2012 reading goals

[thatollie]

I will probably just settle for reading a lot.

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by Extollager

I will going into depth with Dostoevsky's Demons and Brothers Karamazov in the next five months. If you think it would be appropriate to start threads on these books under General Book Discussion, that would be great. Brothers is the greater novel, I daresay, but Demons exercises a prophetic fascination upon me. I'd keep it if I had to get rid of nearly all of my books.

OH now that is interesting....

I will be reading and reviewing a number of let us call them 'key Russian texts' (not that I'm any sort of an expert nor as well read as you are regarding some specific periods of Russian Literature) but if I can begin a discussion then certainly your input would be most valued.

I have never read Demons but will probably try and include it in my current reading project. Brothers Kazmarov in my opinion must surely be one of the great works of not only of European but World Literature. I hold it in as high a regard as any other Russian work I know of. Speaking of which I hope to cover as many of the following as possible in 2012 (or realistically a predetermined subset): Tolstoy's Anna Karenina & War and Peace, Bulgakov's Master & Margarita, Yuri Olesha's Envy, Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Nabokov's Lolita, Turgenev's Fathers and Sons, Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Sholokov's Quietly Flows the Don & Gogol's Dead souls (I can't yet comment on Lermnotov's A Hero of our Time, which I'm currently reading, nor Andre Bely's St. Petersburg or Pushkin's Eugen Onegin). Short stories are of course another area I hope to explore further in 2012.

[firepanda]

...Lolita???
I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet. It's probably the most famous work by any of the Russian greats. (Not that I'm an expert: I staggered drunkedly through War and Peace, cried myself to sleep on Crime and Punishment and that's about it.)
I intend to fill some gaps in my fantasy library. Apparently I've been missing out on some staples. George RR Martin, Erikson, R Scott Bakker and as much Terry Pratchett as I can.

[Extollager]

Gollum, I see Demons and The Brothers Karamazov as (among many other things) twin visions of what Russia's future could be: Demons indicating the dark destiny, Brothers, after much darkness, the bright: conflagration or resurrection. Of course there is a beautiful restoration in Demons, while it is Brothers that contains some of Dostoevsky's most apocalyptic writing!

I don't think Dostoevsky necessary consciously planned the two novels as complementary, but that's how I'm looking at them now. Even the similarity of the titles (plural persons) works for this perception. And the way the novels are often printed there's a striking contrast that supports this "take" on them (that they are complementary) : one ending with "Stavrogin's Confession" involving a crime against a young person, the other ending with the young people gathered together crying "Hurrah for Karamazov!"

I expect to be reading Demons approximately in Feb.-March and Brothers in March-April.

[biodroid]

I want to finish up on trilogies I have started on. I also would like to see if Thomas Covenant is any good. I would like to get through all of Patrick Rothfuss's books too.

[Devil's Advocate]

Hmmm.... Interesting thread.

I have three main goals:

1. Finally get around to reading the books that I bought ages ago and are currently gathering dust on my shelf. This includes The Dragonbone Chair and The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams, The Sum of All Men by David Farland, and books 2 and 3 of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson.

2. My second goal is to read more stand-alone Fantasy. Most of my reading tends to be series, as I like revisiting characters and worlds that I enjoyed. But this does mean I am missing out on some good stand-alone novels by the likes of Guy Gavriel Kay, Neil Gaiman, etc. I intend to correct that in this year.

3. Finally, I want to read more novels outside of the Fantasy genre. My reading the last couple of years has been almost exclusively Fantasy, and I feel I should branch out. In particular, I want to venture into the world of Historical Fiction, as I've heard a lot about the genre. On that note, anyone who has some good recommendations in the genre is more than welcome to give me advice. Is Bernard Cornwell a good place to start?

[biodroid]

Devil's Advocate - Try Conn Igguldenn, especially his Genghis Kahn series, very fast paced, great story, he is highly influenced by David Gemmell and Peter F Hamilton. Start with The Wolf of the Plains, he starts his major characters off as kids until they become who they are in the history books.

[Devil's Advocate]

Sounds interesting, biodroid.

Thanks for the recs. I'll be sure to check them out.

[Ökuþórr]

I have 21 books to read already and we're only in January! It's a mixture of history, mythology, fantasy and sci fi.
The Blade Itself: Book One Of The First Law, Before They Are Hanged: The First Law: Book Two, Last Argument Of Kings: The First Law Book Three by Abercrombie and The Dancers At The End of Time (S.F. Masterworks) by Moorcock. Are the ones that will bring my total to 21 when they arrive tomorrow.

Devil's Advocate. I quite enjoyed Sum of All Men. I'm on the third book Wizard Born now.

[Coragem]

As an aspiring writer, with MUCH to learn, my objective is to read the best and learn from the best ... as well as to read stuff that's to my taste, and that I'll enjoy!

I like good characters, some heroism and romance, and a "realistic", well built world. I'm not keen on magic and superstition ...

On my "to read" pile, shelf, book case ...

* I'd like to have finished reading all Guy Gavriel Kay's stuff by the end of 2012.
* Paul Kearney
* Jack Vance
* Neal Stephenson
* Neil Gaiman
* Carlos Ruiz Zafon
* Robin Hobb
* Some of GRRM's lesser known works (e.g., The Armageddon Rag)

For self-indulgence I may also squeeze in some David Gemmell and Joe Abercrombie.

Coragem.

[Connavar]

Originally Posted by firepanda

...Lolita???
I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet. It's probably the most famous work by any of the Russian greats. (Not that I'm an expert: I staggered drunkedly through War and Peace, cried myself to sleep on Crime and Punishment and that's about it.)
I intend to fill some gaps in my fantasy library. Apparently I've been missing out on some staples. George RR Martin, Erikson, R Scott Bakker and as much Terry Pratchett as I can.

Not to belittle Nabokov but he is a modern great novelist among many. He is hardly legendary giant of lit like Gogol,Dostejevski, Tolstoy. He seems bigger to you because he is seen as american author. He is not close to be seen as the greatest russian. Gogol, Dostejesvky, Tolstoy are the top 3.

Those guys are like Shakespeare, Poe in internationally acclaim.

[Vince W]

In addition to completing my goal of finishing all the Honor Harrington books carrying over from last year, I want to read several of the Russian classics. War and Peace (just started), Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment, and maybe another if I can squeeze it in.

[BookStop]

Hmmm, reading goals? My only goal is to read some. Last year was kind of stressful and busy and I didn't hardly read...at all! So far this year, while not off to a good start, I've managed to read the new JFK Stephen King, and I've got Teresa's book started (hope to find time to finish this week, it's a goodie).

I just want to escape into some fiction. Some time. This year.

[thatollie]

Originally Posted by Coragem

As an aspiring writer, with MUCH to learn, my objective is to read the best and learn from the best ... as well as to read stuff that's to my taste, and that I'll enjoy!

I like good characters, some heroism and romance, and a "realistic", well built world. I'm not keen on magic and superstition ...

On my "to read" pile, shelf, book case ...

* I'd like to have finished reading all Guy Gavriel Kay's stuff by the end of 2012.
* Paul Kearney
* Jack Vance
* Neal Stephenson
* Neil Gaiman
* Carlos Ruiz Zafon
* Robin Hobb
* Some of GRRM's lesser known works (e.g., The Armageddon Rag)

For self-indulgence I may also squeeze in some David Gemmell and Joe Abercrombie.

Coragem.

You are going to enjoy that so much. Which really means that I would enjoy that so much.

[GOLLUM]

Indeed Coragem, I'll also add that's an excellent list you have there!

Could I possibly suggest a few more names you may wish to investigate (assuming you have not already read them) in 2012/13?

Lud in the Mist - Hope Mirlees *a single stand alone novel
King of Elfland's Daughter - Lord Dunsany * " "
Little, Big - John Crowley * " "
If on a Winter's Night a Traveller - Italo Calvino * " "
Book of the New Sun - Gene Wolfe * " "available in 2 volume set
Riddle Master of Hed - Patricia McKillip *trilogy available in single volume
Street of Crocodiles - Bruno Schulz *single collection
Labyrinths -Jorge Luis Borges * " "
Flowers For Algernon - Daniel Keyes *a single stand alone novel
Worm Ouroboros - E.R. Eddison *a single stand alone novel
Books of Lankmahr -Fritz Leiber *2 volume set
Emperor of Dreams - Clark Ashton Smith *single Fantasy Masterwork collection
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury *a single stand alone novel
Conan Chronicles - Robert E Howard *collection

A fairly reasonable cross-section of very good fiction (mainly SFF) and whilst not all necessarily to your taste I've no doubt you'll learn something more about the art of writing.

Cheers.