Very solid selection of books. I had also loved A Suitable Boy when I read it and recommend Seth's An Equal Music and Two Lives, out of his books. The latter is almost like a memoir of his uncle and aunt's lives written by him. And I hope Giovanni 's Room is still on your list, it is outstanding!
@georgiam4576 ooh, okay I will definitely check out Seth's other books. Yes, Giovanni's Room is still very much on my list. Just need to make a point of actually getting to it 😁
I love the variety in your recommendations. Really interesting reads! The Golden Notebook sounds like something I would like to try. I like diving into a book that is going to challenge me and make my brain work haha :)
@pocketfullofponder yes, such an amazing book! I will make an honourable mentions video soon- was so hard to narrow my list down and feels unfair to some of the books I missed out 😅
been wanting to read the Lessing! but have always been intimidated by the size! >.< i love some meta writing! also, what a healthy year of books! such a good mix of things! i hope you have a good rest of your reading year
I read my first Doris Lessing in 2023, too (The Grass Is Singing), and it was one of my best books of the year, too. I wasn't particularly interested in The Golden Notbook before, but what you said about it sounded intriguing, so I just bought a used copy. 😀
@evastrange Ooh, I hope you enjoy it!! I really want to get to The Grass is Singing next, so very glad to hear good things- I'm hoping I will come across a nice secondhand copy in a used bookshop soon! 😁
I re-read "If This is a Man" after watching the film The Zone of Interest. I'd read Amis' book years ago and didn't know about the film until recently. I don't remember if it was in If this is a Man or another one of his books where Levi talks about remembering a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film on his way to the concentration camp. Dante's The Divine Comedy was also ever present on his mind. A beautiful book.
@LibroParadiso-ep4zt I loved the Zone of Interest but didn't realise it was based on Amis's book until afterwards. Levi is an author that I want to read absolutely everything by. I've never quite made it to Dante, but I'll get there eventually I'm sure 😅
@Slothreadersclub Thanks! Alba de Cespedes has been on my radar for a while, but I've never quite got round to her! Do you think Forbidden Notebook is the best place to start? 😊