Reading Update September 2024: I’m on a roll…..
After I posted my update for August in which I celebrated one month of “reading randomly”, I had a sudden qualm. What if the joy of that plan-free month was just a flash in the pan?. What if September would find me once more tempted down the rabbit holes of reading plans and challenges??
I’m delighted to report that those fears were unfounded. I’ve stuck to my plan of having no plans and am still loving the freedom that brings.
If I’d kept to my old ways where I chose what to read next based on various projects like Reading Africa, I wouldn’t have read one of the Booker Prize shortlisted titles or an odd novella about badminton.. Nor would I have ever contemplated re-reading a novel I first read about eight years ago. I’d have seen all three of these in the library and decided I couldn’t possibly justify borrowing these when a) I had so many unread books on my shelves and b) I was way behind with my various projects and challenges.
But the new me, threw caution to the wind and grabbed all three and put another four novels on reservation.
I
Favourite Book of the Month
Tom Lake— our book club choice for September — has .rekindled my interest in Ann Patchett’s fiction, I loved the first novel I read by her — Bel Canto — but was disappointed by my next experience via The Dutch House. i loved the gentle yet perceptive style of the narrative in Tom Lake but the setting had an added resonance — it It brought back memories of work trips to Michigan and the particular delights of Upper Peninsula cherries and lakeside beaches.
Close contenders for book of the month were My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout which was a re-read and Stay With Me by the Nigherian author Ayòbami Adébáyò which deals with the pressures on Nigerian women to produce children.
The Ones That Got Away
Years ago when this blog was in its infancy another blogger (sadly no longer active) recommended a series of French noir crime novels by Jean Claude Izzo set in Marseille. I finally got around to them last month but gave up without finishing even the first one, Total Chaos.
It was highly atmospheric, giving a fascinating picture of a city where many cultures collide. But I just couldn’t follow the plot and every night when I opened the book I found I had to re-read sections of what I’d read the previous night just to remind me of what was happening. All three books have now found a home with another member of our book club who has more of an interest in noir fiction.
The Newcomers
Just two purchases last month.
Orbital by Samantha Harvey which is a slim tale about six astronauts on the International Space Station. The book covers one day in their mission, during which they conduct experiments, monitor their instruments and follow an exercise programme to counter the muscle-loss effects of space travel. Mainly however they meditate on the wonders of Earth as seen through their portholes. Orbital has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize but is up against tough competition from the bookies favourite, James by Percival Everett.
The Librarianist by Patrick de Witt is the book club choice for October. I’ve not heard of this book before so have had to rely on blurbs and reviews online. It’s been described as a “funny and poignant” story about an introverted bookworm who makes a bid late in his life to find connections and a sense of belonging. I hope it’s not going to be twee.
That’s it for this month. Let’s hope I’m still on a roll next month.
stargazer
Reading randomly is something I can relate to – works a treat! Interesting, how many people who didn’t get on with The Dutch House, love Tom Lake. I am quite the opposite; loved The Dutch House, wasn’t impressed with Tom Lake. Currently, I am reading my first Elizabeth Strout novel (Olive Kitteridge) and so far it’s very good.
Liz Dexter
I keep seeing The Librarianist on the blogs and it does have an attractive cover so I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on that one! I have quite enjoyed the randomness of my 20 Books of Summer and upcoming randomness of my Novellas in November, but they’re still planned randomness!
kaggsysbookishramblings
No plans is definitely the way to go – glad it’s still working for you!
MarinaSofia
Unplanned reading is great, we all need that from time to time. I’m sorry to hear you didn’t get on with Izzo – I really do love his Marseille trilogy, but you probably have to be an avid noir fan or crazy about Marseille to really get into them.
BookerTalk
Marseille is somewhere I’ve been hoping to visit for a long time so that element of the book was interesting. So I suppose noir is just not my thing
Calmgrove
I’ve submitted to temptation and bought a copy of Orbital to read for NovNov, which happily coincides with SciFiMonth so that’s two birds with one stone! Congrats on your random reading, though – it’s very freeing, isn’t it? If only I could stick to it! 😁
BookerTalk
Ah well that is something I did wonder – whether I could stick with the no plan plan or whether I’d get led astray by all those events this autumn. So far its working
WordsAndPeace
Great no-plan plan! I also want to read Orbital
BookerTalk
I’m keen to find out how well Orbital holds my attention. There’s only so much you can say about how amazing Earth looks from afar isn’t there? Or am I about to be proved wrong??
paulliverstravels
“James” by Percival Everett was a really good book, especially if you assume James is a more reliable narrator than Huck, which is distinctly probable. I’ve looked into his other work, and he has an impressive range of style, which I envy, and the movie based on one of his books was brilliant.
I’m rarely enjoy books in the “day in the life” genre. The last time I read such a book, it was supposed to be about a woman trying to figure out what her essay on Shakespeare would actually be about, but the author seemed more interested in the character’s love life and described coffee in the most loving terms of all.
Our local library has two online options, putting books on hold, which means you are on an active list to get the book, and a list of your own of books you thought were interesting but not ready to read yet. I think I have over 200 books on that second list, mostly books I found interesting while looking for something else.
BookerTalk
My husband has read three of Everett’s novels – including James. He enjoyed James but kept wondering whether there was more to it than an adult adventure kind of tale.
Our library has that dual system too though I’ve never used the wishlist option. I have wishlists on both Goodreads and Amazon yet never look at them when it comes to buying/borrowing another book. I’ve forgotten what most of the books are that I’ve listed 🙂
paulliverstravels
Yeah, my reading list on the library website just keeps on growing faster than I can read them.
A Life in Books
Very pleased to hear unplanned reading is working out so well for you. More like fun than homework!
paulliverstravels
I’ve sometimes joked that reading books chosen at random from a library would be more informative than getting news from the Internet.
A Life in Books
I think you may have something there!
BookerTalk
Plus with the library you can choose how much/how little you want to read about a subject. The 24-news cycle means that the media channels latch onto one story and then it’s wall to wall coverage of just that story all day.
paulliverstravels
Oh, I know. Sometimes we’d turn on Rachel Maddow and she would said she had a well researched episode all ready but now she was throwing it out to cover breaking news, and it was the exact same news the last three shows had covered. I wanted to tell her that I wanted the well researched show!
BookerTalk
I had the same reaction yesterday – the news channels kept going on about the singer from a boy band who died in Argentina. Sad I know but not really requiring so much attention – it pushed the events in Gaza way down the list. Which is more important? I think I know the answer to that one
BookerTalk
Absolutely far more entertaining this way
margaret21
Hooray for no reading obligations! Let’s see how you get on with Orbital (loved it) and The Librarianist (disliked it). You’ve reminded I want to try Ayòbami Adébáyò’s work too. She’s the only one of your authors I haven’t sampled apart from Jean Claude Izzo, and your less than resounding accolade makes me feel I shan’t bother.
BookerTalk
The Adébáyò novel was interesting for its insights on attitudes to women in Nigeria and how it’s perfectly OK for men to take a different wife if they lose interest in the first or, in this case, the first wife doesn’t pop out those babies
Carol
I’m considering Orbital for novellas in November. Yay for free reading!
BookerTalk
I’m curious about Orbital. One of the few Booker contenders this year that caught my attention
Carol
Did you read James?
BookerTalk
No – my husband has and while he thought it was readable he felt there was something missing.
Carol
I think it was understated and quietly powerful…building to a dramatic conclusion. It surprised me as well that it wasn’t hard hitting from the beginning. But when I think about it, it seems the first half was an homage to Mark Twain and HF….then at midway, it took a powerful turn. It would be difficult to reimagine a classic! It was a much needed perspective and I can’t imagine reading HF now without James.
BookerTalk
Thanks Carol for that perspective _ I shall pass on to my husband
Lisa Hill
LOL It’s working for me too, because I’m enjoying reading your “at-random” choices.
BookerTalk
Phew. Now that was what I was afraid of – incurring your wrath with my lack of focused reviews LOL
heavenali
Reading without plans is a good idea, that’s pretty much what I do, aside from book group reads. Your month of reading sounds excellent, I only ever read Bel Canto by Pratchett many years ago but Tom Lake sounds very good. I really enjoyed My name is Lucy Barton, I must read more by Steout soon, I have only read that and two of the Olive Kitteridge books.
BookerTalk
I’m going to work my way through the Strout novels having enjoyed these two. I’ve seen several bloggers say they couldn’t get on with Tom Lake – they found it dull. It doesn’t have the drama of Bel Canto for sure but I rather enjoyed the gentleness
Mary Daniels Brown
I’m glad the free-reading approach continues to work for you. It can be remarkably rewarding. We find the books we need when we need them.
BookerTalk
I like that idea of the book we need calling out to us “I’m here, pick me”