I ask for nothing but books from my family. They don’t quite understand my obsession with books, but they humor me and buy books for me, and I appreciate that they do that. I’ve seen other readers whose families will say, “But I don’t just want to get you yet another book”, even when said reader wants nothing but books.
Back in November I provided my family with a long list of titles and said, “Any of these will be fine”. The list contained a list of classics I’d already read and wanted to own, classics I had yet to read, and 2021 releases I wanted to try. My parents gave me classics, and my sister decided to get “the thickest books on the list”. The resulting stack is a veritable library that I’m excited to make my way through in 2022. I feel like I have been well and truly spoiled, and am incredibly grateful. I also feel like I don’t need to do any book shopping for quite some time.
I will probably still do some book shopping…
Anyway.
I’ve already read the Sherlock Holmes stories, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches. I haven’t read the others, but I’ve either heard good things about them, or I’m interested enough in the subject to want to delve more deeply into it.
So here’s to a new year of new books!
- The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches by Matsuo Basho, translated from the Japanese by Nobuyuki Yuasa
- The Saga of the Volsungs by Anonymous, translated from the Icelandic by Jesse L. Byock
- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
- The Hound of the Baskervilles, a Study in Scarlet, the Sign of Four (Everyman’s Classics edition) by Arthur Conan Doyle
- She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor #1) by Shelley Parker-Chan
- Odin’s Child (Ravneringene #1) by Siri Pettersen, translated from the Norwegian by Sian Mackie and Paul Russell Garrett
- The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
- Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages by Dan Jones
From Norse legends to Chinese-inspired tales to Japanese poetry to Victorian England, and the forests of Eastern Europe, I’ve received a fantastic collection of books that will keep me reading for quite some time.
I can’t wait.
Traveling in Books 
💗💗
What a fantastic mix! I was like you, asking for nothing but books and receiving some hopefully great reads as a result. It’s nice having understanding family. 🙂 Earlier this year I sampled Basho in a haiku anthology and I’m curious to read more (I noticed him listed in 80 Books). And The Hound of the Baskervilles is the next Holmes story I’ll be reading as I work through them all. Most of the rest of these are all new to me. I love seeing new books. 🙂
A great stack of books!
It’s great having a family that accepts my bookishness, even if they don’t quite understand it. I’m glad you got some good books, too! I read about Basho somewhere a while back, and finally got around to reading The Narrow Road to the Deep North a year or two ago. I loved it. It was beautiful and funny and full of wonderful observations about people and travel. I was happy to see Basho’s appearance in 80 Books.
Lol at thinking to still do some book shopping.
Your fam is wonderful. Mine is one of those who either say I have too many books already or that they don’t want to get me another book.
That’s too bad that your family doesn’t want to get you books. Mine think I’m a bit strange for it, but they just shrug and say, “Well, that’s Kim for you”.
I will most likely continue to shop for books, although I have a plan. We’ll see if I stick to it…