It is finally sweater weather here in the Northwest. While spring is my new favorite season, I have always loved fall, because for the longest time, fall meant nicer weather (hay fever be gone!), new books, and learning new things.
Being a mood reader, these TBR lists aren’t very useful to me, but here’s some books that would be nice to read over the next few months.
- Kokoro by Natsume Soseki. Reading this currently and quite enjoying it. It is an odd, mysterious book—sort of an “OG dark academia” novel about a student’s (probably platonic) obsession with an older man and his (dark) secrets. In Japan, Kokoro is considered an important novel and required reading, so all the more reason to read it!
- Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag. An essay on wartime photography and other media that are consumed by those who are not part of the war and/or live far away from its physical impact. I thought it was time to return to my pacifist reading project, and the library had this one.
- Eagles’ Nest by Anna Kavan. Ice was intense, but I found myself wanting to read more by Kavan before moving on. This novel promises to be the most Kafka-like, almost a retelling of The Castle. I noticed the university library has it, so I’m going to ask my brother to check it out for me.
- His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle. Cyberkitten and I are slated to read this next month, and I’m looking forward to it! I first ought to finish The Valley of Fear, though. 😛 What this reread has shown me is that I still prefer the Sherlock Holmes short stories over the novels.
- Walden by Henry Thoreau. Planning to read this to my boyfriend soon. Neither of us has read Walden before, which is surprising since we both have been in circles where Thoreau’s ideas would be popular. We still plan to finish Till We Have Faces, but right now we need something a bit gentler (I’d forgotten how intense that novel is).
- Something by Tarjei Vesaas. Vesaas is supposed to be one of Norway’s greatest authors, but his books seem harder to acquire in the US than, say, Sigrid Undset. I’m hoping to find a copy of The Ice Palace, because I believe in the past I’ve confused it with Ice, so now I’m curious if there is any connection or similarity between the two novels. I also really like books about cold places, as some of you know. 😆
- 2 Samuel. Trying to get more diligent with my Bible reading, and I’m currently in 1 Samuel. I should be able to read both parts by the end of autumn… The story of Saul is a sad and complicated tale, but also very interesting.
- Something by Tolkien. I have his translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which I hear is a Christmas story. And Rings of Power really makes me want to read the Appendixes to LOTR and The Silmarillion.
- Letters to Felice by Kafka. This was a book I set aside without any particular reason. I was thoroughly enjoying it, as much as you can enjoy the letters of a guy who has some serious attachment issues. All that aside, I learned some fun things about Kafka in what I did read in this book, so I ought to finish it.
- Permanent Record by Edward Snowden. I am in the process of downsizing, and while I loved this memoir, I probably don’t need to keep it indefinitely. I should reread it, then donate it to a Little Free Library.
Classics Considered 
Leave a comment