Sample Sunday: The journey to V
I’m almost at the end of my alphabetical trawl through my virtual and physical TBR, trying to decide which to keep and which to let go. I have very few books whose titles begin with the letter V so choosing just three to sample isn’t a difficult task
Voss by Patrick White
I think this is deemed a classic of Australian fiction — my blogging friends from that part of the world will soon put me straight if I’ve got that wrong. Anyway it’s a novel I’ve long meant to read and I did actually make a start as part of a readalong organised by Brona at This Reading `Life. But the timing wasn’t right so I didn’t get far. What I did manage to read I enjoyed, so I’ll keep this on my shelves. For people who are not familiar with the book, it’s about a personal search for meaning and a secret passion between an explorer and a naïve young woman.
The Verdict: Keep
The Vicar’s Daughter by E H Young
The volunteers in the second hand bookshop at a nearby National Trust property know me so well, they now give me a call when any Virago modern classics title gets donated. I often don’t know anything about the author but who can resist one of those green spines? Which is how I came to acquire a copy of E H Young’s 1927 novel. It’s described as an “almost Shakespearean comedy of misunderstandings, mixed motives, and mistaken identity.”
The Verdict: I don’t always relate well to comedy in fiction, particularly when it involves farce. I’ve seen a few reviews which indicate this novel has more to offer than the comedy however so I’ll keep it for now.
The Village of Eight Graves by Seishi Yokomizo
Japanese crime fiction is an unknown territory for me so I bought this as an experiment. I didn’t realise that it’s part of a murder mystery series, the third title in the sequence that features Kosuke Kindaichi as the investigator. My dilemma is now whether to read this or to put it on hold and get the first book in the series — The Honjin Murders? I already have book number two — The Inugami Curse.
The Verdict: I’m unsure what. to do about this one because it’s part of a series. I’m hoping someone who has read this series can tell me whether it would be. a bad idea to begin with book three?
Sample Sunday is when I take a look at all the unread books on my shelves and decide which to keep and which to let free. The goal isn’t to shrink the TBR as such, but rather it’s about making sure my shelves have only books I do want to read. So what do you think of the decisions I’ve reached? If you’ve read any of these books I’d love to hear from you.
Voss might be THE Australian classic. I thought I had the Vicar’s Daughter but my Virago is The Squire’s Daughter by EM Mayor.
Thanks for confirming I wasn’t imagining things Bill
I have not read Seishi Yokomizo’s series in order, and it worked for me. Each book is a different investigation. Anyway, the books published in English are not in the order of their publication in Japan, as is often the case in series
Thanks for sharing your insight. Good point about the translated editions not being in the same sequence as the originals – I found that out with an Icelandic series where the order did make a difference
I’ve read the first four Yokomizo books out of order and it didn’t matter at all as they work as standalone mysteries. I think The Honjin Murders and The Inugami Curse are both better than The Village of Eight Graves, but you could really start anywhere.
Maybe in that case I’ll start with the Inguami Curse and hold Eight Graves for another day
You have quite a variety of books that you read or hope to read; this is a good thing as you are a book-lover and I recommend this: Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany (Book for Writers, Book Lovers Miscellany with Booklist) Hardcover – Illustrated, by Jane Mount to add to your ever growing collection. And this: The Madman’s Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities from History Hardcover – by Edward Brooke-Hitching
Anyhow, I amuse myself online here and thank you to those who take the time to give me a thought. I am hoping to take a pause and try to compile something of my tea blog to have for print; unsure where I will find the money for this? But I will try because I would like to have what I have compiled as a blog for a hardcover or such texture that I can hold it; palm it etc. Thank you for the time of day given to me. Best with your TBR; mine is ever growing with no hope of reading them in this lifetime or beyond. Take care.
Thanks for the recommendations – I am trying so hard not to buy too many new books with so many already unread in the house. But it’s hard. I bought two today though when I woke up this morning I had no intention of going anywhere near a book shop….
Maybe for your book, you could consider self publishing via Amazon??