Classics Considered

by Marian H

Top 10 Winter Books to Read

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by

Marian
in

It’s the mosttt wonderful tiiiiime of the year! After saving PTO patiently all summer, I can soon take a chunk of time off to indulge in some personal readathoning. Here’s ten books I’m hoping to read this winter, a mere fraction and in no particular order:

  1. Datura by Leena Krohn (in progress) – Enjoying this surreal Finnish novel!
  2. The Boy in the Mask: The Hidden World of Lawrence of Arabia by Dick Benson-Gyles – Yes, I know, another LoA book. 😆
  3. Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher – I have So Many Thoughts already on this topic… very interested to hear what this author says!
  4. The Transpacific Experiment: How China and California Collaborate and Compete for Our Future by Matt Sheehan
  5. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro – Second try…
  6. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
  7. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
  8. Bluebeard’s First Wife by Seong-nan Ha – Random book of spooky short stories I found on Overdrive. 😀
  9. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – Not making any commitments to a chunkster here, but I’m falling in love with Dickens again as I read A Christmas Carol. I’ve never read DC, only seen films.
  10. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (reread, already started)

All that to say, I’m sure this list will change tomorrow…

Comments

18 responses to “Top 10 Winter Books to Read”

  1. smellincoffee Avatar
    smellincoffee

    I’m starting to think I should try Edith Wharton; I see her on a lot of Classics Club lists. You’ve a LOT of interesting items here. Capote’s “In Cold Blood” is mentioned a lot in southern reading circles because Capote was from Monroeville (as was Harper Lee), but it’s not something I’ve had much of an interest in. Maybe your review will prompt me to give it a try!

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    1. Marian Avatar
      Marian

      I’m tentatively looking forward to The Age of Innocence…I read The House of Mirth recently and didn’t care for it, but she has a gripping writing style so I’m determined to give her another try.

      My brother just read In Cold Blood, so we had a bit of a chat about it on the YouTube channel!

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      1. smellincoffee Avatar
        smellincoffee

        So I saw! Fun to hear the chat, though as per suggested in the video I stopped once he started the full, possibly spoilery-review towards the end. As far as Wharton, I’m leaning most towards Age of Innocence, based on the descriptions in this post:

        https://bookriot.com/where-to-start-with-edith-wharton/

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  2. Mudpuddle Avatar
    Mudpuddle

    lots of pages, there…. beware of Dickens: there’s a lot of gravity in his work. it tends to to be grabby and leaves the reader immersed…haha

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    1. Marian Avatar
      Marian

      I’m feeling that even with A Christmas Carol! It’s been so long since I read Dickens, I’d forgotten. 🙂

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  3. lydiaschoch Avatar
    lydiaschoch

    Never Let Me Go was a very interesting read. Hope your second try with it is more successful.

    My post.

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  4. great book study Avatar
    great book study

    Just don’t read In Cold Blood before Christmas. For some foolish reason, I finished that book either the day before or on Christmas Eve. I don’t know what I was thinking. Needless to say, it was quite an effective read. Definitely chilling.

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    1. Marian Avatar
      Marian

      That could definitely happen to me… but thanks for the warning! I’ll try to time it to be either very soon or the week after.

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  5. Patrick Prescott Avatar
    Patrick Prescott

    Some great choices, love classics. https://pmprescott.blogspot.com/2020/12/ttt-121520-tbr-list-for-2021.html

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  6. Cleo @ Classical Carousel Avatar
    Cleo @ Classical Carousel

    Did you see the Chapter A Day Read-Along that includes David Copperfield? Perhaps that’s a doable way to get through it.

    I love The Age of Innocence and can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it. As for The Idiot …. I love Dostoyevsky but I can help but feel I missed what he was saying in that one. Again, I’ll be interested to hear what you think.

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    1. Marian Avatar
      Marian

      I saw that! It’s a good option if I don’t get to DC sooner (which is highly possible 😆 ).
      Yeah, I remember giving The Idiot 3 stars the first time around, but it’s grown “fonder in memory.” We’ll see how it holds up to rereading…

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  7. Fariba Avatar
    Fariba

    I absolutely love reading Dickens during the Christmas season. So cozy!! I’m contemplating a reread of Oliver Twist this year.

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  8. Diana Avatar
    Diana

    That’s a very interesting list. The Age of Innocence is one of my favourite books and it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on it. I can’t imagine people feeling lukewarm towards The House of Mirth, but enjoying The Age of Innocence, but it might happen, I guess. The Age of Innocence is a gentler and a more accomplished novel. David Copperfield is also great. I am planning to start Hard Times by Dickens come January.

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  9. liviepearl Avatar
    liviepearl

    I think I have House of Mirth right now, and I also am determined to finish reading The Idiot. I’m just going to have to give up on the digital version, I just don’t think that is for me.

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    1. Marian Avatar
      Marian

      Yeah… even with a paperback, I fell WAY behind on The Idiot. I’m still in the beginning part. 😆

      I would be curious to hear your thoughts on The House of Mirth! A lot of my reading friends loved it. I guess it just hit the wrong buttons for me, haha.

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  10. Jim Henderson Avatar
    Jim Henderson

    Your list is truly tempting. With Dickens, Dostoevsky, Wharton, and Capote all among my favorites that I would reread. Bluebeard’s First Wife looks especially intriguing.

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    1. Marian Avatar
      Marian

      Yes, I’m very hopeful for Bluebeard! I have been trying to read more works by Asian authors, old and contemporary, and I love short stories.

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      1. Jim Henderson Avatar
        Jim Henderson

        One more thought to spur your reading. I’ve read all of Dicken’s novels but David Copperfield is my absolute favorite. I doubt that you will be able to put it down once you start.

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