Last year I made a list of fourteen books that I would try and read in 2007. I must have completely forgotten about the list, as I only read three of the books! Since it is nearly 2008, I guess it's time to throw out all those old lists and start afresh. I still want to read these books for the What's in a Name Challenge. And I still want to read a few books from this list over the course of the Winter. I know I shouldn't probably make lists, but I can't quite help myself. For me part of the excitement of reading is thinking about what I am going to read. So here are thirteen titles I'd like to try and read next year.
- Maurice, E.M. Forster - Yes, more Edwardian literature.
- The Omnivore's Dilemma - I need to read more nonfiction, and I think this sounds very interesting--sort of along the lines of a Fast Food Nation, which was quite good (in terms of our food and how it's processed).
- Beware of Pity, Stefan Zweig - Both this and the Hartley below were finds this past year and I've had them both high on the TBR pile.
- The Go-Between, L.P. Hartley
- My Antonia, Willa Cather - Poor Willa. She was thrust upon me in high school and I wouldn't take the bait. I need to read more American authors and especially some Nebraska authors.
- Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Anne Tyler - I've never read anything by Anne Tyler, which seems very surprising to me. She seems like one of those important 20th century American authors that I don't ever seem to read these days (I need to change that in 2008).
- Rainbow, D.H. Lawrence - I'm going to try this again. I liked what I read, but it seems to be a book that requires more attention than I seemed able to give it when I tried earlier this Fall. I still am going to read Lawrence!
- The Fountain Overflows, Rebecca West - I've heard from more than one reader how good this is, and the story appeals to me greatly.
- Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier - Time for a reread. I wonder if I will love it as much the next time around.
- Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy - This year was War and Peace, and next year is Anna K. It is the one book I want to read for the Russian Reading Challenge. I hope to read a few other Russian authors, but I am not going to tie myself down right now to more than the Tolstoy.
- Needle in the Blood, Sarah Bower - I have every expectation that I will greatly enjoy this book once I get going. History and needlework--what more can you ask for?
- Aristocrats, S.K. Tillyard - I loved the miniseries and I think a biography sounds fascinating about the Lennox sisters.
- Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years, Elizabeth Wayland Barber - My newest addition to my library. Another book that sounds right up my alley. I'm not sure what took me so long to get it--thankfully someone gave it as a gift.
And one bonus book: The Beautiful and the Damned, F. Scott Fitzgerald - I loved the short story I read by him recently, which makes me want to read/reread all his fiction.
We'll see how well I do with this list next year at this time. I tend to get easily sidetracked, but my intentions are always good...