This is such a wonderful invitation. I’ve spent my break curating my 12 books - so hard and only a snapshot - if I did it again in a few months time I’m sure I’d choose different books, but it got me thinking about the books I love to read over and over again, the books that changed me, what might be seasonal about a particular book etc. Thank you for the prompt 🥰
I was hoping I could post a photo to this thread but I don't think that's possible (I still don't know Substack well), so I posted it as a note of my own. But my choices, starting with January would be Kae Tempest On Connection (a great heart space to start the year with); To The Poles (without a beard) by Catharine Hartley - got me into non-fiction and was a stepping stone to reading nature writing - also very cold themes, perfect for February; A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens - this was where I started my reading journey as a young adult of 17 after not having read anything that wasn't a set text for years - the scene of a wine barrel breaking and wine running down the street which in the future would be blood blew my young mind; Ruth Ozeki A Tale for the Time Being - this novel shook me; Kathryn Mannix With The End in Mind - I will read this book twice a year forever - KM is a wonderful voice in my professional world; Sarah Waters the night watch - oh my goodness, what can I say about SW's novels, she can bring an era to life; cereus blooms at night Shani Mootoo - the first affirming gender queer book I found, way ahead of its time; The Colour Purple Alice Walker broke my heart in ways I didn't realise books could do; the night circus Erin Morgenstern - the book I have read most often - just the right amount of magic; Wintering Katherine May - my lockdown read that put so much in context for me, and October would be the perfect month to pick it up; burial rites hannah kent - another novel that stopped me in my tracks; and we end the year with Michael Rosen's sad book - for anyone who has experienced bereavement and just needs to sit with it, alongside someone who shares their experience so generously in words and images.
What an incredible, diverse and rich list... thank you Karen. Some of these I read years ago (Dickens, The Colour Purple), and some more recently (Wintering), but many are new to me.... of those, I am particularly drawn to 'With The End in Mind'. Thank you for sharing this. Love these lists as glimpses into other worlds and minds.
This is such a wonderful invitation. I’ve spent my break curating my 12 books - so hard and only a snapshot - if I did it again in a few months time I’m sure I’d choose different books, but it got me thinking about the books I love to read over and over again, the books that changed me, what might be seasonal about a particular book etc. Thank you for the prompt 🥰
Oh my! Would love to hear some of your choices Karen... isn't it such a good exercise! I agree too, if I did mine again, it would alter... what fun!
I was hoping I could post a photo to this thread but I don't think that's possible (I still don't know Substack well), so I posted it as a note of my own. But my choices, starting with January would be Kae Tempest On Connection (a great heart space to start the year with); To The Poles (without a beard) by Catharine Hartley - got me into non-fiction and was a stepping stone to reading nature writing - also very cold themes, perfect for February; A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens - this was where I started my reading journey as a young adult of 17 after not having read anything that wasn't a set text for years - the scene of a wine barrel breaking and wine running down the street which in the future would be blood blew my young mind; Ruth Ozeki A Tale for the Time Being - this novel shook me; Kathryn Mannix With The End in Mind - I will read this book twice a year forever - KM is a wonderful voice in my professional world; Sarah Waters the night watch - oh my goodness, what can I say about SW's novels, she can bring an era to life; cereus blooms at night Shani Mootoo - the first affirming gender queer book I found, way ahead of its time; The Colour Purple Alice Walker broke my heart in ways I didn't realise books could do; the night circus Erin Morgenstern - the book I have read most often - just the right amount of magic; Wintering Katherine May - my lockdown read that put so much in context for me, and October would be the perfect month to pick it up; burial rites hannah kent - another novel that stopped me in my tracks; and we end the year with Michael Rosen's sad book - for anyone who has experienced bereavement and just needs to sit with it, alongside someone who shares their experience so generously in words and images.
What an incredible, diverse and rich list... thank you Karen. Some of these I read years ago (Dickens, The Colour Purple), and some more recently (Wintering), but many are new to me.... of those, I am particularly drawn to 'With The End in Mind'. Thank you for sharing this. Love these lists as glimpses into other worlds and minds.