I have been excited about this topic since January, since I have some wonderful books planned for this Spring. You might laugh at that, but my reading for the first three months of the year has been planned out! I can't wait to dive into some of these titles!
Without further adieu, here are the ten titles I am most looking forward to this Spring. They are in no particular order, except for the first one. :)
- Clarissa by Samuel Richardson: I am starting this one in April with a few other bloggers. I think we have been planning our little readalong since October or November. We're going to try and tackle this one in a month, and since it is one of the longest novels in the English language (almost 1 million words), this will be a huge challenge. I think it is perfectly doable since I read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand at 650,000 words in one week last year. What's 400,000 more? ;) You are more than welcome to join in! (Here is the sign-up post)
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller: This is a book I have been avoiding for quite some time, but I am excited to finally read it. I pulled it off the shelf and put it on my nightstand a few nights ago, so hopefully I get to this one sooner rather than later.
- A Passage to India by E.M. Forster: The 3rd book I read for my project was by Forster, and I absolutely adored it (A Room with a View). I actually had a hard time finding a copy of this one, but finally grabbed one last fall. Like Heller's book, this one has been added to the nightstand.
- Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy: I have read two books by Hardy for my project so far, and I have loved both of them (The Mayor of Casterbridge and Jude the Obscure). Amanda has claimed this one to be her favorite by Hardy, so I can't wait to see what I think of it. I think Hardy has potential to be a new favorite author!
- Beloved by Toni Morrison: I'm going to be reading this one to fulfill a challenge, but I'm excited for it. I have had a mixed experience with Morrison-I loved The Bluest Eye, but didn't really care for Sula. I can't wait to read more of her work, and this one is definitely going to be coming up soon.
- Native Son by Richard Wright: I have picked this one up numerous times in the last 2 and a half years, but it always goes back on the shelf unread. My interest is peaked, so I am going to give it a try in the near future. I've heard only good things.
- The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: Now, this is a book I have REALLY been avoiding...mainly because I like food, and I am worried I won't eat while reading this. But I also think this is a really important title for me to read, especially because it started a food revolution here in the U.S. Has anyone read this?
- Common Sense by Thomas Paine: I read this one back in college for a history course, but that was so long ago that it has grown a little fuzzy. But I am excited to pick this one up again and relive all the grievances the early colonists had against the King. :) It's also short, so maybe I will pick it up during the month of Clarissa??
- Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe: I am curious about this one, especially since I was impressed by Robinson Crusoe, a book I expected to hate. I don't know much more about it-which will hopefully be a good thing!
- The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner: Since I am huge fan of Faulkner, it always surprises people to hear that I haven't read this one. It has also been some time since I've read one of his books and I have 3 left on the list! Better get cracking!
You have no idea how excited I am to hear that Catch-22 and Return of the Native are both on your list. Woohoo! I love that. I hope you get to both of them!
ReplyDeleteWow, that looks like a totally awesome list. So many of those are books I've been meaning to get to for a long time. I can't wait to see your reviews of them!
ReplyDeleteI thought The Jungle was really interesting and I am glad I read it. But I did have a weird slaughterhouse nightmare after reading it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! This is a great list. I love Catch-22, but I'm so glad I read it with a class, or I think it would have been a bit frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI just read Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals, which is about current factory farming and slaughterhouse practices. It'd be interesting to read The Jungle and see how much or how little has changed.
Catch-22 is one of my favorites! I'm also reading Return of the Native this year. Amanda raved about it so much that I just have to. I was not a fan of The Jungle, but I adore Forster. So many good books on your list!
ReplyDeleteCatch 22 is awesome! And I really want to read Beloved, although it's not on my TBR list... Also, you are so brave to be reading Clarissa! I read Pamela for a University module once, and I literally wanted to DIE, so brave brave brave!
ReplyDeleteReturn of the Native and Moll Flanders are on my TBR pile, but am thinking late spring / summer :)
ReplyDeleteLove Catch-22. It's one of my favorites that I read in high school. I'll have to revisit it sometime soon. Best of luck with Clarissa. I'm not brave enough to tackle that one...yet.
ReplyDeleteA Passage to India and Moll Flanders are on my TBR list, but I probably won't be tackling them this spring! i've got too many other books that I have been in TBR pile far too long... I really have got to stop buying books until I make a dent in the ones I've already got!
ReplyDeleteI've read The Jungle before and I liked it. It is quite thought provoking regardless of whether you eat meat or not, though it is generally referred to as "the vegetarian's manifesto". I think if I hadn't been a vegetarian before I read it may have become one after.
ReplyDeleteThe Return of the Native is on my Classics Club list, but knowing me I won't get to it for a while. I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on it.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading bits of The Jungle for a history I took as an undergrad. It is quite thought-provoking, and it's interesting to me that America seems to be in the middle of another food revolution. There is so much literature exposing industrial farming practices (e.g., Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma). I wonder if history will look back on this period as another instance where American food production/industrialization was in flux?
See, even the mere mention of Sinclair's novel has the wheels turning! :)
Good stuff on this list. Beloved is wonderful. I've read The Jungle and was pretty fascinated by it. I think we are sort of used to the grossness of talking about the food industry now, so I don't remember being really grossed out by it, but I was impressed by its power.
ReplyDeleteI think you will like Moll Flanders if you liked Robinson Crusoe. I like them both, but Moll is more fun.
No overlaps, and I haven't even read any of those. There are a number on my list though. My spring is mostly going to be Tolkien & Ancient Greeks. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of these, but Catch-22 is on my "someday" list.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited you're reading Common Sense and The Sound and the Fury. I've already read the latter and am curious about your thoughts. Common Sense is one I own. It's on my Classics Club list, but probably I won't get to it until next year. :)
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend that you read A Passage to India in audiobook. I'm a strong reader and I'm pretty sure I would not have gotten through it if I didn't listen to it. I have a 35 minute x2 daily commute and it worked for me. The audiobook I got from the library had different voices; this helped to differentiate the characters for me. Just a thought...
ReplyDeleteAmanda convinced me to read Return of the Native also. And she highly recommended the audiobook narrated by Alan Rickman, whom I adore. I don't know if I'll get to it this spring but maybe for the Victorian Celebration this summer!
ReplyDeleteI love love love Beloved. Don't try to "get" it all. Just let the language and emotion wash over you...It's so intense and there is so much to find in it upon reread.
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