The OF Blog: Books to read/re-read before the end of the year

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Books to read/re-read before the end of the year

While I'm not the sort of reviewer that regularly schedules reads, I do often have a few goals in mind for a week, month, or even a year.  Some goals are modest, like reviewing a certain book just before its release date, while others are a bit grandiose (like reading a novel, poem, and play in five different languages – I lack only reading a play in Italian in achieving this).  But I rarely ever set a specific date for posting about a specific work.

Therefore, with that in mind, here are the books that I'm hoping to have read or re-read before the year is out.  Tell me if you think this might be a bit ambitious (mind you, I plan on reading dozens of books around these):

Carlos Ruiz Zafón, La sombra del viento (re-read)
Carlos Ruiz Zafón, El juego del Ángel (re-read)
Carlos Ruiz Zafón, El prisionero del cielo (copy should arrive in the next 2-7 days)
Umberto Eco, La Misteriosa Flamma della Regina Loana (hoping copy arrives in the next few days)
Umberto Eco, The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana (re-read)
Umberto Eco, Тајанствени Пламен Краљице Лоане (Serbian translation I received as a gift)
Milorad Pavić, Drugo Telo (re-read)
Milorad Pavić, Second Body (re-read)
Milorad Pavić, Unique Item - Delta Novel
Milorad Pavić, Blue Book
Catherynne M. Valente, The Habitation of the Blessed
Catherynne M. Valente, The Folded World
Caitlín R. Kiernan, Two Worlds and In Between
Geoff Ryman, Paradise Tales
Marcel Proust, volumes 3-7, in both French and English, of In Search of Lost Time
Russell Banks, Lost Memory of Skin
J.M. McDermott, Women and Monsters
Christopher Bollen, Lightning People
Haruki Murakami, 1Q84
Péter Nádas, Parallel Stories (in-progress)
Various, The King James Edition of the Bible (halfway through)

Hopefully, I can get some of these done by the end of the month, while others will be spread over the following month, as I won't be working much this winter and therefore should have plenty of time for reading and reviewing and maybe even translating.

Which of these have you read?  Which would you like to see receive a full review from me?

4 comments:

Hélène said...

Seriously, you intend to read Proust in French and English during the next month ? I'm awed...

Larry Nolen said...

Well, I've read the first two volumes (and part of the third) over two weeks, so it's not like I'm reading it at my normal pace! I do plan on re-reading this several times in the years to come, as it seems precisely the sort of book that'll open more imaginative pathways upon re-reading it.

Paul said...

I see yours and raise you:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/arkona/IMG_0085.jpg

Paul said...

Hmm, link came out weird. How about this?

 
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