@ante--meridiem tagged me to list 10 books I'm planning to read this year <3. In no particular order then:
The Road by Cormac McCarthy: I've actually read the comic adaptation of the novel first, and since both the tense story and Manu Larcenet's illustrations made a huge impact on me I want to actually read the original apocalyptic journey as it has been in the book, especially since the synopsis very much involved the world where there's little to none hope of it ever getting better and the question is whether you can find it in yourself to still move forward.
The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk: this is the book I put aside last summer, mostly due to (gestures) life and will attack again. What I read of the author showed I enjoy her writing voice and both the historical context (with it being set in our very tumultuous time of the commonwealth), and its coverage of the rise and fall of a religious sect speak to my interest.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin: Le Guin is one of those writers I enjoy even when I don't quite see eye to eye and The Left Hand is the one major work of hers I have never read. Curious to see its exploration of gender and cultural barriers between two worlds with very different understandings of it, and finally have my own fully informed opinion on the book.
The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard; I need to read more non-fiction (as I keep telling myself) and since I used to be a big fan of travel memoirs the recollection of the South Pole expedition might be just the thing.
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine: put on the list as of wanting to revisit the world I remember from the first book (A Memory Called Empire). I'm interested to see both how the politics unfurl after what we left off and what role will Mahit be playing; I do recall I have enjoyed the setting and ruminations on linguistics/culture/hold the empire had on its subjects more at times than the murder mystery so it would be interesting to see how Martine plays those parts out in the second book.
New X-Men (2001) by Grant Morrison; I am patching up holes in my knowledge of some of the more famous runs, so this print is a must for me, especially since it's, say, top 5 definite runs involving a couple of my favourite characters. Even if I'm already aware of, ahem, a bit contentious decisions of Morrison re some later issues, and characterisation of Magneto in particular.
The Fitz and the Fool trilogy by Robin Hobb: I adore FitzChivalry Farseer with all my heart and after spending two different trilogies reading how life batters him around I'm excited for one last journey with him, and what new heartbreaks life and the author can throw at him.
Paradise Lost by John Milton: Two mutuals-in-law are big fans, and with me already owning a second-hand copy in English, with annotations and extra background material included, it would be a sin not to give it a go.
The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang: I'm going completely blind into this one, knowing only it involves the sci-fi story of the upbringing of digital/robotic/??? beings. Fingers crossed for a good read.
Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; sampling from my related TBR list of classics. I expect great things from what I know of the synopsis and the main character.
Tagging @andordean, @urban-sith, @scattered-storyteller, @liesmyth, @cranechel, @taxinealkaloids, @elldritch-horror, @awildwickedslip if you want to share some of your own picks













