Monday, September 24, 2012

What Are You Reading?

Photo via here

Fall is here and it is my favorite time of the year.  It is a great time to read and I am making a list of the books I want to enjoy this season.  This is the time of the year when I go into nesting mode and spend a lot of time at home, especially in my kitchen --  cooking, baking, and anticipating the holidays.  But the other rooms draw me in as well, especially the ones with a comfortable chair and ottoman.  Now that the weather is cooler and the days are shorter, I love to read and have fantasies of sitting with a great book, a cup of tea at my side, and a fire in the fireplace.  I have always loved 19th-century British novels and want a book that will take me away to a place where the fog is rolling over the English moors and chimney smoke is coming out of thatched cottages.  And so this is the time of the year that I like to pick a classic book to read.  Right now a long, sprawling Victorian novel sounds perfect for those afternoons in front of the fire and the one I have decided to read is Middlemarch by George Eliot.

Have you read it?  I have always been intrigued with "Middlemarch" because so many writers have loved it.

Virginia Woolf wrote that George Eliot's power "is at its highest in the mature Middlemarch, the magnificent book which with all its imperfections is one of the few English novels written for grown-up people."

When Emily Dickinson was asked what she thought of "Middlemarch" she answered "What do I think of glory?"

Zadie Smith wrote that "Middlemarch" is one of the books that had the greatest impact on her, calling it "A work of genius.  But more important...a woman wrote it...Eliot was the first woman I read who could go toe-to-toe with, say, Tolstoy."

A.S. Byatt wrote "It is possible to argue that Middlemarch is the greatest English novel."

And recently "The Guardian" published an article listing the ten best closing lines of novels.  "Middlemarch" was one of the chosen along with 'The Great Gatsby," "Ulysses," "Heart of Darkness," "Wuthering Heights," and "To the Lighthouse."



There are also some very exciting new books that have just come out or are coming out this fall that I can't wait to read.  Here are the ones on my list:

Ian McEwan's Sweet Tooth
Michael Chabon's Telegraph Avenue
Zadie Smith's NW
Hilary Mantel's Bring Up The Bodies


What are you reading?  And are you attracted to the classics at this time of the year?  I would love to hear what you are reading right now and what is on your list for the fall and winter.

By the way, speaking of fantasies, here is the place where I would love to do all this reading.

Photo via here

Happy Fall!

28 comments:

  1. David is reading "Telegraph Avenue" right now, and it was coincidental that we spent the weekend in Oakland at a wedding. He's loving it. I'm eagerly awaiting the release of "Sweet Tooth", and was tempted to order it from Amazon UK, but you know my feeling about keeping Diesel in business, so I resisted. About to start "The Age of Desire". I have started "Middlemarch" a few times, without real intent, and have put it aside for no reason. Good idea to plan on reading it this fall.

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    1. Kathy, I know what you mean about Diesel, it is a treasure. So glad to hear that David is enjoying "Telegraph Avenue," I have been hearing really good things about it. I can't wait to start "The Age of Desire" about Edith Wharton. There are so many good books out right now, it's hard to choose!

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  2. Reading near the fire is a wonderful way to spend an evening. Although my studies don't allow much time at the moment, it is one of my favourite things to do. I read the Paris Wife over the summer and loved it. I love anything by Hemingway, Fitzgerald and the like...
    Wishing you a autumn fall week! xoxo, B

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    1. I am also a big fan of anything by Hemingway or Fitzgerald. I just finished "Tender is the Night" and am about to start "The Sun Also Rises." Wasn't "The Paris Wife" fabulous! It really took as back to that time. Happy fall to you as well!

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  3. I'm ploughing through The Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry & it feels like a long journey. Can I join you by the fire with my book?

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    1. Yes, Joan, please do. I will find another comfy chair! This cottage looks like it could be in England, so I'll be joining you there!

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  4. Sunday, Please transport me to the room near the fire. I will be happy to make scones to go with our tea. I finished "Gone Girl" for my book group. Not my favorite but a real page turner. Last night I pulled "An American Childhood" by Ann Dillard off the shelf. I agree this is the time of year to devour a few good books. I hope you had a good Monday.

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    1. Bonnie, you make the scones and I'll make the tea!
      xx Sunday

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  5. Sunday,

    Hello! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I wrote a post similar to this a week or two ago. I am already in full hibernation mode! A little early as it is still pretty toasty during the day but I do not care.

    I have a huge pile of books and magazines and movies. I could not agree with you more, I love being transported back to Britain of old. And frankly I could see myself joining you in front of that fire, but I think we would have to pull up another comfy chair.

    Have a great week!

    Elizabeth

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    1. Elizabeth, I know you are a big fan of fall as well, and you have the best recipes for baking! Enjoy your week and I'll make room for you in front of that fireplace!
      xx Sunday

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  6. I could easily wile away the hours in that cozy setting, Sunday.
    What a wonderful post!
    I just finished Run by Ann Patchett; an engrossing read that will provide an exciting book discussion on Thursday, and just starting the second book of the Hunger Games series. Not exactly a fun read, but, compelling.

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    1. Penny, thanks for the tip about Ann Patchett's book. I will recommend it for my book club. And I am so curious about The Hunger Games, if you are on book two, there must be something pretty compelling there.

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  7. Right now I'm continuing my Edith Wharton streak with The Age of Innocence, but I may read Cloud Atlas soon. Sweet Tooth and NW are also both on my To Read list.

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    1. The Age of Innocence is my favorite Wharton book, I hope you enjoy it! I am very excited about the Ian McEwan book.

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  8. Oh, I'd love to be reading in that room, too!

    I adore Middlemarch! I'm thinking about finally reading Barbara Pym's Jane & Prudence--I bought it years ago (and have since read several of her other books). Maybe some Wodehouse is in order soon. Like you, I plan to read Zadie Smith's NW. And I'm sure it won't be long before I pick up a good literary mystery/crime novel--maybe a Henning Mankel.

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    1. I am so glad to hear you loved Middlemarch. I am getting into it now and love her writing. I am a big fan of Barbara Pym, especially Excellent Women. Right now we are watching a Swedish mystery series on television, Wallendar. I'm wandering if the writer you mentioned wrote the books.

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  9. Both of my book groups meet soon and I'm anxious for our next read. One group just finished Major Petigrew's Last Stand (my suggestion from you). A sweet read. The other group will meet and discuss Defending Jacob. Wow! Compelling and frightening from a parents point of view.

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    1. Janet, that is so funny because my book group also read Defending Jacob. I agree with you, so compelling and frightening. A good read!

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  10. I have both Sweet Tooth and Bring Up the Bodies on my fall reading list and I am really looking forward to both of them!
    I am always attracted to mysteries in fall and winter.

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    1. Don't they sound like great books for the cooler weather? Speaking of mysteries, have you read The Woman in White or The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins? Two classic Victorian mysteries.

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  11. That hearth scene is outrageously cozy! I'm reading "The Great Night" by Chris Adrian. It's a re-telling of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Takes place in SF. I'm absolutely in love with it and had the honor of spending a few days in Paris getting to know the author this summer. Feel so lucky to see where it comes from! xo

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    1. Meg, I would love to read that book by Chris Adrian. It sounds wonderful, thanks for reminding me of it.

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  12. This will be a great post for me as our bookclub is meeting at my home in just a few weeks to lay out our reads for the following season. I am intrigued by the book "Defending Jacob" and will download sample to my reader asap. This might be a good one for our group. One of our most popular reads last year was "Loving Frank" a biography of Frank LLoyd Wright told from the perspective of one of his lovers. Great story and beautifully written. I am currently reading "Old Filth" another beautifully written book. Will be checking back for more ideas and suggestions. k

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    1. "Old Filth" is one of the best books I read last year. There is a sequel called "The Man in the Wooden Hat" that is just as good. I hope you can read that one, you will love it.

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  13. I just finished The Solace of Leaving by a wonderful new author I discovered, named Haven Kimmel. She has a beautiful way with language. Right now I am reading Eudora Welty's The Optimist's Daughter, and am enjoying it very much. Another recent favorite is The School of Essential Ingredients, a fun foodie read that takes place in a cooking school. I've never read Middlemarch, but will put it on my autumn list!

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    1. Galli, thanks so much for these suggestions, except for the Welty book, I haven't heard of the others and will now look for them. I am 100 pages into Middlemarch and I love it.

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  14. I tend to read several books at once. Currently I'm reading The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides, The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani, and Telegraph Avenue.

    Your delving into Middlemarch reminded me that it's been about 40 years ago I read that in college. Still love Wharton after all these years. Middlemarch did not reach out and grab me, but I'm glad I read it. Off topic but delicious is Street Food by Susan Feniger. After a scorching hot summer in the midwest, I'm looking forward to "book weather".

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  15. What is it about autumn and Victorian novels?! I adore Middlemarch and Dorothea is one of my favourite characters in ficition. I will look out for your post!

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