My reading in February has taken me from the U.S.S.R. to Japan, from Austria to Syria.
My plan for reading in March has been all about Ireland and Wales.
And because I love making lists, I’ve been making plans since January: searching the library catalogue, searching my shelves. (Springsteen fans will recognize the anniversary photo, commemorating his debut album in 1973.)
Cathy is hosting Reading Ireland and Paula is hosting the Wales Readathon.
My ongoing challenge is to balance the old and the new: the continuing and fresh projects, the personal and public library, and the backlisted and forthcoming titles.
With both of these events, the first books that came to mind were not on my own shelves.
Re: Ireland For some time, I’ve been meaning to make a point of more deliberately exploring writers like William Trevor (because I’ve loved the short stories in “The New Yorker” over the years, Colum McCann (because his book on writing is a recent favourite), and Colm Toibin (because a friend consistently recommended him and I keep borrowing and returning). Plus, I’ve borrowed some interesting volumes of non-fiction for other Reading Ireland projects, and then promptly ignored them in favour of fiction, so there was the possibility of mending that gap.
Re: Wales Similarly some key writers came to mind like Jo Walton (because: Among Others), Joe Dunthorne (because of his wit at the Toronto International Festival of Authors) and Tessa Hadley (because: The London Train). And, also similarly, these are not writers currently ensconced on my own shelves. It was even more tempting to turn to the library for the Welsh writers because I did not have as many names in mind immediately, so researching just made me want to keep looking and adding to my list.
And, yet, the column on my spreadsheet which indicates the books which I’ve read from my own shelves? (It’s easier to track those, because I remain a library addict, despite substantial effort expended to curb my habit.) The column is so sparsely populated that I keep thinking the data has dropped off in that final column. And although I don’t have a formal goal, if I did, it would not be 17% of my reading.
So my notebook reveals the Irish and Welsh authors on my shelves currently, and from there I’ll pull my selections, for the most part. With a couple of exceptions, already en route to the…you guessed it…library.
Have you got reading in mind for either Reading Ireland or the Wales Readathon?
Or, perhaps for some other March event? (Canada Reads, anyone?)
[…] February 2019, In My Notebook – Buried In Print […]
I love your handwriting! And also I need to start reading from my shelves. I think that with ebooks it is far too easy to quickly borrow books that catch my eye online, whether off a prize list or instagram or a blog. And of course that means I ignore books that have been on my shelves for so long!
Thanks! And I agree about how difficult it is to make time for backlisted reading. It’s so hard to remember that every book we are now ignoring was once a “must have this right now” book. Hard to recapture that initial enthusiasm in the face of something newer and shinier.
I like those plans! I also have William Trevor in my sights, I think from that list at the back of Francine Prose’s book, or perhaps it was James Wood. If you’re looking for a Colum McCann recommendation, I enjoyed TransAtlantic very much. Wrote about it here: http://puritan-magazine.com/quieter-moments-at-the-edge-of-history-a-review-of-colum-mccanns-transatlantic/. Happy reading and list-making!
I think Trevor landed on my reader’s radar thanks to something Alice Munro said. He would make an excellent start-to-finish reading project for sure! Yesterday I was pawing at the library copy of Transatlantic, further tempted by your review.(I pitched The Puritan last fall but was told they had a two-year backlog of reviews to publish first. Which could have been an instance of no-thanks-never-thanks!) The idea that the women’s stories are the tissue knitting the book together is very appealing and I just love the quote with which you closed the review. So far I’m keeping my library stack in check, but I could succumb at any moment.
Wow, you read quite the variety of books! I tried reading more internationally a few times in the past, but I can never get the project to stick. This year I’m focusing on reading a variety of genres, but maybe I can restart my international reading goals next year. I need to focus on one thing at a time!
Making lists helps me a lot and I do have a schedule, both of which keep me motivated to continue (both of which are also ignored, at times). You could still read a variety of genres from a variety of countries: I think that would make a great project! 🙂
I have to agree that one of the fun things about joining these events is choosing the books/making the lists! This year, to narrow things down, I decided to go with authors that we share, so I went with Brian Moore and Jo Walton. And very pleased with both choices! Now to find the time to write about them… (I was very happy with myself that I managed to read them slightly in advance.)
McCann and Toibin are both writers I’d like to read more of (or any of!). And William Trevor, too.
I found it harder to find Welsh writers than Irish – was this just because it was my first time digging into it?
Those are great choices: I’m looking forward to reading your posts about them. I’ve only read one by each author, but I’d like to read more at some point.
It feels to me like there is a really strong Irish-Canadian community in Canada, and I’m not sure that’s also true of the Welsh-Canadian community. Or, maybe that’s just my own Irish ancestry weighing in on the matter. 🙂
That’s kind of the way it feels to me too – surely we can’t both be wrong! 😉
When I told daughter #1 about the Irish and Welsh reading events, she said, What about Scotland? And I thought, Huh… yes! What about Scotland? But then I had even more trouble finding Scottish-Canadian writers than Welsh-Canadian! Which also surprised me.
Clearly she would be no help when it comes to curbing the excess number of reading projects!
Looking forward to following your updates this month. Colum McCann’s book on writing sounds wonderful – I’ll have to try to track down a copy for the nonfiction week.
It’s a very short book. I wonder if, in another mood, I might not have felt it was too simple. But I’ll have to reread to know for sure! You’ve got some great reading ahead of you for this month as well; I’m especially looking forward to your thoughts on Edna O’Brien’s amazing short stories!
Thanks so much for taking part. Thirteen Ways of Looking is a wonderful book and I enjoyed Colm Toibin’s last book House of Names.
Both of those are tempting for sure. I might just fall for the library plan after all! (Thanks for hosting! Does your cohost have a twitter account?)
Yes Niall is @ragingfluff
Thanks: got it! (And the link to his short story too!)
Thirteen Ways of Looking is excellent. It’s all I’ve read by McCann so far, but I may try to read TransAtlantic this month. Have you not read any Colm Toibin before? I’ve read 8 of his books; my favourite is The Master.
Somehow I’ve never thought of Tessa Hadley as Welsh, but it’s true she did live in Cardiff for decades (now based in London). Definitely prioritize work by Jan Morris and Sarah Waters!
I haven’t read any of either, except for McCann’s book on writing (which I absolutely love) and a couple of Toibin’s stories and essays, and it feels like every year that passes makes both projects that much more challenging to undertake. I did finish all of David Mitchell and am about halfway in Jon McGregor, so perhaps when I finish his I’ll move onto McCann and Toibin. (I’m not sure it would make sense to anyone else to group these writers together, but they’re in a group in my mind.) I’m guessing you would suggest Toibin first? (And I know, I know: it’s weird that I haven’t read The Master, as it’s been on my TBR since publication.)
Are they new MRE authors for you? 🙂 McCann doesn’t have all that many books, I don’t think, but Toibin has loads, including some I’m not so keen on.
Mitchell and McGregor, yes (I’ll have to see if I actually updated my online list – it’s already so long and unread/incomplete that I have been ashamed to include the ever-increasing number of names of similarly neglected writers)! And I suspect that both McCann (based on the writing book) and Toibin (based on the stories and the diversity of his styles/voices – maybe the thing that’s put you off some of his books?) are contenders.
Colm Toibin is a wonderful writer. I recommend Nora Webster (superior to the very popular Brooklyn in my opinion). As for Welsh authors – there are lots to enjoy. Here are a few ideas https://bookertalk.com/2015/03/01/authors-from-wales/
Thanks for the link: I had forgotten that Ken Follett is included as well. Although I’m not a fan of the remarkably popular Pillars of the Earth series, I did enjoy Eye of the Needle years ago (when I was also reading Frederick Forsyth and Robert Ludlum and other spy-soaked reads) and had also forgotten that he wrote that.
If I could quit buying books and use only the library, things would be so much easier!
I’ve been thinking about both Ireland and Wales–I’ve got a number of Irish books around here I haven’t read yet. Wales is trickier; I think I’ve read everything Welsh I have and I do not (!) want to go get new books, even from the library. Might reread Jan Morris, likeliest to be Hav.
So, oh yes, me too! I really ought to be reading things already on the shelves.
Is/Are the library branch/es near you extraordinarily enticing?
I’m between Maria Shchuka, Forest Hill, Barbara Frum and Wychwood (currently under construction but it was a lovely spot to visit). So it’s doubly hard to resist their seductive powers when so many collections are within walking distance!
Jan Morris is an author I’d love to spend more time with and I can imagine those would be worthwhile rereads. I have requested the group read for the #dewithon19 (W.H. Davies’ The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp) but otherwise have avoided the library for this event. Perhaps next year I’ll indulge with more borrowing if I read through the Welsh writers on my shelves currently!
Those library branch names are amazing!
For some time I was following the Forest Hill Library on Twitter, thinking at first glance it was my local, only to discover that it is in England! (They have some lovely programming there!)
I’ll definitely be following Canada Reads! But I like following your library finds as well-true gems!
Ideally I would be happy with an even split, still visiting the library regularly to infuse my reading with some less predictable choices (I’m more willing to take chances with borrowed items than bought). At least while living in a city with such a awesome library system! (I’m sure Calgary’s rocks too.)
You betcha! Calgary has a great system, we’re very lucky here
Haha Buried. You made me laugh with your comment about the reading from your own shelves column, and thinking the data had fallen off! Almost all my reading is from my own shelves (which includes review copies sent, of course) – I don’t go near the library for fear of temptation. I avoid bookshops a lot of the time for the same reason.
I don’t plan to join the Irish or Welsh reading challenges – for reasons that are too obvious to reiterate – but I’d really like to rectify, one day, my lack of reading of Welsh authors (particularly given my Welsh ancestry and Welsh middle name. I’m quite shameful!)
Perhaps the Welsh reading is worth a separate project if you do feel a sense of curiosity/obligation? Could you make a project out of selecting only writers who share your middle name (in some sort of placement in their own nomenclature) in an effort to keep the list manageable?!
My challenge with the library/home matter is that I have been buying relatively few new books in recent years, so my own collection is terrific for particular interests but it ceased to expand even while my interests were flourishing. So I do depend on the library for most of my new publications and for specific areas of reading which are not represented at all on my shelves. So because the habit is firmly in place on that score, it is far too easy to simply slide into the stacks and, then, by extension, slide another handful (armful, basketfull) into my bookbag. And then the reading hours are consumed. That’s where I fail, especially when the weather is extreme (whether hot or cold) and I browse for “just a minute” when I should be parking myself in a chair near the circulation desk, until I’ve chilled/thawed, reading from my previously selected stack of holds! rolls eyes at self
PS I looked into my middle name idea but with not much luck – I found a couple of writers but not necessarily ones I would jump into. The name is Erwyd! Though, perhaps I could go with my Welsh grandmother’s maiden name, Davies. That should generate more!!
Awww, see, I could tell you were itching for another reading project. Despite all your protestations! 🙂