I don’t know how many people are aware of Day Zero Project, but I’ve been doing something like for ages. I think I’m on my third ‘101 things in 1001 days’ list; this one finishes on Christmas Eve, 2016 (and I didn’t even plan it that way!). I have a lot of book-related resolutions because, well… just look at this blog. (Trivia: I didn’t actually have a blog when I wrote the list, so there aren’t any blog related ones.)
Anyway, one of my tasks was to ask my friends for twenty books I must read. Which produced the following list (with asterisks by the ones I’ve already read):
- Eleanor Arnason, A Woman of the Iron People.
- Raphael Carter, The Fortunate Fall.
- Blake Charlton, Spellwright.
- Denis Diderot, Jacques the Fatalist and His Master.
- Emma Donoghue, Life Mask.
- Stephen Grosz, The Examined Life.*
- Tanya Huff, The Enchantment Emporium.
- Andrey Kurkov, Death and the Penguin.*
- Scott Lynch, Republic of Thieves.
- G.R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones.
- Seanan Mcguire, Rosemary and Rue.
- Alistair Reynolds, House of Suns.
- Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.
- Wen Spencer, A Brother’s Price.
- Catherynne M. Valente, The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.
- Anne B. Walsh, A Widow in Waiting.
- Louise Welsh, Tamburlaine Must Die.*
- Walter Jon Williams, Metropolitan.
- Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit.*
- Janny Wurts, That Way Lies Camelot.
It’s mostly a list of books I would’ve been interested in anyway, but there were one or two surprises. So what would you recommend if I was to do this again? Which of these do you think I should get round to ASAP? Do you want to know what all my book-related resolutions are?
I can barely keep up with the books you’ve read so can’t possibly recommend any new ones for you to read — chances are you’d have already read them!
So what about those other reading resolutions?!
Ha, you’d think so, and yet I do get surprised sometimes! Other book-related resolutions were…
Already completed:
-Read five new-to-me/not really appealing comics (e.g. Deadpool, Batman).
-Don’t buy books for a month.
To do:
-Read only female authors for a month.
-Read David Weber’s Honor Harrington series.
-Read all Iain M. Banks’ work.
-Reread all Guy Gavriel Kay’s novels in publication order.
-Read Discworld.
-Read Malazan.
-Read Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga.
-Read ten new-to-me SF Masterworks.
-Ditto Fantasy Masterworks.
-Read five new poets.
That’s impressive! Good reading!
You must read: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte. GOTCHA!
Also, one of your 5 poets should include Ted Hughes, E.E. Cummings, T.S. Eliot, if you aren’t familiar already.
Luckily, I already own collected works of all three!
I’m not really surprised at all. I’ve read Collected Poems of Ted Hughes and Complete Poems and Plays of Eliot but I’m only on p95 of Complete Poems of E.E. Cummings – it’s scheduled as next up after Shakespeare for a concerted effort.
I might have selected works rather than collected works, thinking about it. But either way…
Yes – they don’t count as poets new to you. Presumably you know R.S. Thomas, too?
Yep! I read a great biography of him somewhat recently, too… way back here.
Ah, yes – I had even “liked” it! Now I’ve “wish listed” it, too!
Of your list, I’d agree with the very first one, otherwise I can take or leave all those books. And I’m honestly not sure I’d reread it! It was just a very thoughtful book for me.
I’m quite looking forward to that one, and Walter Jon Williams — the same person recommended both, and they tend to be thoughtful and have similar taste to me.