My Current 'To Read' Pile

My Literal 'to read' Pile

"It is likely I will die next to a pile of things I was meaning to read" - Lemony Snicket

I have a never-ending/ever increasing TBR pile, as mentioned here, and a equally silly Amazon wish list that I splurge on now and again (understatement). I thought a list here would be fitting as I am having trouble choosing, more so now than ever as so many new books are appearing that I am desperate to read. 

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman is one of all time favourite authors, see reviews here and here, and this is another book of short stories, following his previous collections, 'Fragile Things' and 'Smoke and Mirrors'. I am not usually a huge fan of short stories, as I feel I lose the characters just as I get to know them, but I loved Gaiman's other short stories - so original and evocative. Can't wait to start this, and I suppose the beauty of short stories is that you can dip in and out of them much more easily than a novel. 

Vixen by Rosie Garland

Vixen by Rosie Garland

I had never heard of this book, or this author, until this week. Someone mentioned 'Vixen' as part of #bookadayuk on twitter and really sold the book to me. It is now pretty high up my Amazon wish list because it has a great synopsis and fantastic reviews. We follow three characters in a village as the Black Death takes hold, with Vixen being a feral mute girl who may be a messenger of God. 

Of Things Gone Astray by Janina Matthewson

Of Things Gone Astray by Janina Matthewson

Another #bookadayuk find - that hashtag has done my bank balance no favours. This novel is billed as a quirky fantastical novel, so I was sold immediately, but the idea that a group of people all lose a strange item, like their piano keys or their sense of direction, at the same time, is painfully intriguing to me. Thus, the book is already ordered. Hope to review soon!

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

I am a huge, HUGE, fan of Kazuo Ishiguro, and his new book has been a long time coming. I was so excited to hear of the announcement of this book, and have waited patiently ever since. Somehow the internet has already read this, urgh, but I have until March 3rd to wait until I join the ranks of ravers. Apparently this new book is more fantastical that his previous offerings, which pleases me, but honestly my favourite thing about Ishiguro is that he spans genres and every book is so so different. I would take a perfect novel from him every 10 years that the average fare that most authors turn out yearly. 

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

All books previously mentioned on my list are published in 2015 - this one was published in 1965. I do not know how this book passed me by for so long because it sounds amazing. I try to work my way through Penguin Modern Classics, generally based on cover preference, and I have never been let down. This novel concerns an odd family living in a decrepit old castle in the woods, hated by the nearby villagers following the unsolved murder of the rest of the family. Apparently it is beautifully written, and I am led to believe there are eerie twists! Enough said. 

The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell

The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell

Another oldie. This is the one of the few books by George Orwell I have yet to read, mainly because I love his other works and worry that his descriptions of hard working northerners (like my whole family) will upset me, and make me think less of him for not seeing their characters. It also may just upset me because it is accurate, and an observer/reader can't see anything through the grim reality of life in a northern city circa 1930. The idea that my Nan was alive then and her parents worked 7 day weeks in similar jobs may be a bit hard to swallow. Maybe this in an unfair assumption based on what others tell me? I hope so because I have this earmarked to read soon. I can take grim reality if is well written. My own Dad's life was pretty much identical to Billy from Kes/A Kestrel for a Knave, and I still love that!

Yep.