Revisiting my TBR

All the way back in this post I waxed lyrical about the books in my TBR that I was excited to read. As I won’t be posting teaser’s from the book I’m reading this week (it’s a top secret book you guys) I thought I’d take the opportunity to revisit that post about my TBR and see how many of those books I’ve actually read. Two things have happened since I wrote that post.

1. I have read exactly two of the books on that list, Child 44 and The Invisible History of the Human Race (click the titles to see my reviews); I’ve made very little progress, but those two books were AMAZING.
2. My TBR tower I mentioned in my original post now has a twin. That’s right, I have Two Towers (like my literary reference?) (if you don’t get it then we can’t be friends) of books to read, both of which would be taller than me if I set them on the floor (keep in mind this doesn’t include the multiple ebooks I have to read also). I’d include a picture of them but I’m actually pretty ashamed of myself. I have a hoarding problem.

As a result of this second tower, some new books have made it onto the list of ‘Books In My TBR I’m Excited to Read’. It’s a really mixed bunch of books as I don’t really stick to genres – there’s some new stuff, some old stuff, and some you might not have even heard of – maybe something will pique your interest. So, here’s my little list of New Books In My TBR I’m Excited to Read.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. You’ve probably heard of this, but if you haven’t here’s the rundown: in early 1800’s England it is thought that magic has disappeared from the world forever, until the reclusive Mr Norrell reveals his powers and another magician, Jonathan Strange, appears on the scene. Strange becomes the pupil of Norrell and together they help Britain wage war against Napoleon, while at the same time battling dark magical forces. I did what all readers should never do and watched the screen adaptation of this before reading the book, something I had a bad experience with recently. But if you haven’t seen the BBC production of this you really need to watch it – it’s actually my favourite show on TV at the moment. If there is an actor with more perfect hair than Bertie Carvel as Jonathan Strange, then I am yet to see him.

The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. This was first published all the way back in 1955 and the copy I have was an ‘accidental’ purchase at the used bookstore around the corner from me. I had been looking for another of Highsmith’s books at the time, which wasn’t there, but I thought I’d pick it up and give it a go. You may or may not have seen the film adaptation starring Matt Damon as Ripley which, funnily enough, was on TV the same day I bought the book (but I recorded it to watch at a later date). It’s basically a psychological thriller about a sociopath, Tom Ripley, and is the first in a series of five books following the same character. I do love a good sociopath so I have pretty high hopes for this one.

Wind/Pinball by Haruki Murakami. Um, was anyone not excited to read this? I’ve never read any Murakami myself, but he’s an author that I’ve been wanting to read for a really long time. Wind/Pinball is actually his first two short novels, ‘Hear the Wind Sing’ and ‘Pinball, 1973’, published for the first time in English. It seems fitting that the first Murakami I read is his first published work. Also, I love the fact that it’s two books in one because I’ll feel that much more accomplished when I’ve read it.

Suspended Sentences by Patrick Modiano. Modiano was the recipient of last years Nobel Prize in Literature for, “the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation” (nobelprize.org). If that doesn’t make you want to read him then nothing else will. Suspended Sentences is made up of three novellas, each of them dealing with the Nazi occupation of Paris in some form. The Goodreads blurb says: “these novellas reveal Modiano’s fascination with the lost, obscure, or mysterious: a young person’s confusion over adult behavior; the repercussions of a chance encounter; the search for a missing father; the aftershock of a fatal affair. To read Modiano’s trilogy is to enter his world of uncertainties and the almost accidental way in which people find their fates.” Why would I not be looking forward to reading this?

My Documents by Alejandro Zambra. My Documents is a collection of 11 short stories and is actually one of four books by Chilean author Zambra that I have sitting in my TBR. I’m looking forward to reading all of them, but I like the cover of this one the most so that’s why I’ve singled it out. Zambra popped up on radar thanks to another blogger, Tony from Tony’s Reading List (go check out his blog – he always has interesting books on there). I’ve not read a lot of literature by South American authors, the only one immediately springing to mind being Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez, so I can’t wait to get going on these books and expanding my reading horizons.

What about you – any books hanging around in your TBR that you’re excited to read?