I read Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom because I found the Netflix series entertaining. However, I thought the book was so boring! Do I give Cornwell another chance to redeem himself? King Arthur is one of my favorite literary characters. I really don’t want Cornwell to ruin him. I want The Winter King to be good!
I’m interested in Wolf Hall now! Thank you for recommending. I’ll be reading some Plotinus next year as well. I’m putting together a study on Beauty, about which he has a thing or two to say. (If you recommend others on the topic, I’d love to know.)
I read Le Carré for the first time this year for as well, and was also pleasantly surprised by how fantastic they are. I made it through the first 5 Smiley novels (by publication date). The Spy Who Came In from the Cold and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy were easily the best.
I initially came to the books because I wanted to watch more spy movies, and ended up pairing each novel with its film adaptation. The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965) and The Deadly Affair (1967) were exceptional. I definitely recommend checking those out.
My favorite read of the year was previously my white whale book: The Count of Monte Cristo. It immediately vaulted onto the favorite novel shortlist.
One nonfiction book of note: Time’s Echo: The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance by Jeremy Eichler. Highly recommend for anyone interested how we use art to memorialize trauma/atrocities.
A novel I suspect you might really like is Hesse's The Glass Bead Game. That was my favorite fiction, this year.
I read Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom because I found the Netflix series entertaining. However, I thought the book was so boring! Do I give Cornwell another chance to redeem himself? King Arthur is one of my favorite literary characters. I really don’t want Cornwell to ruin him. I want The Winter King to be good!
How much time would you say you spend reading?
Between work and pleasure, 4-6 hours. Less on weekends.
I’m interested in Wolf Hall now! Thank you for recommending. I’ll be reading some Plotinus next year as well. I’m putting together a study on Beauty, about which he has a thing or two to say. (If you recommend others on the topic, I’d love to know.)
I read Le Carré for the first time this year for as well, and was also pleasantly surprised by how fantastic they are. I made it through the first 5 Smiley novels (by publication date). The Spy Who Came In from the Cold and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy were easily the best.
I initially came to the books because I wanted to watch more spy movies, and ended up pairing each novel with its film adaptation. The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965) and The Deadly Affair (1967) were exceptional. I definitely recommend checking those out.
My favorite read of the year was previously my white whale book: The Count of Monte Cristo. It immediately vaulted onto the favorite novel shortlist.
One nonfiction book of note: Time’s Echo: The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance by Jeremy Eichler. Highly recommend for anyone interested how we use art to memorialize trauma/atrocities.
The Count of Monte Christo is my white whale book. I don’t know when I will finally get to it.