Mission

Bibliophiliac is the space where one passionate, voracious reader reflects on books and the reading life. You will find reviews, analysis, links, and reflections on poetry and prose both in and out of the mainstream.

A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us. Franz Kafka

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Sunday Coffee

Wow, having coffee late again--hope I can sleep tonight.  This week I finished reading Running the Books--check out my review just below.  One of my favorite books of the year.

I guess it's time to start thinking about a post for my favorite books of the year?  Everybody seems to be doing it.  That and making up reading lists for 2011.  In December I will be reading Russians.  Here's what I'm thinking:
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (I know, I know--I can't believe I haven't read it either)
War and Peace by Tolstoy (maybe if I start it over Christmas break I will finish it by February?)
or maybe The Brothers Karamazov again (I love re-reading)

And then I have these ARCs:
My Reading Life Pat Conroy
The Good Sister Drusilla Campbell
Old Border Road Susan Froderberg
Dirty Secret:  A Daughter Comes Clean About Her Mother's Compulsive Hoarding Jessie Sholl

On Tuesday, December 7th I'll be joining The Classics Circuit for the first time, on the Trollope Tour.  I'll be posting about The Prime Minister.  If you've been reading my blog you know I have a few obsessions, the works of Anthony Trollope chief among them.
Mr. Trollope, you must allow me to tell you how ardently I love your books!

So I'm kind of excited about an entire Trollope Tour!




What are your reading plans for the month, the year, your life?  Maybe you are like this brave soul:
Lifetime Reading Plan
 She has a plan for reading all the books she should have read but didn't, starting in January 2011.  I can't wait to see how it goes!

Are you making lists right now?  Do you have a reading plan? Or do you just read as the spirit moves you?  Are you signing up for challenges (there are a lot of them out there, but I think that's another post)?  Do tell, Gentle Readers.


11 comments:

the Ape said...

Isn't there some historical lesson about leaving Russia alone in winter? I guess that only applies to invading.

Anyway, I've been thinking about making next year exclusively new American fiction. Always wanted to try this for a while, tracking the pulse of the contemporary scene for a full year. We'll see if I can be that disciplined...

Mel u said...

you might add some of the best Russian short stories to your list-or at least Gogol's "The Overcoat" and Chekhov's "Lady with a Dog"

Anonymous said...

planning to read books from onecountry end of every month next year have 6 or 7 italian books line up for jan ,apart from that terrible at lists ,all the best stu

bibliophiliac said...

@Ape--the only snow I will experience will be in Russian novels...I like the idea of reading just new American fiction, but don't know if I could do it for a whole year. I also like the idea of reading only classics for a set period--I might start speaking like a stuffy old Victorian...

bibliophiliac said...

@MelU--good suggestions; I can't leave out Gogol and Chekhov!
@stu--I like the idea of reading from one country. I love lists but my discipline usually stops at making them--I'm terrible at follow-through.

Jennifer said...

I LOVED Master and Margarita, though I've never been able to get through Lolita (gasp!). Maybe I should follow your initiative and finally read Anna Karenina!

No specific reading plans here, other than beginning a Victorian Reading Challenge next year - mostly just planning to read what I want, when I want (hopefully choosing from my to-be-read pile and not the bookstore). Though I do intend to make this the year I finally read A Christmas Carol - it's a bit overdue, especially considering I've owned the thing for four years.

Aisle B said...

Sounds like you've got eveything mapped out to a T. I'll be looking forward to hearing about your thought on Lolita and Tolstoy.

Enjoy the challenges :)

Hannah said...

Thanks for the mention. Wish me luck! I'm starting to get a little nervous...

Can't wait to read your Trollope post. My post is Wednesday--and this is the first Trollope I have read. I can easily see why you're obsessed!

bibliophiliac said...

@Jennifer--you do need to read Anna Karenina!

Kerry said...

If it makes you feel better, I haven't read Lolita either. Or Anna Karenina. My Russian reading is woefully behind, though both are on my list. Looking forward to the Trollope post!

Lisa said...

I spent an hour in Half-Price Books yesterday and suddenly I found myself in front of their Trollope books and out of all of those choices I had, I just knew I had to buy one of them. I have to see why you love him so much!