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I bought books! Since having started my English Literature course at university last year I've really found my reading slowing down. I know that might sound counter-intuitive, but the downside of a literature course for book lovers is that instead of reading books for enjoyment at your own pace, you have to read them in a limited time frame and read them with a critical eye which often takes from the enjoyment. In addition you begin to associate reading and books with deadlines and essays which is just the worst.
But in 2014 I want to begin to take up reading as a past time again, and get through some really good works of literature. No YA or 'holiday reads' for me at the moment, I'm going to keep it all high brow for the time being until I get burned out and have to delve into something a bit more relaxed. All but one of these was picked up in my local charity shop so I've made quite the saving as well.
The Books I Bought -
Slaughterhouse 5 ~ Kurt Vonnegut
Metamorphosis and Other Stories ~ Franz Kafka
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius ~ Dave Eggers
The Hobbit ~ JRR Tolkein
The Monk: A Romance ~ Matthew Gregory Lewis
Oryx and Crake ~ Margaret Atwood
So quite the selection. I'll definitely be doing reviews of these and some other books I've accumulated recently, maybe in threes as I get through them. I'm really looking forward to punctuating the masses of renaissance literature (that, don't get me wrong, I really love) by dipping into the fantasy lands created by Tolkein, revelling in the bleak lucid writing style of Kafka and navigating the twisted, unhinged creations of Lewis and Atwood.
Let me know if you've read any of these books and what you thought! I'm really excited to get some personal reading under my belt this year. What are you looking forward to reading in 2014?
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What a wonderfully diverse selection! Good luck with these, I hope you enjoy them :)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to make a wish list for this coming year but I committed to The Game of Thrones collection and fear it might take me all of 2014! Haha!!
Faded Windmills
Oh I love that series! I does take over your life a little bit I agree, but still getting through those is a massive achievement. I've read up to book four but want to keep the others for closer to the next one coming out... if it ever does!
DeleteI really enjoyed The Hobbit and you have a beautiful edition there! I really like Kafka and I'd like to read more this year.
ReplyDeleteJennie xo | sailorjennie.com
Naturally I had to have the prettiest edition! I'm really getting into Kafka, he just has such depth and profundity even in his shortest, most sparsely written pieces.
DeleteTotally agree with the whole english lit. class phenomenon. I love having a book list to tackle, but at my own pace. And I also think your copy of The Hobbit is so pretty!
ReplyDeleteanother place in time
Thankyou! They have the LOTR trilogy in the same editions which I definitely want to get my hands on! x
DeleteThanks for your lovely comment. We replied beneath but we thought we'd come and show your blog some love too! I'm also planning on reading Slaughterhouse 5 this year! I've had it on my shelf for aaaages! Luke has read The Hobbit and enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI read The Monk for uni a while ago. Strange tale...also made me very wary of monks. Haha! Hope you manage to read all of these in 2014 :)
Aww thankyou :) It's some of those books I feel everyone has read, glad to see there are other literature buffs who haven't gotten round to it! I can imagine, but I like strange and dark so I'm looking forward to it.
DeleteI read Metamorphosis at University as well as Slaughterhouse 5 and really enjoyed them! :) They are a little strange but really good.
ReplyDeleteI've hardly read anything since I graduated from University last July which isn't too great considering I did an English literature degree hehe.
Glad I stumbled across your blog - you've got a new follower here! :)
http://ellistuesday.blogspot.co.uk/