January review
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A sad day yesterday, but we all have to live with it now, so I shall SUMO – shut up and move on.
I’ll start today, by updating you on how I’m doing on #TBR20. The plan was, (with Lizzy and Richard @caravanablog and any others participating), not to read or buy any new books until I’d read twenty from my TBR – which I define as anything on the shelves already by the end of 2019.
- While I have read ten books from the TBR, I’ve snuck in three that weren’t. One was a book group read from the library, so doesn’t count, but the other two, one from the library, one a review copy just demanded to be read. But ten from the TBR ain’t bad for me!
- New books – I’ve cut my expenditure on new books a lot, but a few have still managed to creep in – Jeff Vandermeer’s Dead Astronauts, and Ray Robinson’s Portico-shortlisted The Mating Habits of Stags. (Thank you to Lightning & Eye Books, who not only offered signed copies of the latter at half price, but also sent me a copy of Ryan O’Neill’s Their Brilliant Careers which sounds rather brilliant – a novel in the guise of biographies of sixteen invented Austrailian writers.
- Luckily all the Feb proofs I have arrived before the end of 2019, so will count towards finishing my twenty books.
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It always happens though – I start the year, trying to read from the TBR – do well for 1,2,3 months, but by then the shiny new books have built up so much I rarely look back. Must try harder to make sure I keep TBR books in the mix, but two exciting ARCs arrived this week – the latest DI Alexandra Cupidi book by William Shaw, and a mad sounding Japanese novella about a stand-up comedian. (Thank you to riverrun and Pushkin press respectively).
February plans
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PAUL AUSTER READING WEEK
From hereonin for me, it’s Paul Auster all the way, as I am hosting Paul Auster Reading Week from Feb 17-23. I’d love it if you would like to join in – I’ll do a linky post at the beginning of that week.
I’ve given the project its own page under my ‘Projects’ tab above – or click here, where you’ll find a bibliography.
All these reads will be from my TBR or re-reads, so count towards #TBR20 of course!
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There’s also Karen and Lizzy’s Fitzcarraldo Fortnight running from the 16th, so after I’ve finished my Paul Auster week, I’ll be reading It Gets Me Home, This Curving Track: Objects & Essays 2012-2018 by Ian Penman, which I bought last year on Karen’s recommendation.
February is going to be a great reading month!
I’m currently dithering about requesting Spark. It looks very tempting.
I couldn’t resist!
It was indeed a sad day yesterday – not a happy bunny here…
And glad you can join in with the Fitzcarraldo event – so looking forward to it! If I had an Auster I’d try to join in but I haven’t and tbh I never got on *that* well with him – though I’d be prepared to have another try! 😀