pm PDT amanda said:
Oohh! Good idea! Fiction: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and Non-Fiction: The Habit of Being by Flannery O'Connor, but only if you're the literary type.
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on Wed 01st Oct, 2008 08:17 pm PDT Jenn said:
I am shocked to see Ken Follet on your list but no Pillars of the Earth. Even he says it's his greatest work, read it. It's only a little longer than Anna Karenina. I don't really read non-fiction, so I hope you don't mind if I do two fiction. The other is Old Man's War by John Scalzi. You had a couple sci fi on your list. This is my new favorite sci fi author, and this book has great characters that I think even a non sci fi reader could love and appreciate. Happy reading.
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on Thu 02nd Oct, 2008 08:50 am PDT Kat said:
My votes are for East of Eden (Steinbeck) and Geography of Bliss (Eric Weiner).
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on Thu 02nd Oct, 2008 10:54 am PDT Sweet Julie said:
Wren! I love the book list idea. I'd love to see something like a "thumbs-up" or "thumbs-down" next to each to know how you liked and/or recommend the book!
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on Thu 02nd Oct, 2008 06:00 pm PDT Nesbitt said:
I loved Anna Karenina, even though it took me about 400 pages to get the names down. If you end up liking it I would suggest War and Peace, which I'm in the middle of. It's very similar. It takes a while to get into, but once you get your bearings it's really good.
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on Thu 02nd Oct, 2008 09:04 pm PDT Wren said:
Here are my suggestions
Nonfiction: Seven Wonders: Everyday Things for a Healthier Planet by John C. Ryan (an incredibly interesting and practical read that couldn't be more pertinent in today's uber-consumeristic society)
Fiction: Anything by Christopher Moore. Light, quick, and really really fun and funny. Fluke was my first and it got me hooked. Any Moore is a great respite between heavier*.
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on Sun 05th Oct, 2008 08:02 am PDT Sarah said:
Wren! one of my favorite topics! I don't know if you'll see my comment as I'm a few days late, but I would recommend Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose, and 2 of Milan Kundera's books, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, and The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Good to see you in Portland!!
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on Tue 07th Oct, 2008 07:36 am PDT bob said:
i like your idea of a life book list - i can never remember what i've read recently, and since i get my books from the library i can't just go to the bookshelf and see. my suggestions are:non-fiction: the journals of lewis and clark (the devoto version, shortened down from 5 novels to 800 pages. surprisingly a great read).fiction: gonna have to go with lord jim by joe conrad.
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on Sun 09th Nov, 2008 09:14 pm PST whuppinstick said:
if you really come to japan and you really finish anna karenina beforehand, please bring it and pass it off to me. thanks!
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