Thursday, 1 January 2015

Planning for 2015

It is never wise to plan my reading for the year. As soon as I decide what I am going to read, I get distracted by new novels and non-fiction that is published throughout the year and by books I find lurking on my shelves waiting for their time to be read.

But I do have a overall plans to try and read at least two books a month (so 24 for the year). I would like to try and vary my reading some more and tackle some of the books I have recently been given.

Biographies are always enjoyable. I like hearing of how other people have lived and the challenges they have overcome. The biographies I have on my to-be-read pile include:

I guess that list says something about my admiration of strong, brave, funny, feminist women. However, I may throw in a volume by Stephen Fry along the way.

In addition to biographies, my keen interest (as always) is political economy - with special attention to social policy, wealth inequality, and gender issues. On my list for 2015 are:
  • A Bigger Prize (2014) by Margaret Heffernan
  • Slavery Inc - The Untold Story of International Child Sex Trafficking  (2010) by Lydia Cacho 
  • The Omnivore's Dilemma (2006) by Michael Pollan (Update: read February 2015)
  • Capital in the Twenty-First Century (2013) by Thomas Piketty
  • Quarterly Essay 56 - Clivosaurus (2014) by Guy Rundle  (Update: read January 2015)
  • Quarterly Essay 55 - A Rightful Place (2014) by Noel Pearson
  • Quarterly Essay 54 - Dragon's Tail: The Lucky Country After the China Boom (2014) by Andrew Charlton
I will have another year's worth of Quarterly Essay arriving and other non-fiction to add to this list as I go along.

In terms of fiction, my to-be-read pile changes regularly as I am often taken by a theme or an author or dip back in to re-read an old favourite (such as my annual Harry Potter spree!). On the list are:



  • The Paying Guests (2014) by Sarah Waters
  • All the Birds, Singing (2013) by Evie Wyld
  • Nora Webster (2014) by Colm Toibin
  • Top Secret Twenty-One (2014) by Janet Evanovich 
  • A Feast for Crows (2005) by George R R Martin - fourth instalment of Song of Ice and Fire series.
  • World of Wonders (1975) by Robertson Davies - final instalment of the Deptford Trilogy which is a long overdue read.

    • Add to this list some of the new books expected from Kazuo Ishiguro (The Buried Giant), Anne Tyler (A Spool of Blue Thread), Irvine Welsh (A Decent Ride), and hopefully a new Robert Galbraith.

    So overall it looks like a great year for reading. Can't wait!
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