After two years of a pandemic, it seems a little foolish to make plans for anything right now. With record high COVID cases, mounting pressure on the health system, leaders who are only interested in the coming election, the immediate future looks bleak.
There is so much happening that is outside my control, I can only plan for what I can control - like my reading. But I do like to be agile enough to respond to whatever comes my way and go wherever my moods and interests take me.
I am looking forward to a number of new books due to be published in 2022, including:
- Hanya Yanagihara - To Paradise (January)
- Margaret Atwood - Burning Questions (February)
- Jane Caro - The Mother (March)
- Wendy McCarthy - Don't be too polite, girls (March)
- Jennifer Egan - The Candy House (April)
- Douglas Stuart - Young Mungo (April)
- Emily St John Mandel - Sea of Tranquility (April)
- Julian Barnes - Elizabeth Finch (April)
- Kate Grenville - Elizabeth Macarthur's Letters (April)
- Dervla McTiernan - The Murder Rule (May)
- Geraldine Brooks - Horse (June)
- Zadie Smith - The Fraud (September)
- Anna Funder - Wifedom (September)
- David Marr - A Family Business (November)
- Samantha Maiden - Open Secrets (TBC)
- Britney Higgins - memoir (TBC)
While I won't get to all of them this year, I have preordered many from my library.
I seem to consistently be able to read 30 books each year, but given the uncertainty this pandemic brings and the impact it will have on my workload, I do not want to increase the volume. Instead I will continue to explore new authors, genres and subject matters. To diversify my reading and to challenge myself to read more fiction, I have created a new checklist to add some fun to my reading.
| 20th century modern classic |
Retelling of another story |
Novel in translation |
Poetry collection |
Women's prize longlister |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Nations Author/Issues |
Essay collection |
New to me author |
Biography or memoir |
Book on the 1001 list |
| Debut novel |
19th century classic |
Published in 2022 |
By a favourite author |
Non-fiction bestseller |
| Short story collection |
Australian literary prize longlister |
Current affairs/politics |
Protagonist is over 50 |
LGBTIQ+ Author/Issues |
| Pre-19th century classic |
Non-fiction history |
Book in my To Be Read pile |
Booker prize longlister |
Novella in November |
- First Nations Author/Issues
- LGBTIQ+ Author/Issues
- Non-fiction History
- Novella in November
- 20th Century Classic
- By a favourite author