I've described before the feeling of never having enough time to read all the books that I want to read, even if I locked myself in a room (with snacks) and ignored the world. This year I did a much better job of reading the books I wanted to read, and next year I'm planning on keeping up the pace. To introduce more variety into my reading diet, however, I want to experiment with my TBR pile. This is where you come in. I'm asking people who read this post or follow me on Twitter to recommend one book that they think I should read/would enjoy--fiction, nonfiction, genre, picture book, classic, new release--the type of book doesn't matter to me, just the recommendation.
I'm going to put all the recommendations in my GoodReads account as "Want to Read" and select the next book I read using random.org's number generator. Because I am a creature of moods, I'm going to generate three numbers and pick each next book from the three random results. I will give each book at least 50 pages (per Nancy Pearl), after which I can decide to put it down and move to the next randomly generated book. I will report on my results here.
I already have several books on my "Want to Read" list that friends have been surprised I haven't read, such as The Handmaid's Tale and The Giver, so feel free to browse over there and see what shocking gaps I have.
Please leave me a comment on this post or @ me on Twitter, and let me know what I should read next! I will accept submissions until December 31st.
ETA: If it ends up being a later book in a series, I'll go back to the first book or the latest book I read in that series. If a book is prohibitively expensive for me (can't be acquired via ILL or purchased for a reasonable price, I will pick another option).
First Pick
Second Pick
Third Pick
Fourth Pick
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16 comments:
I really enjoyed Libba Bray's The Diviners. Occult sleuthing in jazz age Harlem. Here's the web site for the series. Only book one is out so far.
http://thedivinersseries.com/#
Two (Can't limit myself to just one) that I've really enjoyed recently are Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale, and Robert Massie's new biography of Catherine the Great (a truly fascinating lady). If you're interested, my LibraryThing profile is http://www.librarything.com/catalog/pilston Thanks for sharing your Goodreads profile; I shall paw through it for recommendations!
Luckily, I have already read the Massie! So you are down to one recommendation. I will add it directly.
Well, since you say you haven't read The Giver, that settles it, then. Don't bother waiting for it to come up randomly. Just go get it, now.
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. Excellent read.
Thank you!
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. Still thinking about it.
I second Among Others. Also, almost anything by Connie Willis. Blackout/All Clear duo won deserved awards, but earlier books are all good, too. Also, Kage Baker, In the Garden of Iden. (I'm hedging my bets Here.)
Connie Willis is my favorite author, but I haven't gotten to Blackout and All Clear yet. Loved In the Garden of Iden as well! You have excellent taste!
Charles Mann, 1493. It was so full of stuff I didn't know, and reads as smooth as fiction.
From your to-read list, I highly recommend Palimpsest, A Wizard of Earthsea, Snowcrash, and Beggars in Spain (but the latter only if you read the whole trilogy, the later books complicate the ethos in important ways.)
I never fall quite as much in love with nonfiction as I do fiction, but An Elegant Madness & Georgette Heyer's Regency World are fun too.
Not on the list yet: Mark Helprin's Winter's Tale, Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow, Holly Phillip's The Engine's Child, PD James' Children of Men, China Meiville's The City & the City and/or Embassytown.
Thank you!
Gonzalez & Daughter Trucking Company by Maria Amparo Escandon. I have never given a book suggestion program without taking this one. It's been my go-to for over 6 years.
Did you read Beauty Queens yet? Can I please insist that you do?
Also Grave Mercy, read that. Unspoken, by Sarah Rees Brennan. Cat Valente's two (so far) books in the Fairyland series, ESPECIALLY after you read Palimpsest. Trust me.
Wow. We have a lot of books in common already on GR.
I'll do something different and say What Narcissism Means to Me by Tony Hoagland. Poetry. Hilarious poetry.
I really loved My Favorite Mistake by Chelsea Cameron. It really was one of my favorite books this year.
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