I start the year with a stack of books on my 'To Be Read' Pile including:
- Alba De Cespedes - The Forbidden Notebook
- Paddy Manning - The Successor
- George Saunders - A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
- Richard Flanagan - Question 7
- Sandra Newman - Julia
- Zadie Smith - The Fraud
- Patrick Stewart - Making it So
- Julia Baird - Bright Shining
I always promise I won't buy any more books until I have read the ones I already have... but that promise never lasts long! I am hoping to make a dent in this pile though, as I am looking forward to each one, and I want to get a start on my reading before award longlists are announced from March.
I am looking forward to a number of new books due to be published in 2024, including:- Michael Cunningham - Day (January)
- Percival Everett - James (March)
- Tana French - The Hunter (March)
- Michael Ondaatje - A Year of Last Things (Poems) (March)
- Judith Butler - Who's Afraid of Gender? (March)
- Ru Paul Charles - The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir (March)
- Bri Lee - The Work (March)
- Louise Milligan - Pheasants Nest (March)
- Salman Rushdie - Knife: Meditations after an attempted murder (April)
- Colm Tobin - Long Island (a sequel to Brooklyn!) (May)
- Evie Wyld - The Echoes (August)
- Tara Moss - Next Billie Walker book
- Clare Wright - third instalment of her democracy trilogy
- Helen Garner - new non-fiction
While I won't get to all of them this year, I have preordered many from my library.
Last year I focussed mainly on fiction. This year I want to add more non-fiction to my list, but also get back to the classics and tick off some of the books on my Fifty/Five list. I created that list to read some long desired classics over the next five years. Will 2024 be the year I tackle Proust?
For the past few years I have consistently been able to read at least 30 books a year. While I could push myself by setting a higher goal, I like my 30 book plan. However I will continue to explore new authors, genres and subject matters. To diversify my reading and to challenge myself to read more broadly, I have updated my annual checklist to add some fun to my reading.
Happy reading everyone!