Category: Other

My New Year’s Resolution #2: Only Read Fantastic Fiction

Post author By Jackie
Post date January 3, 2011
100 Comments on My New Year’s Resolution #2: Only Read Fantastic Fiction

I have come to the conclusion that life is too short to read anything that isn’t amazing. Last year I spent far too much time reading things that were OK, but nothing special. I was sucked into completing entire prize lists, despite not falling in love with the books on them.

I’m making big changes on this blog

This year I’m going to make a big effort to abandon any book that doesn’t excite me. I hope that this blog will have no books rated 3.5 stars or less from now on. I also hope that I’ll be able to give up on books far sooner than previously. My experiments over Christmas have shown that I find this really hard, but I find the 80 – 100 pages I have given books in the past far too long. In my heart I normally know a book isn’t for me after just a few pages.

I am aware that some books take a while to get into and I would hate to miss out on a fantastic book with a slow start – so I am going to launch a new feature on my blog:

Read or Reject?

Once or twice a month I will write mini reviews for all the books I have abandoned, explaining exactly why I did so. If you have read and loved any of the books mentioned then I hope you will be able to prevent me from missing out on a gem, or at least let me know if the book is likely to change in style towards the end.

I’m hoping that this change in approach will mean I can quickly work through my massive TBR pile, allowing me to reject anything that is failing to entertain me whilst highlighting all the wonderful books that are out there.

I was particularly struck by a comment made by Rebecca from The Book Lady’s Blog on her end of year summary

I said “yes” to everything I was genuinely interested in reading. And since one can only tell so much about a book from a canned email pitch, I organized my galley shelves according to month of publication and did the actual deciding in the comfort of my living room, where I could pick up the books, flip through them, read a few pages or a few chapters, and make a more informed (and, ahem, deliberate) choice about what to read next.

And HOO BOY, it was amazing!

I’m not planning to do exactly the same as Rebecca, but her basic principle really interested me.

I hope that this will help me to work through my massive stack of books, the majority of which were bought for the wrong reason (because they were cheap!) and only complete the best of the bunch.

How will this affect my prize list reading?

I still plan to try all the books on the prize lists, but I’m not going to force myself to finish any that aren’t to my taste. I was interested to see how insightfully Gav from Next Read was able to review the Booker short list just by reading the first chapter of each book and I hope I can do a similar thing.

I hope that my blog will become a much more positive place to be. I will end up completing far fewer books this year, but you will know that the ones I do are special.

This is the hardest resolution I have ever made. I find it really hard to abandon books, but I need to be strict with myself or I will never find the time to read the ones that are already on my wishlist.

What do you think?

How many pages of a book do you think you need to read to know you’ll enjoy the book?

Other

My New Year’s Resolution #1: Buy More Books

Post author By Jackie
Post date January 2, 2011
54 Comments on My New Year’s Resolution #1: Buy More Books

Buying more books might seem like a really silly resolution (especially given the number of books I already own!) but I have decided that I want 2011 to be my most enjoyable reading year ever. I want to read the best books, not just the ones that happen to be in my library or available as a three-for-two offer in the big book shops. All too often I have read about a book which sounds fantastic, added it to my wishlist and then hoped I’d happen to stumble across it at some point. In reality this rarely happens. Often these books come from small publishers. This means they are unlikely to even turn up in a book shop, let alone become part of a special offer. I want to read the best books and would prefer to pay a bit more for a fantastic read than waste my money on an average one.

I also love the fact that these books are less well known. I want to highlight fantastic literature that you don’t necessarily know about, not just the ones you already do. It is often just a single person raving about an individual book and if someone is getting excited about something then I think it is worth risking a little bit of money instead of letting a wonderful book slip further into obscurity.

Top of my purchase list are these books:

Light Boxes by Shane Jones recommended by David

.

Independent People by Halldor Laxness recommended by David Mitchell

The President by Miguel Angel Asturias has been on my wish list so long I can’t even remember how it got there!

The Obscene Bird of Night by Jose Donoso recommended by Damned Conjuror

The Juggler by Sebastian Beaumont recommended by Annabel

Are you going to join me in buying more books in 2011?

Do any of the above books sound especially interesting to you?

Other Recommended books

My Favourite Reads in 2010

Post author By Jackie
Post date December 30, 2010
61 Comments on My Favourite Reads in 2010

Earlier in the year I revealed my favourite books published in 2010, but what about all the ones older than that?

Narrowing down my favourite reads of the year to just ten books was very hard. I read a lot of wonderful books in 2010, but here are the ones at the very top of my list.

The Prestige – Christopher Priest

The Dark Side of Love – Rafik Schami

The Kindly Ones – Jonathan Littell

Cutting for Stone – Abraham Verghese

The Road – Cormac McCarthy

When I Was Five I Killed Myself – Howard Buten

The Siege – Helen Dunmore

The Day of the Triffids – John Wyndham

The Book of Negroes – Lawrence Hill

Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro

Are any of these your favourites too?

Thank you for following my blog in 2010 – I wouldn’t be here without you all. Let’s hope we can find many more great reads next year.

I hope that you have a wonderful 2011!

Other

Happy Christmas!

I’m taking a short blogging break, to enjoy some time with my family.

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas!

2011 Other Recommended books

The Best Books of 2011? Part 2: Debut/Lesser Known Authors

Post author By Jackie
Post date December 16, 2010
40 Comments on The Best Books of 2011? Part 2: Debut/Lesser Known Authors

Last week I showed you books to look out for in 2011 written by authors you’ve might have heard of. This week it is the turn of ones you probably haven’t.

Here are the books I’m getting excited about!

Note: UK release month shown in brackets.

The Facility by Simon Lelic (January)

Rupture was one of my favourite books of 2010. I’m quite sad that it didn’t receive the recognition it deserved, but I am very excited that his new book comes out in January. I really hope that I’ll be able to persuade lots of people to try Simon Lelic in 2011.

.The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht (March)

Tea Obreht was the youngest author on The New Yorker’s Top 20 Writers under 40 List. This story about a tiger escaping from a Balkan zoo during WWII looks like a cross between The Jungle Book and the most harrowing of war novels. I love the sound of it!

. The History of History: A Novel of Berlin by Ida Hattemer-Higgins (January)

An American women finds herself in a forest just outside Berlin, clothes torn, with no recollection of what has happened to her. This harrowing story combines the history of Berlin with a bizarre world in which Nazi ghosts manifest themselves as falcons and buildings turn into flesh. If it is as interesting as it sounds then it could well become my book of the year!

.The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud (March)

This book came from nowhere to become the surprise winner of the 2010 Giller prize. I think it might be too quiet for me, but I know a lot of other people will be excited about its appearance in the UK.

Leela’s Book by Alice Albinia (June)

This book manages to combine India’s great epic, the Mahabharata, with a modern love story. I love books that defy genre and this sounds different enough to be worth trying.

How to Read the Air by Dinaw Mengestu (30th December, 2010– it is near enougth to 2011 to count, isn’t it?!)

Dinaw Mengestu’s 2007 debut novel, Children of the Revolution, won the Guardian First Book Award. His new novel is a family history that takes place in war-torn Ethiopia and contemporary America. It is a story of identity and belonging that promises to be heart-breaking. I love a story that requires a box of tissues to be on hand!

Annabel by Kathleen Winter (March)

Annabel was shortlisted for the 2010 Giller prize and Canadian readers with a similar taste in books to me are raving about it. I loved Middlesex, the only other book about a hermaphrodite that I’ve read, so I’m intrigued by how this one compares.

Waterline by Ross Raisin (July)

Ross Raisin’s last book, God’s Own Country,was nominated for eleven awards including the Guardian First Book Award, the John Llewelyn Rhys Prize and the Impac. Rumors are saying that this one is even better. This sounds like a book worth getting hold of.

The Echo Chamber by Luke Williams (May)

Narrated by a woman called Evie with uncannily keen hearing (she could even hear in the womb) it is the story of a childhood in colonial Nigeria, of travels with a lover across America and of Evie’s present-day efforts to record her life and adventures before her powers of listening fade completely …

The Free World: A Novel by David Bezmozgis (May)

David Bezmozgis was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book award in 2004 for his short story collection Natasha and other Stories. Free World, his debut novel, was snapped up in a “substantial five-figure deal”. It centres on Russian émigrés living in Italy in the 1970s and promises to be a comic, but tragic tale about the intensity of family relationships.

The End of Everything by Megan Abbott (April)

From the US and UK publishing teams of The Lovely Bones and Room comes a new novel that promises to be just as moving. It is about a thirteen-year-old girl who goes missing and her best friend who uncovers some dark secrets in a quest to uncover the truth.

Other books to keep an eye out for:

Ours are the Streets by Sunjeev Sahota (January)

Caribou Island by David Vann (January)

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown (April)

The Storm at the Door by Stefan Merril Block (May)

Africa Junction by Ginny Baily (June)

Which debut authors are you getting excited about?

2011 Other

The Best books of 2011? Part 1: Authors We Know and Love

Post author By Jackie
Post date December 9, 2010
70 Comments on The Best books of 2011? Part 1: Authors We Know and Love

The lists for the best books of 2010 books are everywhere at the moment, so I thought it would be nice to have a look at some of the books which we might be talking about this time next year.

Here are the 2011 books that I am getting excited about!

Note: UK release month shown in brackets.

Untitled Novel by Rohinton Mistry (July)

The book which I’m most excited about reading in 2011 hasn’t even got a title yet. I know nothing about it. All I know is that A Fine Balance is my favourite book of all time.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (October)

We’ve waited a long time for this one, but publication is finally in sight. A new Murakami is a good reason to celebrate, but a return to his unique bizarreness is very special. Read this summary and try to not be excited.

Cain by Jose Saramago (July)

This is the last book Saramago wrote before his death last year. Its religious content meant that it caused some controversy on its release in Portugal. The English translation will be available this summer and I am intrigued by it.

After the End of the World by Chris Cleave (July)

The Other Hand was an emotional roller coaster and it doesn’t sound as though this one is going to be any happier. His new book is about a relationship between a young couple, one of whom has terminal cancer. I’m looking forward to getting the tissues out!

The Islanders by Christopher Preist (October)

I loved The Prestige when I read it earlier this year. I think Christopher Preist’s unique mixture of great writing and complex plotting may mean that he will be added to my list of favourite authors by the end of the year.

The Land of Painted Caves – Earth’s Children Book 6 by Jean Auel (March)

Exactly 30 years after the publication of The Clan of the Cave Bear, the final book in the series is finally here. I just need to read books 4 and 5 first!

River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh (June)

This is the second in the Ibis trilogy. I wasn’t a big fan of Sea of Poppies, but I know I’m in the minority. The question is whether or not this one will be good enough to be short listed for the Booker Prize too.

Great House by Nicole Krauss (February)

The History of Love seems to be loved by a lot of people. Her follow up, Great House, was released in the US in 2010 and has received rave reviews. It finally reaches UK shores in February. I’m going to try to read The History of Love soon and if I enjoy it as much as I think I will then I’ll try to squeeze Great House in before the end of 2011. I can’t believe I’m already planning that far ahead!!