What an amazing list! I'm glad you put *Portrait of a Lady* on your list after not loving Deronda and Bovary. In my experience, Isabel Archer's interiority is the right way to tell that kind of story. It's one of my all-time faves.
This year I started tracking my reading with the Library Thing app but I have to admit it’s not super fun-- it’s easy but mostly metadata, whereas a notebook might be more work but more pleasurable. And somehow it hasn’t helped me remember what I read! I’ll have to go back and review--
Demon Copperfield was super dreary, Sarah, and I couldn't finish. 2 recs from the US with no teen drug use are All the Beauty in the World, written by a former museum gaurd at the Met in NYC, and The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin. My bookclub read The Creative Act this month, and we all brought in something we create to share with the group - what a discovery! Found out things about each other we never knew, even after all these years reading books together. I'll check out some of the writers from your list in 2024. :)
Have you ever read the Cazelet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard? Just wonderful stories and I couldn’t put them down. Five books in the series, as I recall…
Dorothy Whipple got me out of a terrible reading slump earlier this year (when I had close access to Persophone Books)! My favorite was High Wages, about an independent girl who sets up shop at the turn of the century. The story takes turns and goes deeper than you think it's going to.
I had to read Madame Bovary in high school, and twice in college - once in French and once in English. I disliked her every time. I think now that I'm older I would dislike her even more. Have you ever read Main Street by Sinclair Lewis? It covers a similar topic, but I have enormous sympathy for the female protagonist - possibly because I grew up in a Midwest town similar to the one in the book. I love Main Street.
Thank you for sharing your list - I wish I were better of keeping track of these things...
Ive asked Father Christmas for more Whipple, I hope he brings the one you mention! sounds just my thing. And I dont know Sinclair Lewis but I'll look for this. I heartily dislike Madame Bovary!
Thanks for sharing your insights! I have some titles to add to my TBR list now! BTW, I like using Goodreads simply for the way it lets me keep track of my reading!!! (There are other positive aspects to the app/platform as well. But, I suppose a reading journal would also serve, without being connected to the web.
I'm on Good reads, but I don't use it regularly, so its not much of a help. When I started making the long list of 2023 books i was appalled at how little i remembered. But I listen to one book a month at Audible, and maybe because you have to hear every word, i find these books really do stay vivid in my memory
I love audiobooks but had to give up Audible because the books were piling up. I tend to listen when I'm on a road trip or when walking, but sometimes during the latter, I prefer the quiet and/or sounds around me. Goodreads, on the other hand, helps me see what I read when (and, sometimes, what I thought about it). Meanwhile, I agree with you on reading about drug culture!! Have your read Donna Tartt's Secret History yet? Also good!
I love a book list! And I love seeing Persephone covers even more. I keep track of my reading in a basic notebook. Sometimes I add a sentence or two next to the title and sometimes I write down longer thoughts so I don't forget how I felt about the book. And if I read an article or a short story that resonated with me, I add that in there too. Happy Holidays, Sarah. Thank you for a wonderful year of your wonderful writings.
This is a varied and wide ranging bunch. There are some great choices in here and some that I need to have on my 2024 list me thinks.
What an amazing list! I'm glad you put *Portrait of a Lady* on your list after not loving Deronda and Bovary. In my experience, Isabel Archer's interiority is the right way to tell that kind of story. It's one of my all-time faves.
This year I started tracking my reading with the Library Thing app but I have to admit it’s not super fun-- it’s easy but mostly metadata, whereas a notebook might be more work but more pleasurable. And somehow it hasn’t helped me remember what I read! I’ll have to go back and review--
Demon Copperfield was super dreary, Sarah, and I couldn't finish. 2 recs from the US with no teen drug use are All the Beauty in the World, written by a former museum gaurd at the Met in NYC, and The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin. My bookclub read The Creative Act this month, and we all brought in something we create to share with the group - what a discovery! Found out things about each other we never knew, even after all these years reading books together. I'll check out some of the writers from your list in 2024. :)
Thank you! They both sound great, I'll have a look
Thank you for your thoughts and recommendations Sarah!
I wouldn’t like her either.
Have you ever read the Cazelet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard? Just wonderful stories and I couldn’t put them down. Five books in the series, as I recall…
I agree, I love the Cazalets! I think I've read most of her books, and Something in Disguise is particularly gripping. Nice to hear from you.
Dorothy Whipple got me out of a terrible reading slump earlier this year (when I had close access to Persophone Books)! My favorite was High Wages, about an independent girl who sets up shop at the turn of the century. The story takes turns and goes deeper than you think it's going to.
I had to read Madame Bovary in high school, and twice in college - once in French and once in English. I disliked her every time. I think now that I'm older I would dislike her even more. Have you ever read Main Street by Sinclair Lewis? It covers a similar topic, but I have enormous sympathy for the female protagonist - possibly because I grew up in a Midwest town similar to the one in the book. I love Main Street.
Thank you for sharing your list - I wish I were better of keeping track of these things...
Ive asked Father Christmas for more Whipple, I hope he brings the one you mention! sounds just my thing. And I dont know Sinclair Lewis but I'll look for this. I heartily dislike Madame Bovary!
Thanks for sharing your insights! I have some titles to add to my TBR list now! BTW, I like using Goodreads simply for the way it lets me keep track of my reading!!! (There are other positive aspects to the app/platform as well. But, I suppose a reading journal would also serve, without being connected to the web.
I'm on Good reads, but I don't use it regularly, so its not much of a help. When I started making the long list of 2023 books i was appalled at how little i remembered. But I listen to one book a month at Audible, and maybe because you have to hear every word, i find these books really do stay vivid in my memory
I love audiobooks but had to give up Audible because the books were piling up. I tend to listen when I'm on a road trip or when walking, but sometimes during the latter, I prefer the quiet and/or sounds around me. Goodreads, on the other hand, helps me see what I read when (and, sometimes, what I thought about it). Meanwhile, I agree with you on reading about drug culture!! Have your read Donna Tartt's Secret History yet? Also good!
I love a book list! And I love seeing Persephone covers even more. I keep track of my reading in a basic notebook. Sometimes I add a sentence or two next to the title and sometimes I write down longer thoughts so I don't forget how I felt about the book. And if I read an article or a short story that resonated with me, I add that in there too. Happy Holidays, Sarah. Thank you for a wonderful year of your wonderful writings.
Oh that's lovely. Thank you...we are a mutual admiration society!