These are the twenty six novels I bought this weekend, at the Save The Children Booksale:
An Imaginary Life by David Malouf
Age of Iron by J M Coetzee
Harland’s Half Acre by David Malouf
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
The Burnt Ones by Patrick White
Remembering Babylon by David Malouf
And the Rain My Drink by Han Suyin
Capricornia by Xavier Herbert
If Not Now, When? by Primo Levi
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Amy’s Children by Olga Masters
For Love Alone by Christina Stead
The transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard
Shame by Karin Alvtegen
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Half Brother by Lars Saabye Christensen
The Renewable Virgin by Barbara Paul
Half a Life by V.S. Naipaul
Youth by J.M. Coetzee
The Feud by Thomas Berger
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter
The Charioteer by Mary Renault
Border Crossing by Pat Barker
And these the twenty one science fiction/fantasy novels:
Threats and Other Promises by Vernor Vinge (short stories)
Wind’s Twelve Quarters: v. 1 by Ursula Le Guin (short stories)
Last and First Men: a Story of the Near and Far Future by Olaf Stapledon
The System of the World by Neal Stephenson
Sentimental Agents in the Volyen Empire by Doris Lessing
Nova by Samuel R. Delany
Songs of Earth and Power: Infinity Concerto and Serpent Mage by Greg Bear
The Song of Wirrun: Ice is Coming, Dark Bright Water and Behind the Wind by Patricia Wrightson
Pictures at 11 by Norman Spinrad
Invaders from Earth by Robert Silverberg
The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams
Dark Space: The Sentients of Orion Book 1 by Marianne de Pierres
First Lensman by E.E. Smith
If the Stars Are Gods by Gregory Benford
Song Of Mavin Manyshaped by Sheri S.Tepper
Conan of the Isles by Lyon Sprague Camp and Lin De Carter
To Open the Sky by Robert Silverberg
Capricorn Games by Robert Silverberg
Stepsons of Terra by Robert Silverberg
Islandia by Austin Tappan Wright
The Lazarus Effect by Frank Herbert
Not counting the two short story collections, this makes a total of forty five novels to read, a good portion of a year’s reading.
Thinking about all these books, it would be fair to say that:
Reading is my favourite pastime. (Really??)
Whenever I have a problem I like to try and find the answers from books. Whether it’s information and facts, or similar experiences from other people. Even if it’s not really possible to find the answers in a book.
I also have a bad habit of collecting books about things I want to do or am interested in. Writing. Meditation. The meaning of life. Cooking. I don’t necessarily read everything I collect, though.
I buy books like other people buy a pub crawl, or clothes, or experiences. It’s a rare week where I don’t acquire a new book. (Or, if I go a week without buying a new book, I make up for it the following week and get three.) We’re going to need a bigger house if this keeps up.
Which leads me to wonder if I could go for a year without buying books, except say at the next Save The Children Booksale. (And maybe when I need to get birthday gifts for family and friends.) When I mentioned this to M he smirked disbelievingly. I wonder, though. There are more than enough books to read at home - I certainly would not run out of books to read in a year. (Besides, I work in a library.)
I seem to have this consumerist, acquisitive thing happening with books at the moment. Would it be possible to break the habit? Reset my relationship with books, enjoy what I have. Shift the focus from acquisition. Read for reading’s sake, to learn. Re-read. (Gasp!)
Could I go for a whole year without spending money at Planet Books, Borders, Dymocks, the Book Depository…? Would I make it until next year’s Save The Children Booksale?
What do you reckon?
Would I be just setting myself up for a year of torture?
