Ten more titles, nine from the book of books—and one not!
Wondering what this is all about? Check out the introductory post.
Titles 51-60:
#51: Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman
Date added: 01/15/2010
Why is it on my TBR? I’ve only read one other book by Hoffman (Blackbird House), and I liked that one. I suspect that’s at least part of why this one’s on here. Looking at it now, I’m not terribly excited about it, but it would be interesting to see what she does with this storyline. Plus it’s set in Massachusetts, so maybe that means I should read it.
Do I own it? No
Verdict: Keep.
Project list: none.
#52: Middle Passage by Charles R. Johnson
Date added: 01/15/2010
Why is it on my TBR? National Book Award and the reviews are just glowing.
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Keep! I really want to see what this one’s all about (I mean, I read the synopsis, but I’d like to know what it’s really all about.)
Project list: none.
#53: Ironweed by William Kennedy
Date added: 01/15/2010
Why is it on my TBR? Pulitzer, hoboes.
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Keep. The reviews intrigue me
Project list: none.
#54: Children of God by Mary Doria Russell
Date added: 01/17/2010
Why is it on my TBR? This is the only one on this list not from the book of books. It’s the sequel to The Sparrow, which my friend David recommended to me, and I added this novel after I read and loved that one.
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Keep (although I wonder if I should re-read The Sparrow before I start this one.)
Project list: none.
#55: The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? “Feminist classic,” most likely.
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Keep. (although not super emphatically. The Fifth Child perhaps interests me more, but I think reading both of them would give me a good sense of Lessing’s range.)
Project list: Cavalcade of Classics?
#56: The Summer Before the Dark by Doris Lessing
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? I don’t know why I added two books by Lessing on the same day. I might have been lured in by the promise of stream-of-conscious. But looking at the synopsis now…”a middle-aged woman’s search for freedom”? It sounds both too close to home and too blah for me right now. If I like The Golden Notebook and want to read more from Lessing, maybe I’ll pick this one up.
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Go.
Project list: N/A
#57: Small World by David Lodge
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? Probably because it’s described as satirical. It gets good reviews by people who like books I like.
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Keep.
Project list: none.
#58: Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? Pulitzer Prize, although that’s not always a slam dunk for me. “Comic masterpiece” is also enticing.
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Keep (B list)
Project list: none.
#59: All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? I’m guessing it’s because I thought I should read something from McCarthy besides The Road.
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Go. I’ll read The Road first and then try this one if I want to read more McCarthy.
Project list: N/A
#60: Edwin Mullhouse: The Life and Death of an American Writer 1943-1954 by Jeffrey Cartwright by Stephen Millhauser
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? I have no idea.
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Keep, just because it seems so bizarre.
Project list: none.
Removed 2 more titles from my list, bringing me to 11/60 (or roughly 1.4% of the original TBR).
Still going, although I’m already a touch fatigued by this declutter exercise. It just seems more and more impossible to read all of the books that I want to read.
Imperfect Happiness 