As of this week, I’ve gone through more than 10% of my original 750-title TBR. Motoring right along with ten more from March 9, 2010, from the book of books.
Wondering what this is all about? Check out the introductory post.
Titles 71-80:
#71: A Long and Happy Life by Reynolds Price
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? I interned at Duke University Press in my youth, and I first learned about Reynolds Price there. He’s regarded at Duke much the way Wallace Stegner is regarded at Stanford (although Price never won a Pulitzer).
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Keep, but with reservations. It’s set in North Carolina, which, having lived there and having family there from way back, I find interesting. Also, I feel like I ought to read something he’s written because…I’m not sure why. This one seems as good a novel to read as any of his, but I’m not sure how I feel about reading yet another novel by a man written from a woman’s perspective.
Project list: none.
#72: Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? I think I put it on the list because I liked the title.
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Go. If I want to read Pynchon, I think I’ll start with something shorter before committing to 776 pages.
Project list: n/a
#73: Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? I’m pretty sure it’s here because I thought I ought to read Salman Rushdie, but I didn’t want to read The Satanic Verses (only because I’d heard so much about it already).
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Keep. Interesting premise, and even the people who didn’t review it highly seemed to at least appreciate it. Oh, and magical realism.
Project list: none.
#74: The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? Probably because it won the Pulitzer. (Or rather, Shields won a Pulitzer for this book.)
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Keep. It sounds really interesting and people whose opinions I often share liked it.
Project list: none.
#75: The Volcano Lover: A Romance by Susan Sontag
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? Susan Sontag is one of those writers I’m supposed to read, right?
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Go. The synopsis didn’t catch me and neither did the reviews.
Project list: n/a
#76: Dog Soldiers by Robert Stone
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? Maybe because it won the National Book Award?
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Keep (B list). It’s quite different from what I usually read, and it might be interesting.
Project list: none.
#77: Waterland by Graham Swift
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? No idea.
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Go. This doesn’t appeal to me, and I have no idea why I put it on the list to start with.
Project list: n/a
#78: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? I think I’m the only person who hasn’t read this book.
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Keep. Since I added it to the list, I’ve read two other books by Amy Tan (The Bonesetter’s Daughter and The Hundred Secret Senses). In those, I enjoyed the mix of the magical and the mundane, and I’m curious to see what Tan does in this novel.
Project list: none.
#79: Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? I have read a few books by Anne Tyler, and I find them easy to read but not insubstantial.
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Keep. This will be a nice one to read between heavier tomes.
Project list: none.
#80: Sent for You Yesterday by John Edgar Wideman
Date added: 03/09/2010
Why is it on my TBR? No idea.
Do I own it? No.
Verdict: Keep. It’s set in Pittsburgh, it’s described as mythological, and the reviews are stunning.
Project list: none.
Three more titles off the list for a total of 19 out of 80 titles crossed off (2.4% of the original TBR).
I must admit, this is getting a little tiring. Maybe I should put a little less thought into the next ten books.
Imperfect Happiness 