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Friday 3 February 2017

My to be read pile


This week's Five Fandom Friday topic is - once more - not about gaming: it is about reading. I used to fill my hours reading anything I could get my hands on as a child. At school, we had weekly tasks, and each week I finished them as fast as I could, so I could spend half of Thursday and the whole of Friday reading. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that at university and since I now need to read so much professionally, I don't feel like reading for fun so much anymore. And now there is gaming, too, to distract me. 

Fandom Friday seemed like a good opportunity to look at what books I have laying around that I want to read this year. Turns out it's a very diverse company! I love reading in my native language (Dutch) as well, but somehow I don't have any Dutch books waiting for me at the moment.

1) The Story of Kullervo (2015) by J.R.R. Tolkien

Many of Tolkien's writings have been published postumely by his family and I haven't read all of them yet. I gifted one of these, The Story of Kullervo, to Conrad for his birthday a few years back, so now it's sitting in the bookcase, staring at me accusingly, wanting to be read. I love Tolkien's world, and I want to read everything he has written, but I was a bit put off by the depressing nature of The Children of Hurin, Since Kullervo is said to be dark natured as well and currently everything seems to trigger anxiety attacks I probably should wait with it a bit. Later this year, then.

2) The Once and Future King (1958) by T.H. White

My mother was appalled that I never read The Once and Future King, so much that she ordered it online and surprised me by pushing it into my hands one week after we talked about it. For her this classic was what made her discover Tolkien. I rarely read any fantasy books and I am very particular in what I like and do not like, but my mother usually has the same taste, so if she is this enthusiastic about a book, I would be crazy to not give it a go.

3) Samurajsommar (2005) by Åke Edwardson

I practice Swedish daily, but I don't have the feeling I'm making much progress. Samurajsommar, a Swedish children's book, was gifted to me last year when I was in Uppsala. It was my friend's first book she read in Swedish, so it was a really nice gesture to give it to me. It will require some concentration to get through it, but I'll probably learn a lot.

4) The Call of Cthulu (1928) by H.P. Lovecraft

Someone (probably Rakuno) once made a Cthulu reference in a Ravalation comment, and I had no idea what they were talking about! Ever since, I've been planning to read the original short story by Lovecraft. I don't own this one as a physical book, but as the text is freely available online, it's just one click away from printing (more pleasing to the eye than reading from a screen). Actually, I should stop typing about this and instead just do it.

5) 1984 (1949) by George Orwell

I've heard 1984 has gotten more popular after Trump's inauguration ("alternate facts"). I never really got around to reading it myself, although I did read Animal Farm. Probably good to reserve this one, too, for when anxiety times are over: I already get depressed from scrolling through my Twitter feed and seeing Trump's face everywhere these days.

What books are on your to be read pile? If you have any opinions on the books above, I'd love to hear them (no spoilers, though, please)! Finally, if you've written your own booky blog post, feel free to link it below and I'll definitely check it out.


5 Fandom Friday is a weekly event organized by the Female Geek Bloggers group on Google+.

41 comments :

  1. Not exactly books but I have a ton of comics and mangas I bought from Humble Bundles to read yet. It is kinda of a pain to download them and get them in the iPad via Dropbox though. Actual books there is only a few (also from Humble Bundles, mostly) but it is those who doesn't look like they are that good...

    Anyway, I never heard about those Tolkien stories you mentioned. I guess I should add those to my list of to-read someday. The Once and Future King I only heard by name but never read it either. Another one to go to the "To Read" list.

    Yes, it was me who mentioned Lovecraft and Cthulhu in a comment here (don't remember the topic though). If it makes you feel better, I haven't read Call of Cthulhu yet. I was reading all of H.P. Lovecraft's stories by chronological release date but it could get tiresome. Partly because most of them were pretty much a product of their time, partly because Lovecraft relied a lot on twists anyone who watched any modern thriller could see miles away. Then I was in the middle of a pretty long story that felt like some big acid trip when I had a mishap with my e-Book reader that reset the device, thus I have no idea where I stopped reading... >_<

    I read 1984 a while ago. It is the ultimate dystopia and pretty depressing. It is one of those kind of stories that you think would never happen in real life. Then things start to go downhill, very fast and very badly and you start to wonder...

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    1. Comics count, too! I mean, you do read them, after all... It's cool to hear you read so much. Myself, I'm too hooked to reading from real paper to use iPads and the likes. But I feel a bit bad about that, too, because physical books are not great for the environment.

      I understand what you mean with trying to read it all and getting stuck. It's the same for me with the Sherlock books (see comment to cfcallier below): they are so much a product of their time; it's still interesting, but not all that easy to read. So I think I will probably just stick to the Call of Cthulu rather than try to read it all - at least I'll finally understand what everyone is talking about!

      Thanks for your comment on 1984. /hug

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    2. Yeah, I guess that is why I don't read as many books per year as my american friends. I get my reading "satiation" by reading comic books, mangas and stuff on the internet. That and I still usually can't be bothered to actively and routinely buy books. Even more so when there is so much more to entertain me nowadays.

      I actually still prefer physical books, nothing beats the sensation of having one on your hands, paging through it and so on. But I will concede that the digital versions are a lot more convenient. My only issue with digital books (and pretty much anything digital) is DRM schemes. At least Humble Bundle does provide a variety of formats for the books so it isn't so bad from there.

      Funny that. Sherlock Holmes is one of my favorite characters. I read most of his stories (I think). Although it was probably easier for me since I read them when I was a lot younger and they were translated to my native language. But what I was talking about H.P. Lovecraft's stories being of their time, it was only partly about the writing style. There are some stories that are outright racists. I don't think Call of Cthulhu has the racist problem (otherwise I don't think it would be that popular) but a some of the less known stories of his do have that problem.

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    3. I hear ya. Similarly, Tolkien has some racist and misogynist tendencies. Good to know I'm avoiding that stuff with the Call of Cthulhu. :)

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    4. You do realize that by saying you are affected by literature because of racist overtones, that gaming must make you a psychopathic killer? Or do you avoid all games that have violent overtones in them also?

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    5. So, I decided to finally buckle up and actually read Call of Cthulhu. Turns out there is some racism in the story but not as bad as some of other H.P. Lovecraft's stories. The focus is mainly on the cult of the Great Old Ones and on Cthulhu himself (itself?). I think there are other stories that expand on the Cthulhu mythos but I don't know their name off-hand or have read them (yet).

      In any case, I still recommend Call of Cthulhu as a good horror story. Now I can understand how it became so influential, even if it might be just among gaming culture.

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    6. The problem with only reading the Call of Cthulhu is that (for me at least), it's one of the weaker ones (well, maybe in the middle somewhere). It's his most famous story, but personally I think he wrote some much better weird tales. I think The Color Out of Space is my favourite for sheer weirdness.

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    7. Wow, nice that you finally got to read it, Rakuno! And that it was a good story. I really appreciate all you guys' thoughts and recommendations, so I'll expand my list to:
      - Call of Cthulhu
      - The Dunwich Horror
      - The Color Out of Space

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    8. Cool. I will suggest another one of his stories for the list then. It is "Herbert West - Reanimator". If the name sounds familiar it is because there was a movie adaptation of it that transported the story to the modern days of... 1985! The movie, like all horror movies of the time, tended more towards gore though and I am not sure how well it aged. Lovecraft's story though tended more towards the creepy and let the reader imagination as usual.

      You shouldn't have much trouble finding a book with these stories. Just look for any book titled "Call of Cthulhu" and they usually come with other popular stories from H.P. Lovecraft. Just check the book description if you buy it online or the index if you buy it in an old school bookstore to see what stories it contains.

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    9. Just looked for Lovecraft books on the best Dutch second hand online book shop; turns out a lot of them are translated. I want to read it in the original language (yes, I'm picky), so that narrows it down by quite a lot. Unfortunately, many books are titled after one story, but you can't find out on the internet what the other stories in it are. I found an affordable pocket called the Tales of Cthulhu that I ordered; if I like it, I'll try to track down the other ones in time. I'm a fan of sci-fi, but not so much of horror, so we'll see how it turns out.

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  2. I love that your TBR pile is classics! And not light stuff, either. Honestly, one of the reasons I don't game much is so that I can have time to read (which I do while my fiance plays Elder Scrolls Online). Ah, the sacrifices we make! ;)

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    1. I really applaud your ability to read rather than game! I'm quite hooked on the social aspects of gaming. I guess that's partly because I can't get out as much as I used to due to a chronic illness: gaming is an easy way of actively spending time with friends without having to go somewhere. Still, I do miss reading books and I'm going to give it my best to at least read these five this year!

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  3. Can't really comment on the content of any of these as I haven't read them either, but 1984 is on my "to read" list too, also because I've seen so many people quote it since Donald Trump's rise to power... I want to see how close it really is!

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    1. It's the same for me. I'm kinda dreading reading it in fear of there being too many similarities, but I also feel a need to find out.

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  4. Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn! Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah-nagl fhtagn!

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    1. Thanks for sharing, Jeromai. I feel the same, sometimes.

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    2. I personally prefer The Dunwich Horror, but Cthulhu does have his fans...

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  5. I don't think I've heard of any of those. However, I may have to see about finding The Once and Future King and 1984. I do enjoy a good fantasy novel and I also can enjoy comparing real life to a book.

    Currently my to read list has some Dressage books on it since I'm hoping to adopt a rescue horse in the next couple of months. Didn't expect to want this so soon but God has shown me I need horses in my life. :)

    Non horse training books I have been wanting to read are the Sherlock Holmes stories, The Inheritance Cycle, The Last Unicorn, and I need to finish reading 1001 Arabian Nights and Getting in TTouch with Your Horse.

    When I was going to college I didn't do a of fun reading either. Although most of my classes had to do more with art which burned me out on that being fun also. No wonder I picked gaming (living 500 miles away from my horse at the time made that hobby impossible). Heh.

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    1. As a retired equestrian journalist, I'm intrigued to see that you plan to adopt a rescue horse. Good luck with that, very commendable. I knew a few riders that had adopted and re-trained ex-racehorse for eventing. I've also just been editing a dressage scene in my debut novel - trying to get it re-released. (Sorry Rav to hijack your blog - Het spijt me.)

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    2. You should know that I absolutely have no issue at all with derailing comments, in fact, I encourage it! For instance, I'd never have known about the phenomenon that is Cthulu if not for the off-topic comment section. And it's fun to see you two nerd out about horses. :)

      @cfcallier: I once read The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I quite enjoyed it, although the pace is different from what you're used to due to its time of creation and the old fashioned language (probably also cost me more effort as a non native speaker). So I don't think I'll read all the other ones anytime soon.

      I hope you'll find a nice horse to adopt. Getting a rescue horse indeed sounds very commendable and I'm sure it will have a good home with you and it will make you happy: your love for horses is so apparent! :)

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    3. @Roland
      Equine jouranlist, intriguing! I hope you can get your book released. Good horse novels can be hard to come by. Would love to read it.
      Thank you. I am hoping to adopt from a rescue called Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue. There's a mare I have my eye on. I think those who are willing to adopt an OTTB are commendable!

      @Rav
      I quite enjoy the old fashioned language. While it can be hard to read I find it quite interesting that people used to speak like that.

      Thank you! I do have my eye on a nice little mare, like I mentioned above. I am hoping she will be mine but will have to wait and see yet. Hehe...people do tend notice my horse craziness.... ^^;

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  6. Although I have read a lot of Tolkien's writing including some of his non-fiction on early literature, like Beowulf:The Monsters and the Critics, I have not read 'The Story of Kullervo'. If the other books, I have only read The Once and Future King, and 1984.

    My to read list is massive, with almost 200 titles on my Kindle - mainly Crime, and Fantasy/SF.
    Top of the list is Jeff Altabef's Native American thriller/fantasy Wind Catcher, and an alternative history short story collection 1066 Turned Upside Down - 1066 referring to the date when William the Conqueror seized England by winning The Battle of Hastings. [I'm working on an alternative history with Vikings colonising North America, and retaining control of England in 1042 - in reality they seized England in 1015.]

    I also read paperbacks so there are a few of those on the To Read list, notably: the children's classic Emil and the Detectives, which you may have read in its original German, plus a Welsh historical novel, Mark Noce's Between Two Fires....and various research books on the Vikings.

    Problem is that I'm a slow reader, so might just get through two books a month. I was faster as a teenager, I think.

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    1. Wind Catcher sounds interesting, I might check that one out. I don't know of Emil and the Detectives. I think I was 13 when I got my first lesson in German, so when I was good enough to read books, I wasn't that interested in children's books anymore. That said, what children's books one reads seems to depend on the decade a lot, so it was probably not that common to read anymore in the 2000's. But *that* said, I really read everything I could get my hands on, so that included my mum's favourite Dutch children's fantasy books from the fiftees, that were fantastic and so different from the contemporary ones. I used to talk a bit odd at that age from all the old fashioned words I picked up in those books.

      Oh, and I haven't read Tolkien's Beowulf yet. What is it like? I should be interesting to read, since I studied the original extensively for my studies.

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  7. I have... issues... with The Once and Future King. A decent part of the story which I presume is supposed to be funny simply wasn't for me. And there were plenty of times when I felt that people --the children, especially-- did cruel things that made me want to throw the book against the wall.

    I get the feeling that T.H. White was writing for strictly his generation's kids, and the "boys will be boys" sort of shrugging off of certain things bothered me. Even when I was a kid.

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    1. Your comment reminds me of something I had with the Narnia Cronicles by C.S. Lewis. I loved those when I was a child! But when I reread them as an adult I found the Christian allegory so extremely obvious, it was hard to stomach the moralistic tone.

      It kinda surprised me that my mother was so positive about a fantasy novel as well, but I'll just have to see for myself. Not really looking forward to people being cruel all the time - I'll let you know when I've read it!

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  8. I read 1984, it was a good book, but also disturbing :(. Thinking back about the book, it reminds me of a book I have read about North Korea... Let's just say that I am very happy to live in the Netherlands :).

    I read the first book from the once and future king, that was a nice book. The disney movie is based on the book. I haven't read the other parts.

    I haven't read any of the other books, the Tolkien one is interesting, although I also don't want to read sad books (I still have to sleep and feel happy). Now I am reading a fantasy book which plays in the time of Napoleon, but then there are also dragons. It is a little bit like eragon, but then so much better written. I also still have to read the house for peculiar children, it is on my to do list ^^.

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    1. What's that book about North Korea called again? Think I've heard of it a few years ago, but never got around to getting it. It sounded like a really good one. Uhhhh, not that I need even more depressing books I guess. Totally hear you on the "I still have to sleep and feel happy" part.

      The House for Peculiar Children at least is not scary; it's light reading, so it's definitely safe to read that before bedtime. :)

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    2. Ooh, that sounds like you're reading Temeraire, Marinka! Were you inspired by me mentioning it in a recent comment or is this just a funky coincidence? ^^

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    3. Yeah it is Temeraire (did not remember how to spell it). But it is a funky coincidence, I did not know you were reading it :). I am still at the first book, but I like it a lot.

      @Rav: I don't know the title of the North Korea book, it is at my parents place. I can check it out if I am there, but that might take a while.

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    4. I was just wondering, no rush. Cool that you guys are reading the same book! I might check it out someday, but I'm way too picky with fantasy novels.

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  9. Tolkien's writing on Beowulf was actually a lecture about the poem not a translation. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf:_The_Monsters_and_the_Critics I never studied the poem at school, but rather read a lot of early poetry in my spare time at college - probably when I should have been working for exams.

    I'm not sure which translation I read back then - about 1970 - but I believe the best now is the recent one by the poet Seamus Heaney https://www.amazon.com/Beowulf-New-Verse-Translation-Bilingual/dp/0393320979

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  10. See my comment below..................

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  11. Ooh, three of those I have actually read, and all when I was in my teens. I loved The Once and Future King at that age, but I have never re-read it. Might not hold up if some of the above comments are anything to go by, but I still have a great fondness for it. I have never seen the Disney cartoon movie based on it though, I'm glad I didn't see that to have it invade my own imagination (that can easily happen if you see the films of things first).

    I actually read 1984 in the year 1984, it seemed like the right thing to do. I was only fourteen, but it gave me chills, and I was fascinated by that world. Again, I have never gone back to it in adulthood, I guess I really should. Doubleplusgood.

    Finally we have old Cthulhu. Bought a tatty old second-hand copy off a stall somewhere. Was absolutely drawn into the weird universe he had created, and still love that kind of stuff. Despite his deficiencies as a writer (and a human being), his sheer power of imagining into existence such a bizarre (if cold and chilling) universe is some achievement. I still like to read his work, even now.

    Haven't really been following the Tolkien industry lately, so I didn't know about that one. Must give it a go. I really enjoyed the bleak tale of The Children of Hurin, though I did already know how that one ended up from reading The Silmarillion (again, as a teenager). Sometimes you need a good old depressing yarn where things turn out badly for everyone.

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    1. I did watch the Disney movie - it was actually one of my favourite ones; I loved the atmosphere. That said, it's been ages when I last watched it, and I don't remember it all that well. I don't think it's going to be a problem when reading it, especially because it's just a cartoon. It might be different if it would've been a movie with real acting people that would've made a strong impression on me. But I know what you mean.

      I'm going to see if I can find a secondhand Lovecraft as well. I just like reading from paper so much better, even if the alternative is free.

      Don't get me wrong, I did like The Children of Hurin. I had already read The Silmarillion beforehand, too, so I knew that it wasn't going to end well. If I ever feel I'm too happy, I'll read it again. :P

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  12. Aaaaah!! Lovecraft :D Good stuff you've got to read ;)

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    1. Everyone is so positive about Lovecraft. I'm looking forward to it even more now!

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  13. So many great books! 1984 can be a little panic-inducing, but it's a damn good read. Not as creepy as Animal Farm, in my opinion. And yay for Cthulhu<3 Hope you love that one, I just convinced my husband to read it a couple months back and he enjoyed it.
    All the books in my TBR pile are mainly self-published YA fantasy books...I'm just obsessed with YA lately:P

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    1. Animal Farm was creepy indeed! I was in my teens when I read it. I remember it made me feel awful, but I also thought it was brilliant. What is YA? Never heard of it - might be an American thing?

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  14. I would add my recommendation to the Temeraire books, Rav. I read the first and was hooked. Great blend of historical fiction and fantasy - almost alternative history in a way.

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    1. Haha, I seem to be vastly outnumbered. Okay, it's added to the list!

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