Reading Roulette – October

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When you have 746 unread books which you haven’t categorised on a spreadsheet like a sensible person would, there is a tendency for books to slip between the cracks. I have many, many books that I have forgotten buying. I found an unread book last week that I had inscribed with my name and date when I bought it. I bought it in 2002. Yes,12 years ago. That 2002.

So, really we’re talking about a good 20 years of unread books here, which is why it’s probably no surprise that I can’t remember them all. I am getting on a bit now……

What I have enjoyed most over my last 9 months of blogging about my book mountain, is being nudged by you all in the direction of books I have lost my enthusiasm for or didn’t know I had. Some of my favourite reads so far have come from reading about an author on someone else’s blog and deciding to go for it, or from taking part in challenges to make myself read a long abandoned book.

Edith Wharton, Shirley Jackson, Angela Carter. I have no idea when I would have got around to reading these fabulous authors were it not for fellow book bloggers leading my hand.

With that in mind, I often think that the people who read this blog and whose blogs I follow would be best placed to choose what I should read next, so I’ve decided to hand one of my reads a month over to you guys. I’ll randomly select six books and let you vote on which one you think I should read. Maybe you’ll choose it because you love it? Or because you still have to read it to? Or even because you hated it?

I don’t really mind. I’m in your hands! Let’s see if you can pick me my new favourite book….
So, for October my Reading Roulette choices are:

Most of these are books that I have lost that urge to read and probably wouldn’t pick up if I was choosing my next book. There is one in there that I really hope doesn’t win, but if it does, well, I’ll give it a go anyway! I’ll keep the voting open until September 30th.

Have you read any of these? Which do you think will win? Do you fancy doing your own Reading Roulette? Why not take the challenge image and go for it!

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61 thoughts on “Reading Roulette – October”

  5. I like the idea of a Reading Roulette, but I think I’m too OCD to try it! I’m not as brave as you.

    The only one from this list I’ve read is ‘Life After Life’ (is it bad to say I voted for it?!). It drags a bit in the middle, I’ll be honest, but the beginning and the end are amazing. I hope you enjoy it.

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  8. I didn’t vote because I haven’t read any of these books yet but Life After Life is sitting on my shelf, waiting to be read. I hope to get around to it sometime this winter. I’ve heard good things about it though. Hope you enjoy reading whichever book you end up choosing! 🙂

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  9. I LOVED Life After Life but I don’t think it’s as universal as it seems to be on here. Other people that I know that have read it, have had a hard time with the cadence of the narrative – there’s a lot of starting over. But if you can get into it – it’s an incredible book.

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  10. This is fun. I love telling other people what to read! Life After Life is the only one I have already read, and it is a good one. But I voted for Apple Tree Yard, because I have heard good things about it from trusted bloggers and it sounds like one you would like. I am going to read it too someday…

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  12. Awesome idea, Cathy! Good luck. I haven’t read any of these so my vote is pretty useless, but I love the premise. It’s kind of like the Classics Club spin — it takes the decision out of your hands, which is nice sometimes. 🙂

    Which one are you dreading?

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  14. No idea which I would choose really but I like Murakami generally though not read this one. However from bitter experience I know what I’d avoid – thought Life After Life was awful and Apple Tree Yard was worse than awful!!!!

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  16. Polls are excellent ideas, and I find that I do actually read them quicker because I guess I feel a bit more obligated to if people have picked it for me? That, and if people vote for it, it must be good, right?! Apple Tree Yard actually made my Top Ten Tuesday today, and I own Life After Life but won’t get to it for a while. If Apple Tree Yard wins your poll let me know, we could buddy read it if that helps motivate you? I’ve heard great things about it.

    My Top Ten Tuesday – http://confessionsofabookgeek.wordpress.com/2014/09/23/top-ten-tuesday-my-autumn-tbr-pile/

    I think after counting my physical TBR pile (around 150 or so books) I’m beginning to feel your pain a little, but can’t imagine what 700 books looks like (have you ever photographed your crime scene??), and understand why you wouldn’t want to catalogue those bad boys!

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    • I would love to buddy read with you! I’ll keep you posted for sure. A majority of my unread books are on my ipad so I don’t have them looking at me. Mocking me. You should see our attic though, I had to pack up a lot of my read books to make shelf space. It’s pretty crowded up there. Plus there could be another hundred in boxes that I’ve forgotten about, but I try not to think about that 🙂

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      • Sounds like a plan! I like buddy reading and joint reviewing! 🙂

        I used to buy more eBooks until I read a really good article on ownership rights of digital data – a bit morbid I know but you can pass your library on to loved ones, whereas your eBooks aren’t yours to pass on when you die because you don’t own them, you pay a license to read them. Which I think for their price, is a pretty bad deal! So I restrict myself to library eBooks, free/cheap eBooks and review copies. I know it’s a far off thing to think about, but with all the other restrictions on eBooks it just feels a bit more of a rip off. Rant over! Haha – do you plan on going through them at any point, or are you a total hoarder??

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      • I’ve read that about eBooks too and I don’t like it. BUT, I have a space issue at the moment. We are hoping to move house soon and then I will really have to look at my collection and decide what to keep and what to donate. I used to want to keep every book I bought, but I’ve realised that it’s just not feasible.

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      • It’s kind of like Gollum and the ring, right? “My precious” – sometimes I think someone will walk into my room and see me just hugging them all to me, repeating that throatily over and over… I used to be a terrible hoarder, but then I decided I only wanted to keep 4/5 and 5/5 books, ones I’d reread, or ones I was collecting by a certain author, so I’d have a top notch collection. But then I started buying again and it’s so hard to let them go once you’ve read them!! I’m working on it though, I really am. I think my hoarding started again because I culled all of my childhood and teenage books when I had thought I’d grown out of them, and there are so SO many I regret not holding on to – my immense Jacqueline Wilson collection, my Princess Diaries set, my Roald Dahl, Mallory Towers… I could cry regularly if I think about it for too long. So now I have the hoarder’s fear… le sigh.

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      • It’s hard isn’t it? My Dad was a big book reader and hoarder and when he died a few years back it was really difficult to decide which of his books to keep. I couldn’t be ruthless which is why I have about 10 boxes of his books in storage! You can see where I get it from…..:)

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  18. I voted for After Dark. I borrowed it from my library after it was released and thought it was so good I bought the book and then on Kindle years later!

    After Dark takes place over a short period of time and from different perspectives as a bunch of cool characters encounter strange and disturbing events in Tokyo. It’s easy to read and the pace is fast due to the structure and I think you would be able to clear it in a few settings and maybe want to go back for more. It’s not Murakami’s best but I love it and recommend it.

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  20. Either I can’t make the vote Burton work or I’ve just voted for Apple Tree Years about a dozen times…! I haven’t actually read it but I recently read something else by the same author so I’d be interested to see what this ones like!

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  22. This is an awesome idea. I love the sense of power! Have added my vote to Life After Life, which surpassed my expectations completely. I was avoiding because of the hype but was made to read it with book club – I’m confident you’ll love it we had a stellar discussion

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  25. What a fun idea!

    The only one I’ve read is The Interestings and Meg Wolitzer is such a good writer. I remember constantly thinking how clever she writes, the way she pulls the reader’s emotions around. But I don’t think it would make my top books of the year.

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  26. Hmm did my comment just get eaten up?

    Anyway I was writing to say great idea and what fun! The only one I’ve read is The Interestings. And while Meg Wolitzer is such a great writer (I remember thinking how clever she is at pulling our emotions around), I’m not sure that this would make my top books of the year. Prob cos I seem to keep reading such good ones!

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