Tag: to-read

An Open Letter to my TBR

Posted July 29, 2013 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Literature / 14 Comments

tbrDear TBR Shelves,

Why do you insist on growing faster than I can read? You seem to have a way of collecting more and more books and I am never sure what to read next, is there a system? Or do I need to cull some of you? I’ve noticed that you get me reading new releases and classic but what happens to all the books in the middle? Sooner or later those new releases will just be lost in the void forever, I don’t know what kind of black magic this is but I need answers.

While I’m still talking to you can you tell me how I manage to be excited about books that I want to read but never get around to reading? You know those books, they get put onto your shelves with excitement and desire but you work some kind of voodoo and I never read them. It’s not like the desire to read them is just gone, you have me distracted with a shiny new book. You don’t believe me? Here is a quick list;

  • Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson
  • Ask the Dust by John Fante
  • Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
  • Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
  • Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
  • Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
  • Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross
  • The Book of Emmett by Deborah Forster
  • The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne
  • The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson

You can’t claim you have nothing to do with me not reading these books; I do try really hard to fight your evil ways but you are just too powerful. Always adding more books and distracting me with the shiny new ones. You are just too powerful and I’m losing the battle but rest assured that I will keep looking for ways to defeat you, there must be a way and if there is I will find it.

With all my love

Michael @ Literary Exploration

Books Beside the Bed

Posted March 11, 2013 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Literature / 0 Comments

While I’ve noticed people write posts about what they plan to read during the week, I thought I might do something similar. I thought rather than make this a regular theme; it will just be something to help break up all the review posts. I like the idea of a post about the books by my bed because I have so many books I want to read, it could be fun to share what I’m currently reading and hope to read soon.

The Son by Philipp Meyer

I don’t know why I was excited to read this book, I’ve not even read American Rust but when I was offered a review copy I jumped at the chance. So far I’m finding this book to be compelling and can see why people hold Philipp Meyer in such high regard.

 

What it Was by George Pelecanos

George Pelecanos is best known as a writer for The Wire, I will admit I’ve not watched the show in its entirety but I thought I’ll try one of his books. This has a real 1970’s feel to it and so far I’m really enjoying the pulp style. Apparently this is book five in a series but it reads like a standalone novel.

 

A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter

I first heard about this book from The First Tuesday Book Club (now known as The Book Club) and thought it might be a short book for the Literary Exploration challenge’s Erotica pick. This is a library book so I will need to get to this book soon.

 

Ghostman by Roger Hobbs

Another library book, this book was talked about on the Books on the Nightstand podcast and they described the protagonist as a descendant of Lee Child‘s Jack Reacher and Richard Stark‘s Parker. Then the final nail in the coffin was when the blurb called it “Stunningly dark, hugely intelligent and thoroughly addictive”.

 

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

A friend of mine lent me these books; while I’m not really a fan of fantasy I did mention I have enjoyed the fantasy/pulp crossover novels. So now I’ve been told to read Guards! Guards! and if I like it, Men at Arms.  Not sure when I’ll get to these books, but they sit beside my bed waiting for me.

 

Mimi by Lucy Ellmann

I recently receive this book and I don’t know what it is but I feel drawn to it. Mimi does look intriguing but I’m still not sure what to expect. The novel is described as “Sparkling, polemical, irreverent, slippery, and sexy”.

While I have plenty of other books I plan to read these are the books sitting next to my bed hoping to take priority. This is not always the case, I might put some on my TBR bookshelf but they are all calling for some attention. Do you have a pile of books waiting beside your bed? and if so what are they.

Culling My To-Read List

Posted May 7, 2012 by Michael @ Knowledge Lost in Literature / 0 Comments

My to-read list on Goodreads has always been a dumping ground for books that look interesting and I hope to read some time in the future. But I’ve come to realise that I normally read on a whim and don’t often refer to my to-read list when picking the next book to read. I much prefer picking something that looks interesting at the time and just reading it. I’ve actually got two to-read lists on Goodreads; one is the generic list (which had over 300 books in it) and the other was the to-read on shelf list referring to all the books I actually own and need to read. I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands; my to-read list has now gone from over 300 books to just under 100 books. I was brutal in doing this cull and removed anything I couldn’t remember why I wanted to read it or books that have lost appeal and have past their used by date.

Now that I have under a hundred books on my to-read list, I feel a lot better about the list. It is now a better representation of what I actually want to read and less of a dumping ground. Now my next problem is to tackle my to-read-on-shelf list and reduce the number of books on that list. Currently there are 78 books on that list so I better get reading.