The Backlog Report
Very pleased at my self-control (due in large part to fear of overweight baggage): bought only four books in London. The Penguin Decades reissue of Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd with the cover by John Squire of The Stone Roses,
The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton, Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd, and The Glass Room by Simon Mawer, bought in a 3-for-2 promo at Waterstone’s.
I am still reading David Mitchell’s wonderful new book Jacob de Zoet, which I lugged everywhere but somehow never managed to read. It was supposed to be my airplane book but I slept through most of the 12-hour flight and when I was half-conscious I watched The Ghost Writer (Roman Polanski, slick, slumming), A Single Man (directed by Tom Ford as a series of Gucci ads), The Last Station (basically waiting for Leo Tolstoy to croak), and best of all, episodes of Family Guy and American Dad (I’d already seen their 30 Rocks).
This is what my reading backlog looks like at the moment. I thought it would be much worse. The Russian novels:
That project is not zipping along. I blame life for getting in the way of my reading.
The contemporary novels and recent biographies:
That’s not so bad. Manageable. As long as I don’t buy any books for the next two months.
July 7th, 2010 at 01:03
What a coincidence. Tomorrow is the day I start raiding the second-hand bookstores of the city, after a month or so of a dry spell. I like mass market paperbacks because they’re far easier to carry around. On the other hand, a nice hardcover makes for an excellent cudgel.
July 7th, 2010 at 04:10
I’m new to Russian novels and I’ve only read four so far: Lolita, A Hero of Our Time, Crime and Punishment, and Netochka Nezvanova. I can’t decide whether to buy The Master and Margarita, or Dead Souls. Which one would you suggest? I’m on a budget. Hehehe.
July 7th, 2010 at 10:54
It’s sad to think that the second-hand bookstores will suffer more with the advent of Ipad and the growing popularity of e-reader devices.
July 7th, 2010 at 11:26
Hi Jessica, I want to get Jacob de Zoet. The cover alone is really gorgeous. Can you post some short comments on what you think of it after you finish?
I almost bought it today, but it got culled from my pre-cash register shortlist due to bugetary constraints and because I remembered your post from the train this morning but couldn’t recall exactly what you said about the book.
Cheers.
July 7th, 2010 at 11:40
oh good, we’re still doing the Russian masters, I thought it was entirely forgotten. Is Gogol also on the list?
July 7th, 2010 at 12:33
Jara: The novel itself is gorgeous. The only reason I didn’t finish it in London is because I was too busy getting lost. Get Jacob de Zoet, and then David Mitchell’s previous books Cloud Atlas, Number 9 Dream, and Ghostwritten. He’s amazing.
July 7th, 2010 at 12:34
Poli: Definitely the Bulgakov, which is still fresh and contemporary. Dead Souls is a bit of a slog, and you can download it from Project Gutenberg and other sites.
July 7th, 2010 at 19:32
I hope I can join you when it’s Tolstoy’s turn.
July 8th, 2010 at 06:28
Thanks Jessica. I’ll definitely get de Zoet and I’ll keep and eye out for Mitchell’s other books. The best news is, my bookshop started giving 20% off for 2 weeks starting today!
Cheers.
July 21st, 2010 at 14:36
I thought I’m on the worst case of book backlogs, it felt better when I saw your list. Now, am not alone.