Middlemarch for Bex's read-along!
1. First and foremost, George Eliot's Middlemarch! If I read one book this summer, it has to be this, right? I picked up the cute Penguin English Library edition at my local library, because while I have it on my kindle I needed something prettier to get excited about, and discovered that it has 920 pages which is at least 200 pages more than I remember it having. Oh well, I also remember it being awesome, so it's all good :)
Books I've read already/am in the middle of
2. White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
I've already read this, but since the challenge started at the start of the month it totally counts, woo! Anyway, I loved this. Sort of neo-gothic not-quite-sure-what's-going-on house-might-be-trying-to-kill-you stuff.
3. Possession by A S Byatt
I've been reading this for what seems like forever, and I'm very near the end. I'm enjoying it, but perhaps a little underwhelmed after all the rave reviews that built my expectations so high. Still, it's about Victorian academics and that's a win for me. I'm looking forward to seeing how things end up.
4. The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff
Fun fact: when this movie was in the cinemas I was in the middle of a complicated essay about gender transgressions in the 1920s including talking about Lili Elbe. So that's why I didn't see it, as I was sick to my back teeth with her by the time I was done, lol. I'm better now. This is a fictionalised account of the life of Lili Elbe, who is generally considered the first person to medically transition gender. After this I can finally watch the movie, yay!
5. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
I'm going into this more or less blind, as I'm being guided purely by positive reviews and because it kept appearing in recommended lists. It's about Chechnya, and that's about all I know. I've only just started this.
Library books
(some of which are due back at the library soon and are non-renewable and therefore must be read ASAP!)
6. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach- Another one I'm going into blind. Library books are good for that! Something about college baseball and coming of age. I've heard good things about it!
7. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson- Really looking forward to this one. It's about twins and there's LGBT themes and apparently it will make me cry.
8. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven- YA about mental illness is my crack. Will possibly also make me cry.
9. Ghost Story by Peter Straub- I'm trying to read more horror, as it was my favourite genre once upon a time. This is supposed to be a classic of the genre and I'm hoping it'll scare my pants off.
10. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins- Unashamedly jumping on the bandwagon. I'm not sure what to expect with this- I've heard very mixed things. My girlfriend recently read it and loved it though. So we'll see!
Books I own, some of which have been on my shelves, unread, for an embarrassingly long time:
11. The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James- I just picked this up on a whim in my university's book swap- it's one of those classics I've always been meaning to read. Allegedly there's England vs. America stuff and ladies doing their own things and that's basically all I know. I love Turn of the Screw, but I have no idea how this will compare.
12. The Mammoth Book of Lesbian Erotica by various- Look, I'm a pervert. I read porn! I admit it! I actually started this a couple of years ago and kind of forgot I was reading it. But I'm going to finally finish it off. As with most compilations, the stories vary a lot in quality. I'm hoping there's a few good ones left.
13. Oranges are not the Only Fruit by Jeannette Winterson- In this case not unread but unreread. I haven't read this since I was in school. I keep saying I need to reread it soon but I never do! So this time, it's serious.
14. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson- I read Lumberjanes recently and absolutely loved it, so I'm excited to read more Noelle Stevenson. This is a fantasy graphic novel that has wonderful reviews- definitely need to get to this soon!
15. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd- This is another book my girlfriend loves. It's about 1960s and the Black civil rights movement, which I'm into, so I'm hoping this will be a good read.
16. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton- I have literally been on the verge of starting this book so many times when I get distracted by something shinier. I have no idea why! This is about high society New York at the turn of the century, which sounds intriguing.
17. Armada by Ernest Cline- I got this for my birthday not long after it came out (hardback and everything!) but I've been a little alarmed by some scathing reviews I've read- having loved Ready Player One, I'm worried this won't live up to expectations. Only one way to find out!
18. Valencia by Michelle Tea- I'm somewhat embarrassed that I've never read any Michelle Tea. So, this is my attempt to remedy that! This is her quasi-memoir about being a punk queer sex worker in San Francisco. So, pretty much ticking all my boxes there.
19. Brick Lane by Monica Ali- I know this was huge when it came out (um, about a decade ago...) so it'll be good to finally read it! It's about a Bangladeshi girl who comes to London through an arranged marriage in the 1980s and 1990s.
20. Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill- I mostly picked this up because the blurb on the cover describes it as 'Mean Girls meets The Handmaid's Tale.' Come on, who could resist?! This looks to be a dystopia with a feminist slant, so that's right up my street.
So that's my list! I may not get to all of these. I may have already deviated from the list quite a bit. Have you read any of these? Which ones should I definitely get to? :)
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