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.