All About Books discussion

Share your reading plans for the upcoming month with us!

Unlike January, I don't have a gigantic list -- just a long one! :P

Here is what I would like to read in Feb:

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (readalong)
The Playboy of the Western World by J.M. Synge {AAB Winter Drama Theme}
Translations by Brian Friel {AAB Winter Drama Theme}
Poems by Rainer Maria Rilke (Winter Poet)
A Blunt Instrument and Death in the Stocks by Georgette Heyer (BoTM for other groups)
Hunger by Knut Hamsun (BoTM for another group)

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke {currently reading}
Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson
Barrayar {reread via audiobook} by Lois McMaster Bujold
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold

and if time allows:
The Beach by Alex Garland
Blacklist by Sara Paretsky
Beast In View by Margaret Millar
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair {reread via audiobook}
Jill the Reckless by P.G. Wodehouse

Leslie, good luck with Hamsun'ss Hunger. You should check out The Aran Islands if you like Synge. The Beach is pretty darn good too.

Me, I am going to be reading Les Misérables. When that is completed I will figure out some more.I have no idea how long this will take or what I will be feeling for after it is completed. .

So plan for February..
The sense of an ending Julian Barnes
Between shades of gray Ruta Sepetys
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Some kind of fairytale by Graham Joyce
Transatlantic by Colum McCann
2 Read a longs , a group read and a group 'bardy' read. I think February looks very good. :)

Tracey wrote: "So plan for February..
The sense of an ending Julian Barnes
Between shades of gray Ruta Sepetys
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Some kind of fairytale by Graham Joyce
Transatlantic by Colum McCann
2..."

I liked Between Shades of Grey. I hope you will like it too.
Didn't like The Sense of an Ending but I think I'm in the minority because everyone else loves this book.

Chrissie wrote: "Me, I am going to be reading Les Misérables. When that is completed I will figure out some more.I have no idea how long this will take or what I will be feeling for after it is complet..."

I thought you would start it in March!

For this year I have set for myself a theme challenge, where each month I try to read books that fit a specific theme, and for February I have chosen "romance." Romance is not my typical genre, so I am trying to pick a variety of books that will keep my interest and also meet criteria for other challenges I am participating in as well. Anyway...here's my list (so far):

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
November 9 by Colleen Hoover
The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes
and re-reading the Griffin & Sabine series by Nick Bantock

Also...
Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser for a Recommendation Swap and The Awakening by Kate Chopin as a Group Read

dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Me, I am going to be reading Les Misérables. When that is completed I will figure out some more.I have no idea how long this will take or what I will be feeling for af..."

Oh, damn, I forgot about February! What am I going to do now? The audiobook group will ead it in March, but I want to start now! I think I will start now. What a dunk head I am. I better go explain that there in the group. How could I forget February??????

Kerry, Sister Carrie that is high up on my wishlist too. Maybe this month?

I don't have too many for sure plans, but no read a longs, so hopefully I can get a good chunk of the tbr list knocked out.

Twilight Prophecy (Wings in the Night, #17) 2/6
The Darkest Seduction 2/11
The Darkest Craving 2/18
Venom 2/7
Fever 2/1
Mindbend 2/15
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder 2/5
The Lazarus Vendetta 2/27

New Release
Runaway Vampire 2/27

Chrissie wrote: "Kerry, Sister Carrie that is high up on my wishlist too. Maybe this month?"

I loved that one Chrissie! Sometimes we have the same tastes and sometimes we differ though. Not sure what you will think of it. :)

Most likely no way I will be able to do all this, but my usual over-commitments:

readalongs in various groups::
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (finish up)
Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde (doubles as an Irish play) (re-read)
Hamlet by William Shakespeare (re-read)

group reads in various groups:
The Awakening by Kate Chopin(re-read)
Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce
You Are Not a Stranger Here by Adam Haslett

seasonal poet:
The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke

seasonal play:
Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel

free reading:
The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks

If by some miracle, I get ahead on all this, I would love to join in on the As I Lay Dying readalong in mid-February as well!!

Chrissie wrote: "Oh, damn, I forgot about February! What am I going to do now? The audiobook group read is in March, but I want to start now I think I will start now. What a dunk head I am. I better go explain that there. How could I forget February?????? "

Lol, Chrissie!

Greg wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Kerry, Sister Carrie that is high up on my wishlist too. Maybe this month?"

I loved that one Chrissie! Sometimes we have the same tastes and sometimes we differ thou..."

I won't know till I try. I have been in a mood for classics lately. Or let's put it this way, I am sick of contemporary books.

Tracey wrote: "So plan for February..
The sense of an ending Julian Barnes
Between shades of gray Ruta Sepetys
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Some kind of fairytale by Graham Joyce
Transatlantic by Colum McCann
2..."

McCann is fabulous. Check out Songdogs if you want more. I like all of his, but that is my favorite I think

My plan for February (depending on when various books arrive in the post or from the library) are:

Longbourn
Carol (before the movie comes out)
The Danish Girl (before the movie comes out)
Nora Webster (for AAB readalong)
The Awakening(for AAB readalong)

Not sure what I'll be able to fit in after that.

To begin with:
Richard Powers Orfeo
Joseph O'Connor Il gruppo
Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle
Magda Szabò La ballata di Iza
Taiye Sebasi La bellezza delle cose fragili
Elisabeth Howard Marking Time
Sarah Waters Tipping the Velvet

Greg wrote: "Most likely no way I will be able to do all this, but my usual over-commitments:

readalongs in various groups::
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (finish up)..."

Greg -- is this your first time reading the Shannara books? I assume that you have already read the first one, The Sword of Shannara. I own almost all of them but haven't read them since joining GR. It is tempting to join you...

Leslie wrote: "Greg wrote: "Most likely no way I will be able to do all this, but my usual over-commitments:

readalongs in various groups::
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (..."

I read them a great many years ago, in high school maybe? I think there were only three of them at the time, but this was pre-Internet so maybe I was just unaware of others.

I just started The Elfstones of Shannara as a fun back-burner read. I wanted to read a book that was pure fun without much brain strain. :) That one was my favorite of the series way back when. If you want to join me, I can hold off a bit or even start with The Sword of Shannara if you wanted to. I'd love the company but only if you've got time - no pressure!

I'm loving Tess of the D'Urbervilles, but it's a long one (only about 60% done). And I'm only a quarter way through The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke. Plus I committed to a buddy read of Hamlet that's starting soon too! So I'll be taking it slow. :)

Greg, if you don't mind waiting until the second half of the month, I would love to join you (especially with all the "hoopla" now that this has been adapted for TV). I don't remember the specifics enough to have a favorite so I leave it to you whether to go back to the first book or to skip right to The Elfstones of Shannara.

Leslie wrote: "Greg, if you don't mind waiting until the second half of the month, I would love to join you (especially with all the "hoopla" now that this has been adapted for TV). I don't remember the specifics..."

Sounds good Leslie! :) That'll give me time to get some other reads out of the way first. I guess I'd prefer jumping straight into The Elfstones of Shannara if you don't mind either way. The TV series skips forward to Elfstones too, if that matters .. though the TV series appears at this point to be a very loose adaption.

Erica wrote: "My plan for February (depending on when various books arrive in the post or from the library) are:

Longbourn
Carol (before the movie comes out).."

Erica, I just read Carol (which was formerly titled The Price of Salt) last month. It isn't fast moving, but I thought it was remarkably perceptive (and self perceptive as well as level headed) for when it was written, and portions were beautifully written. The depth of perception reminds me a bit of James Baldwin. Very different from her later fare such as The Talented Mr. Ripley which are much more about aberrant behavior.

I know now what else I will be reading this month besides
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo 3 stars.

They are:
We, the Drowned 5 stars read
Sister Carrie 4 stars read an American classic by Theodore Dreiser
The Winter of Our Discontent 3 stars read by John Steinbeck
Eugénie Grandet 3 stars read
Phineas Finn (currently reading - will finish next month)
The Sound of One Hand Clapping 2 stars read
The Water is Wide: A Memoir 4 stars read


It seems pretty weird to give Hugo's book three stars and Carsten Jensen's five, but please remember my ratings only reflect my personal reaction to each book. I am no literary critic, and make no pretense to be.

Chrissie wrote: "I will know now what else I will be reading this month besides Les MisérablesVictor Hugo. They are:
We, the Drowned, a Danish classic (currently reading)..."

Wow! Do you think you will manage to finish Les Miserables in one month? How many hours is the audiobook?

dely wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "I will know now what else I will be reading this month besides Les MisérablesVictor Hugo. They are:
We, the Drowned, a Danish classic (c..."

60 some hours. I do not know if I will finish it, but we have a long car ride. I plan on starting with some other books first. What I don't read I will push off to next month. There is no rush.

Chrissie wrote: "I will know now what else I will be reading this month besides Les MisérablesVictor Hugo. They are:
We, the Drowned, a Danish classic (currently reading)..."

Since we're both reading Sister Carrie, we should compare notes. I won't be reading it until later in the month. Maybe that will give you a chance to begin chipping away at Les Mis?

I'll continue reading Slow Fire by Susan Neiman. It's a memoir of her years in Berlin as a philosophy student.
I am finishing Isabel Allende's new book. It has been a long time since I read anything by a south american author and I think it's time de renew my readings on that field. So next month I have plans to read Vargas Llosa and something else by Allende.

Everyone is reading such interesting books. I'm never organized enough to plan a full month of reading.
Chrissie, I read We, The Drowned and remember enjoying it, as a whole.

I plan on reading:
As I Lay Dying - side read here on AAB that I'm really looking forward to
The Garden of Burning Sand
Ulysses - not the entire book in a month; continuing with our read-along

From the library, I also have and hope to read:
The Lower River
Saint Mazie

After that, I'll see what I pick up.

Kerry wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "I will know now what else I will be reading this month besides Les MisérablesVictor Hugo. They are:
We, the Drowned, a Danish classic (c..."

Kerry, definitely we should share out thoughts! I only read one book at a time, I really have no idea how many days Les Misérables will take me. I might stick Dreiser's in before Les Misérables.This all depends on my mood. It may get put off to March. Is this being read for some group? I have noted several wanting to read this. Its current popularity hits me as some kind of a strange coincidence. Why are you reading it?

Petra wrote: "Everyone is reading such interesting books. I'm never organized enough to plan a full month of reading.
Chrissie, I read We, The Drowned and remember enjoying it, as a whole.

I plan on reading:
[..."

Good luck with AS I Lay Dying.......

You know Saint Mazie is a fictionalized version of a real person, covered in one of the essays found in [book:Up in the Old Hotel|210783], a book I highly recommend.

Chrissie, I loved The Sound and the Fury, so have high hopes for As I Lay Dying.

I will chech out Up In The Old Hotel. Thanks!

I remember liking the Sound and the Fury a lot, but it was long ago. I felt very much engaged with the characters there.

I am curious to know what you think of Theroux's book. i forgot to say that.

This month I will (hopefully) be reading:

novels:
The Noise of Time – Julian Barnes
Work Like Any Other: A Novel – Virginia Reeves
Nora Webster – Colm Toibin (group read fiction)
The Awakening – Kate Chopin (group read classics)
Demons – Fyodor Dostoyevsky (seasonal author)

short-stories:
The Bigness of the World by Lori Ostlund

poetry:
The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke (seasonal poet)
Shaler's Fish by Helen Macdonald (poems)

plays:
Riders to the Sea by J.M. Synge (drama theme: Irish plays)

Petra wrote: "Chrissie, I loved The Sound and the Fury, so have high hopes for As I Lay Dying.

I will chech out Up In The Old Hotel. Thanks!"

I loved it too. More than anything else by him I'm afraid. Tell me what you think of As I lay dying when you've finished it.

Chrissie wrote: "Kerry wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "I will know now what else I will be reading this month besides Les MisérablesVictor Hugo. They are:
We, the Drowned, a Dan..."

I'm participating in a Recommendation Swap and this is what my partner suggested for me to read.

I am going to try to stick with my plan for February and read the following:

A Little Life
Drowning Ruth
House of Sand and Fog
The Magician's Assistant
The Glass Menagerie
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
The Silent Wife

I will also read As I Lay Dying if I can fit it in. I think I own a copy, just need to find it.

My plan for February...we'll see!

The Awakening by Kate Chopin - group read with you all!
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain - Bingo Challenge
The Stranger by Albert Camus - Bingo Challenge
The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke - Seasonal poet
Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde - Irish Plays

Continue/Finish:

Dubliners Classics Challenge
The Interior Castle
Poems by Rainer Maria Rilke - Seasonal poet

Susie wrote: "My plan for February...we'll see!

The Awakening by Kate Chopin - group read with you all!
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain - Bingo C..."

How are you liking Dubliners Susie? I thought that one was fantastic!

January wasn't exactly a good reading month for me, but I really want to pick up the pace from February onwards, so I'm planning to read:
El hombre duplicado
Spice & Wolf, Vol. 10
The Color Purple
Mansfield Park
Anne of the Island

Sea Biscuit

Loved Sea Bisquit!

I'm hoping to finish The Sound and the Fury and The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering. I'll continue reading Tess of the D'Urbervilles.
I'll also start Numberland, and As I Lay Dying.

Planned reads for the month:

The Awakening
Before You Know Kindness
Invisible
The Heavens Rise read in March
Never Let Me Go
Drowning Ruth
Coma read in March
Fast Food: The Good, the Bad and the Hungry

Greg wrote: How are you liking Dubliners Susie? I thought that one was fantastic!

I took a course on James Joyce in high school, and probably missed 90% of what was going on so I've committed to revisiting him to see what I think now...

Just 3 stories in, but I am liking it and his writing seems much more understandable now. After reading some Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy, who can both be quite 'wordy' imo (and I loved them!), his writing is so completely different in it's direct and even halting way...
Being short stories, I'm trying to approach in a very open, and non hurried way, rereading parts and listening to them on audio as well.

So...some 40 years later I'm actually studying them...it's never too late!

Not much in the mood for plans this month, but I have a few reads planned anyway - now we'll have to see if I can stick to the plan!

Here's my short list so far:

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death (currently reading)
Contes du jour et de la nuit
Franny and Zooey
Messenger

I'll probably be reading War and Peace for the whole month :)

Ash wrote: "Sea Biscuit"

I loved that book! It was my favorite of 2015. I was thinking about it last night, I want to read it again. I fell in love with Seabiscuit! Sleeps laying down, travels with an entourage, races when he feels like it lol! He has such a great personality!

I finished Eleanor & Park, which was a good YA read. I can see why it's been so popular and she seems to be a talented author that really connects with her readers. Also continuing the romance theme I am finally picking up Pride and Prejudice - my first Jane Austin. I read the first page and know I am going to be just wowed. Then my planned reads are:

Snow - started 2/22 - wish me luck!
Fahrenheit 451
The Kitchen House
We Need to Talk About Kevin - hopefully will read in March now

All books I have been wanting to read for awhile.

Kerry wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "I will know now what else I will be reading this month besides Les MisérablesVictor Hugo. They are:
We, the Drowned, a Danish classic (c..."

Kerry, I am starting Sister Carrie now. I just finished Les Misérables. I promised to tell you.