2022 Reading Challenge

ayayrawn said:
I read the Maude translation, which I think is one of the original translations. Both W&P and AK I read the Oxford classic versions of, which was nice because it kept the original languages like French and German in context, while translating them on the page, and had footnotes for obscure references. Made them both easier.

Edit: also, AK was a newer translation by Rosamund Bartlett.
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I'm cracking up reading the volleys of the P&V haters vs lovers. I had a hard time with some stretches in the book because it was clunky, but by no means was it unreadable or too difficult. To each their own I guess.
avecigrec said:
I want to do this with The Master and Margarita some day. I used to have three translations, but I've only read one.
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So many books, so little time right? I have at least six things in queue to read...so when the heck would I pick up a 1200 pager for a second run??
 
ranbalam said:
So many books, so little time right? I have at least six things in queue to read...so when the heck would I pick up a 1200 pager for a second run??
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I cam fully dig that. At least TM&M is a nice compact 350ish which bodes a little better for re-reads, but the list of other stuff is pretty much unending!
 
ayayrawn said:
Any recs here? I haven't heard about any of these!
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Sadly, like records I buy more books than I really have time to read so while I have a couple, Treacle Walker and Oh William!, I haven't actually gotten round to picking them up yet. I think I saw that Treacle Walker is the shortest ever Booker listed title at around 80pp so I'm going to try and squeeze that one in soon.
 
Book 29

Split Decision: Life Stories by Ice-T & Spike with Douglas Century
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I've never been a fan of Ice-T, per se, but I've always respected him and generally enjoyed him. I don't know that I would've rushed out to get an Ice-T biography or memoir, but the conceit behind this one grabbed my attention and I immediately put a hold on it through the library. Ice-T & Spike came up together doing robberies and being players until eventually, their lives took very directions as Ice-T's music career took him to stardom and Spike's robbery career landed him a life sentence in jail. This is a breezy read of them discussing their intertwined stories from past to present. It doesn't go too in-depth into Ice-T's music or acting career, merely using them as marker points within their life stories. Very enjoyable read.
 
BjorgenFjorgen said:
I like to read longer books once in a while that take up a lot of time, so I don't normally set a real goal of number of books per year. I have a "read 20 pages" task in my habit tracker app that I've used for the last two years which helps keep me motivated. I passed 10,000 pages for the first time in 2020, and came up just shy last year, so I think that will be my goal again. That, and clearing a bunch of books out of my to-read list that have been there for ages, including:
  • One Hundred Years of Solitude
  • Greenwood
  • The Master and Margarita
  • Pachinko
  • In Cold Blood
  • Station Eleven
  • The Luminaries
  • A Little Life
  • Herzog
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Two thirds of the year done, and I'm on track to complete my page goal, through 24 books, including four of the nine I first listed. (As always, other interests pop up.)

The books I've enjoyed the most so far have been In Cold Blood, The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington, Roddy Doyle's The Commitments, and my first reread of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
 
Book 23: Sugar Free Saxophone - The Life And Music Of Jackie McLean by Derek Ansell (Northway Publications, 2012)

I bought this for a couple of quid a while ago and it's been on my pile to read ever since. Its a really fantastic read. Ansell was in communication with McLean's widow during the period he wrote this (McLean himself started writing and autobiography but passed away before he finished). Well worth reading if you are a fan of his music.

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Book 30

Pat Patrick: American Musician and Cultural Visionary by Bill Banfield
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I only learned of this book's existence about a month or so ago and immediately ordered myself a copy when I did. Pat Patrick was an incredible musician and a member of Sun Ra's Arkestra for over 25 years - I relished the idea of doing a deeper dive into his life and broader musical accomplishments. At 135 pages it's not a particularly long read - I think I breezed through it in four, maybe five, relatively short sittings. That said, I found it a... frustrating read at times. Its heart is very much in the right place and its importance cannot be undermined, but it languishes at times due to unnecessary repetition, overlong lists better suited for notes, unnecessary repetition, awkward self-referential writing and necessary repetition. That said, for all its flaws it is still a good and easy read, if mildly annoying at times.
 
Book 24: Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
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This one is Book 5 and a belated coda to the Book of the New Sun. I know what you're thinking: but Bull, wasn't this a four-book series? It was! However, while Wolfe included everything to understand his story, his publisher felt some things were less clear than others, and asked him to write a sequel/coda. Throughout BotNS, especially near the end, the protagonist alludes to a journey and trial he'll have to go through, and the book basically ends on this note of "welp, now you know my story and what I'm about to go do." Urth of the New Sun covers that journey, the trial, and its aftermath.

I didn't read this one on my first go-round of New Sun because I'd felt like I'd barely processed its events. I'm really glad I did a reread first, because I found Urth to be a really enriching experience that would have left me far behind otherwise. In Wolfe fashion, this book does add some explanations; certain revelations are underlined, while others (which I'd argue were entirely obfuscated in the original text) are made a little-less-opaque. Troll that he is, he also recontextualizes several ideas and themes from the OG books.

I thought I wouldn't continue with the next two novels (one four-volume and one three-volume) in the cycle, as it seems most/many readers drop off before even getting to Urth, let alone once they're done with it. But I'm starting to toy with the idea.
 
Book 24: Thames - Sacred River by Peter Ackroyd (Vintage, 2008)

A pretty thick book that covers every angle imaginable in regards to the Thames. There's even a chapter dedicated to the rivers Swans. Not usually my go-to kind of read but really glad I did and it helped me learn a bit more about the river I cross over every day!

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Book 25: The Rum Diary by Hunter S Thompson (Bloomsbury, 2011)

This is one of my favourite books and one of a few that I read yearly. I'm fortunate enough to have a first edition that I picked up a while back as well but this is my reader copy.
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September’s reads were all winners.

Book 47: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

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Like all of the classics I've tackled, it's clear to see why this has stood the test of time on reading lists around the world. It's high drama, romantic and full of memorable characters from sweet to vile with everything in-between.
The older form of English always takes me quite a while to get through, even with good notes from the Penguin editors and this was no different taking about 10 days to get through but, it was really enjoyable despite so much of it all feeling so familiar.

Book 48: Clandestine - James Ellroy

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I decided to read through Ellroy's works in sequence having read a couple of the LA Quartet many years ago. I started last year with Brown's Requiem and found it so-so at best. This on the other hand felt like a 100% improvement.
A young cop on the up gets embroiled in a case that finds him at the butt end of a corrupt cop's desire to pin the case on a patsy. It isn't breaking any genre conventions but, it's done well and both the good and the bad guys are believable and highly entertaining.

Book 49: Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

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Quite the surprise this one. Mrs Moore recommended it back when it was selling gazzillions of copies and I think I just wrote it off as the latest airport novel and passed. Just recently I started seeing it crop up on a few 2010s book lists and figured I'd give it a go. I really enjoyed it, both the story and the structure.
The two lead characters are fucked up in their own ways and are both unlikeable and worthy of sympathy in equal measures. While I wouldn't wish either of them on anybody, they sort of deserved each other.

Book 50: Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides

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This has been one of my favourites of the year. It's an epic American immigrant family history spanning three generations from a Greek incestuous couple fleeing the razing of Smyrna to their seemingly omniscient narrator hermaphrodite grandchild. Moving back and forth through time it's a tragicomedy with complete characters that despite being really unusual, seem totally accessible and real.
 
ayayrawn said:
12. Women Talking by Miriam Towes. Read this in anticipation of the upcoming movie. Very good! A reflection of our times which are actually very bad.

13. Legend of Luke by Brian Jacques. Threw in a Redwall because I needed something easy and light. This one was fine.

14. Lapvona by Otessa Moshfegh. Her sickest and most fucked up yet, I love her sooo much.

15. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Really enjoyed it!! Maybe not as good as it's made out to be, but still great! Probably the quickest I've read a ~900 page book (about 3 weeks).

Currently reading Invisible Girl, a recent Pulitzer winner. Zooming through books these days and no intention to slow down.
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16. Invisible Child by Andrea Elliott. Won the Pulitzer last year for nonfiction. Infuriating read. This country is beyond fucked. Pretty moved by this family's story though. Great reporting.

17. Babylon's Ashes by James SA Corey. Book 6 of the Expanse. Generally enjoy this series but this was probably my least favorite entry so far. Feels more like an epilogue to the last book than something with a full arc. Poorly paced, and pretty boring for what should have been a climax of the series.

18. Fire & Blood by George RR Martin. Had a blast with this. I was hesitant because I'd heard it was dry, but found it to be a lot of fun. If you're interested in the ASoIaF universe, you should check ot out.

19. Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla by Dan Charnas. Been listening as an Audiobook since June, but just now finished. Absolutely essential for Hip Hop Heads, and actually, every other music fan too. Phenomenal.

Currently reading Nightmares and Dreamscapes as my annual Stephen King read. It's fine. Might pick up a classic if I finish before the month is out.
 
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