My reading plans for April 2023

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Here are my reading plans for April.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky – I’m reading this along with the Hardcore Literature Book Club (HLBC) over a two month period.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins – I’m following the original serialisation schedule on this one.

Bleak House by Charles Dickens – This is From The Front Porch’s Conquer a Classic for 2023 and we are reading around five to seven chapters per month.

Richard III by William Shakespeare – Continuing the HLBC Shakespeare Project, I’ve a ticket to see this play towards the end of April.

Venus and Adonis by William Shakespeare – Also part of the HLBC Shakespeare Project.

Sonnets – by William Shakespeare – Ditto!

Crónica de una Muerte Anunciada by Gabriel García Márquez – In order to brush up my Spanish, I’m reading this in its original and listening alongside. I also have the English translation to help.

Normal People by Sally Rooney – I enjoyed the TV series but felt lacking in information about the characters’ motivations, which I’m hoping will be illuminated in the novel.

The Late Mattia Pascal by Luigi Pirandello – I’ve been wanting to read this one for a while.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler – I recently took out an annual subscription with The Beautiful Book Company and this is the first novel they’ve sent.

Humankind by Rutger Bregman – I’ve decided to have a non-fiction book permanently on the go and this is my first choice, which hopefully will restore my faith in the human race!

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield – I’ve had the audio on hold from Libby and it’s just come through.

Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen – Play of the Season for the HLBC.

I’m definitely a polygamous reader now and I’m finding it works extremely well to have several books on the go at once as there’s always one that I feel like picking up.

What I read in March 2023

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Here are the books I read in March. As usual, the one asterisked is a 5-star read. Coming shortly will be my reading plans for April, which I’m giving careful consideration to.

How High We Go in the Dark – Sequoia Nagamatsu (a deadly plague has a devastating effect in this sci-fi novel)

All the Lovers in the Night – Mieko Kawakami (an exploration of loneliness)

*Foster – Claire Keegan (a girl is sent to stay with foster parents in this uplifting novella)

Our Souls at Night – Kent Haruf (a beautiful tale of finding companionship in later life)

The Readers’ Room – Antoine Laurain (a mystery in which events in the real world imitate those in a novel)

Antarctica – Claire Keegan (a collection of short stories)

Assembly – Natasha Brown (a black British woman reflects on her identify)

Love and Friendship – Alison Lurie (debut novel of an affair on campus)

Henry VI Part I – William Shakespeare (first in a trilogy of the War of the Roses)

A Town Called Solace – Mary Lawson (young Clara struggles when her sister goes missing and a stranger moves into the house next door – recommended by my local indie bookshop, Word on the Street, who have the author visiting them in April)

The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde (a simultaneously witty and serious exploration of selling one’s soul to the devil)

Women Talking – Miriam Toews (women in a Mennonite community discuss what to do after waking up in pain and with bruises)

The Wife – Meg Wolitzer (Joan decides to divorce her husband and reflects on what brought her to this point)

Snap – Belinda Bauer (a mother disappears, leaving her three children waiting in the car)

War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy (concluded a three-month read of this epic masterpiece, undertaken in conjunction with the Hardcore Literature Book Club)

All-in-all, this was quite a varied and interesting month of reading.

What I read in February 2023

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Here are the books I read in February. The one marked with an asterisk is a 5-star read.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Shirley Jackson (a sinister tale of a strange and isolated existence following the suspicious deaths of four family members)

The Return of the Soldier – Rebecca West (a soldier returns from war with PTSD and memory loss, resulting in an unexpected turn of events)

My Purple Scented Novel – Ian McEwan (a finely constructed short story of literary betrayal)

The English Patient – Michael Ondaatje (a poetical, enigmatic and melancholy tale of four war-time survivors struggling with their different suffering)

Home Safe – Elizabeth Berg (a grieving widow struggles with her daughter’s independence and some shocking news)

The Two Gentlemen of Verona – William Shakespeare (two men fall in love with the same woman)

Love and Friendship – Jane Austen (from her Juvenilia, a parody of the ‘heroine’ novel)

The Birdcatcher – Gayl Jones (a woman heads to Ibiza to support her friend, who keeps trying to kill her husband)

Sula – Toni Morrison (the tale of a woman trying to claim independence in a society that suppresses)

The Sentence – Louise Erdrich (Tookie’s bookshop is haunted by a deceased customer)

The Maid – Nita Prose (a chambermaid discovers one of the guests dead in his room and becomes involved in sinister goings on)

The Bird and Don’t Look Now – Daphne du Maurier (classic uncanny stories of nature turning on humans, and a couple grieving for their child)

*Small Things Like These – Claire Keegan (Bill Furlong struggles with his conscience as Christmas approaches)

Weather – Jenny Offill (the protagonist reflects on her family and the world around her)

Titus Andronicus – William Shakespeare (a bloodbath of revenge)

My reading plans for February 2023

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Here are the books I intend to read or make progress on during February.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy – I’m currently half-way through Volume II, Part II. If you want to read this but are daunted by its size, don’t be; it’s incredibly readable and you can take it slowly.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins – I’m reading this over the course of several months in line with the original serialisation schedule.

The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare – This is part of my project to read Shakespeare’s complete works by Easter 2024.

Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare – I’ve no experience of this play but have secured a ticket to see it next month.

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich – This is now out in paperback and will complete my reading of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022 nominees.

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje – I’m doing a workshop on this one, which I first read many years ago after seeing the film.

Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg – I have the audio on hold via Libby.

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten – The audio is also on hold via Libby for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge’s Nordic noir category, which is not a genre I usually read.

What I read in January 2023

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Here is my reading in the first month of the year. Those marked with an asterisk are 5-star reads. I must make a special mention of The Island by Karen Jennings, which I found absolutely compelling, and was a chance discovery when I finally got the Libby app up-and-running. I’d recommend it for fans of Life and Times of Michael K by J M Coetzee, which is one of my favourite novels.

First Love by Ivan Turgenev (I listened to this novella in which a 16-year-old boy battles for the affections of a young woman; I’d like to revisit it in paperback)

The Tempest by William Shakespeare (I both watched and read this stormy tale of exile, magic, love, usurpers, freedom and slavery)

*Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (currently my favourite Shakespeare play)

No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib (a heart-wrenching tale of an innocent married couple caught up in the ban on the citizens of certain countries entering the United States)

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood (clever retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest)

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (a woman sees figures in the wallpaper)

The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare (two sets of twins cause identity confusion in this entertaining farce)

(Dis)Connected by Emma Gannon (how to reclaim our time from technology)

The Memory Box by Kathryn Hughes (a soon-to-be centenarian reflects on her life whilst planning a final trip to Italy)

Mad About Shakespeare by Jonathan Bate (a memoir exploring the impact of great literature)

Carmilla by J Sheridan Le Fanu (the first vampire novella)

Tides by Sara Freeman (Mara flees her life to live in exile in a town by the sea)

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by R L Stevenson (a gothic novella exploring the duality of human nature)

*French Braid by Anne Tyler (a wife and mother ‘moves out’ of her life)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (the classic story of small-town prejudice)

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (a father refuses to let his younger daughter marry before his ‘shrewish’ older daughter has found a husband)

Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler (a modern retelling of The Taming of the Shrew)

*An Island by Karen Jennings (a reclusive lighthouse keeper reflects on his life in South Africa)

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (disappointing (for me) tale of 19th century magicians)

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss (an archeological trip takes on a sinister turn)

Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus (the protagonist is chained to a rock for stealing fire from the gods in this classic Greek tragedy)

I definitely want to read less this month and spend more time with each work, which was my intention in January but it just didn’t happen.

Setting my reading intentions for 2023

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My reading changed considerably in 2022 as it took on new directions: reading the classics, reading multiple books simultaneously, listening to audiobooks. With this in mind, here are my reading intentions for 2023.

Read fewer books

Although I slowed down my reading this year, the fact that I scheduled more time to read meant I got through more books. However, I’m often drawn to shorter novels and novellas, which obviously increases the quantity. I have started to pick up some longer works (Anna Karenina, Ulysses, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell are amongst these) and this is something I plan to continue in 2023. Naturally, this means that the number of novels I read will decrease, but that really does not matter. Reading is not about quantity but about the quality of the experience.

Curate quarterly/monthly reading lists

With a view to becoming more intentional about the novels I pick up, I will create quarterly and monthly reading lists. I belong to the Hardcore Literature Book Club and we have a somewhat ambitious list of works that are scheduled for the year (it includes the complete works of Shakespeare as well as some weighty tomes such as War and Peace). I don’t want to feel pressurised in any way but instead relax and enjoy the experience so I will plan my reading with plenty of room for flexibility. However, these quarterly and monthly lists will just be a guide, acting as a memory aid, and can be changed or discarded as circumstances require.

Deep dive and journal

This year, I’ve been diving deeper into the work I’ve read, following up references, and journaling on ideas and quotations, and this is something I want to continue in 2023. I’d also like to undertake an overall summing up of each novel, perhaps with some general thoughts on what I liked and didn’t like in the form of a bullet point list, with examples to make it more meaningful.

Explore poetry

I’ve discovered some poetry podcasts and I would like to widen my appreciation of poetry. I’m not entirely sure how I will approach this and whether I’ll focus on particular poets or specific periods. This is something that will develop as the year progresses.

Read the books on my shelf

As far as possible, I want to go to my shelf before I go to the bookshop. I don’t expect only to pick books that I already have but I do want to reduce the number of unread books that I own.

Review these intentions quarterly

The problem with setting intentions at the beginning of the year is that our circumstances, interests and desires can change over the course of twelve months. With this in mind, I plan to review these intentions quarterly and maintain, adapt or discard them depending on how they suit my reading life.

I feel quite relaxed about these intentions as I’m not viewing them as a rigid set of goals to be ticked off but more as a reminder of the direction I would like my reading to take. Instead of being restrictive, they feel liberating, and I’m excited to see how my reading experience develops over the course of the forthcoming year.

What are your reading intentions for 2023?

My reading plans for January 2023

I am attempting to be more intentional about my reading this year, considering carefully what I want to read, how long it will take, bearing in mind I am to slow down and read fewer books, to think about how books will complement each other, and to work on long-term projects. I now tend to have one classic, one contemporary, and one audio book on the go simultaneously, in conjunction with the projects. Taking this into account, here is my proposed list for January.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy – I am to read this over twelve weeks and have just started this very long novel.

The Memory Box by Kathryn Hughes – This has been chosen for my January book club.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke – I started this towards the end of last month and am about one fifth of the way in.

The Tempest by William Shakespeare – I’m reading and watching this in preparation for an upcoming theatre trip.

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare – Not so much a read but a follow-along as I watch the Globe Theatre’s production starring Mark Rylance and Stephen Fry, which is an absolute joy.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins – I’m reading this in line with the original serialisation schedule, which ran from January to August.

Selected Poems by Tennyson – This is part of my conscious exploration of poetry.

First Love by Ivan Turgenev – I’m about halfway through listening to this novella, which is free with an Audible membership.

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare – I studied this play, which I believe was his first, at school. Part of the Hardcore Literature Book Club’s schedule this year is to read Shakespeare’s complete works, although I may run this over into next year, depending on how I get on.

In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust – This is a very long-term project and I’m about 40 pages into the first volume, Swann’s Way.

There is no pressure to complete these and I would imagine I will also read some additional contemporary fiction but we’ll see how I get on and how the mood takes me. Another aim is to favour fluidity and flexibility over rigidity.

My plan for reading War and Peace

One of my first new projects for 2023 is to read the weighty tome, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. To help me to accomplish this in twelve weeks with ease and to alleviate pressure so that I can thoroughly enjoy the journey, my strategy is to split it into sections as follows:

Week 1 – Volume 1 – Part 1 (approx 100 pages)

Week 2 – Volume 1 – Part 2 (approx 100 pages)

Week 3 – Volume 1 – Part 3 (approx 100 pages)

Week 4 – Volume 2 – Parts 1 and 2 (approx 130 pages)

Week 5 – Volume 2 – Parts 3 and 4 (approx 130 pages)

Week 6 – Volume 2 – Part 5; Volume 3 – Part 1 (approx 170 pages)

Week 7 – Volume 3 – Part 2 (approx 125 pages)

Week 8 – Volume 3 – Part 3 (approx 125 pages)

Week 9 – Volume 4 – Parts 1 and 2 (approx 100 pages)

Week 10 – Volume 4 – Parts 3 and 4 (approx 110 pages)

Week 11 – Epilogue – Parts 1 and 2 (approx 100 pages)

This leaves one week for flexibility. Some weeks I may read more, some less, but for me this feels achievable, and if it transpires that it takes longer, it really doesn’t matter. I anticipate reading it first thing in the morning when my concentration levels are at their highest and my mind at its most fresh.

When I read Anna Karenina last year, I began with an allocation of two chapters a day but I became so engrossed in this work (to the point of even taking it on holiday with me!) that I found myself reading more until I felt I must ration myself to four chapters a day as I didn’t want it to end. I’ve also just listened to The Death of Ivan Ilych, which was also a 5-star read for me, so in some way I am ‘in simpatico’ with Tolstoy’s work. As a result, reading War and Peace is not as daunting as it might otherwise have been.

During the first three months of the year, I will also be enjoying contemporary fiction, Shakespeare, and poetry. I find being a ‘polygamous’ reader means I alway have a book on to go that suits my mood, time of day, level of tiredness, amount of effort, and so on. I used to read one novel at a time but if I didn’t feel like picking it up, then I didn’t read at all and sometimes my reading stalled for weeks or months when I was struggling with a book for whatever reason.

To sum up, I’m optimistic about not only reading War and Peace but also enjoying the experience as much as I enjoyed my dive into Tolstoy last year.

What do you think? Do you do something similar? Would this work for you?

What I read in December 2022

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Here is a list of what I read in December. Those marked with an asterisk are 5-star reads.

Two Lives – William Trevor (this volume contains two novellas: ‘Reading Turgenev’, an exploration of a difficult marriage, and ‘My House in Umbria’, a story of survivors of a terrorist attack)

Siddhartha – Hermann Hesse (a spiritual journey of enlightenment)

As You Like It – William Shakespeare (one of his most famous comedies, which I read in preparation for a theatre trip next year)

Snow – Orhan Pamuk (some beautiful descriptions and profound ideas, but a little too heavy on political battles for me)

*The Winter Ghosts – Kate Mosse (my third reading of this appropriately seasonal and sensitive story of love, loss and grief)

Ulysses – James Joyce (finally completed this long-term project; a day in the life of Leopold Bloom, which I feel was probably more fun to write than to read, although it had its moments)

The Ice Palace – Tarjei Vesaas (a unique and atmospheric exploration of grief in the snow-covered, frozen Norwegian landscape)

The Hero With A Thousand Faces – Joseph Campbell (an interesting, but overly long, exploration of the hero’s journey in mythology)

The Turn of the Screw – Henry James (a ghostly, psychological exploration of a strange governess)

*The Death of Ivan Ilych – Leo Tolstoy (a dying man reflects on his life and death)

The Winter’s Tale – William Shakespeare (irrational jealousy has devastating consequences in this tragi-comedy)

Babel – R F Kuang (an interesting exploration of translation and colonialism, language and power in an imaginary 19th century Oxford, and a rare dip into fantasy for me)

Notes from the Underground – Fyodor Dostoevsky (the existential ravings of one of literature’s most unlikeable narrators)

And that’s it for 2022 – happy New Year!

Reading classic literature – 2022

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This year, I made a concerted effort to read some of the classics and, looking at the list, I’m surprised at just how many are on it.

• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain (easier to listen to than read)
• Northanger Abbey – Jane Austen (a brilliant satire on the gothic novel)
• The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – Robert Louis Stevenson (raising questions about the role of science and the duality of man)
• Persuasion – Jane Austen (her final novel highlighting the dangers of allowing others to influence your actions)
• The Seagull – Anton Chekhov (a dramatisation of romantic and artistic conflicts)
• Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë (an atmospheric tale of love and suffering)
• Three Sisters – Anton Chekhov (a family live in dissatisfaction as they dream of returning to Moscow)
• Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen (a satirical look at English society and its relationships)
• A Sicilian Romance – Ann Radcliffe (a typical example of early gothic in all its sensationalism)
• Lady Susan – Jane Austen (characters revealed through correspondence)
• The Odyssey – Homer, translated by Emily Wilson (surprisingly accessible epic tale)
• Much Ado About Nothing – William Shakespeare (a comedy with a dark turn)
• To the Lighthouse – Virginia Woolf (a stream of consciousness meandering)
• Dubliners – James Joyce (tales of Dublin’s characters)
• Flush – Virginia Woolf (a charming ‘biography’ of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s spaniel)
• Mrs Dalloway – Virginia Woolf (one day in the life of Clarissa as she prepares for her party and reflects on her life)
• Where Angels Fear to Tread – E M Forster (the story of an unsuitable marriage)
• The Years – Virginia Woolf (scenes from family life, focussing on a different day in each several years)
• Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy (an absorbing masterpiece exploring the psychological complexity of its characters)
• An Inspector Calls – J B Priestley (an exploration of actions, consequences, selfishness and redemption)
• The Importance of Being Earnest – Oscar Wilde (as funny as ever and an absolute joy of confusion)
• The Lottery – Shirley Jackson (a shocking tale of small-town life)
• Dracula – Bram Stoker (epistolary tale of good versus evil)
• Olivia – Dorothy Strachey (a gem of a coming-of-age novella by a member of the Bloomsbury set)
• The Lost Stradivarius – John Meade Falkner (a haunting tale of possession)
• Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor E Frankl (a sobering and inspiring account of survival in the most horrific of circumstances)
• Othello – William Shakespeare (jealousy with tragic consequences)
• The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Charles Dickens (the unfinished and thus inconclusive final novel)
• A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens (a heartwarming story of reflection and redemption)
• Siddhartha – Herman Hesse (a spiritual exploration of how to live)
• As You Like It – William Shakespeare (a comedy of love and identity)
• Ulysses – James Joyce (a challenging and awe-inspiringly clever stream of consciousness novel charting a day in the life of Leopold Bloom)
• The Turn of the Screw – Henry James (a psychological and ghostly story of a strange governess)
• The Death of Ivan Ilych – Leo Tolstoy (reflections of a dying man on his life and his death)
• The Winter’s Tale – William Shakespeare (senseless jealously and its consequences)
• Notes from the Underground – Fyodor Dostoevsky (the existential ravings of an unpleasant narrator)

Considering that prior to 2022, I tended to avoid the classics and instead focus on contemporary fiction, I’m pleased to report that I enjoyed my journey through some of these enduring works, an exploration that I’m looking forward to continuing in 2023.