Lessons Learned | March Wrap Up 2018

Hi.  I don't have a TBR list either, I just read whatever catches my interest.  Do you like the Russian playwrights?  I think Chekov is amazing.  This was a very interesting video, thanks.

This was so great to watch. Grass Kings is now on my evergrowing to look for - list. I read The End of Eddy last year and liked it.

I usually don't have a monthly TBR, as I tend to rebel against it (Yes, I know, pretty counterproductive) but this year I've decided to have one for the whole year. There are 20 books that I will prioritize this year, so it gives me a lot of freedom to choose other books as well. So far, so good 😊

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Michelle, I hope your day is good ❤

Nope to TBR. My reading changes like the wind so I just go with the flow.

I imagine people who adhere to TBRs also carry planners with them and check to see what's going on before they can make a decision about anything. I do NOT do TBRs. In fact, before encountering BookTube, I had never heard the term. Also, I have never known anyone in the real world who makes this kind of a list. The closest is people who belong to book clubs. That's also something I would never do.

Reading is a very private activity. To socialize my reading would be to lessen its impact. Now, this may seem like something I am making up, but when I consider books to read, the books tell me what book I should read. I get a gut feeling that just happens. I do not analyze what is going on. I act on these feelings because 99.99% of the time they are spot on. Psychologically, I am geared towards being intuitive. When I sold my house, I told my brother on Sunday that I would get a call that week that my house was sold. On Monday the real estate agent called to say there had been an offer. I have things like this happen all the time. Since I have experiences like this with books, I go with that. But, even were that not the case, to regiment my reading, something I cherish very personally, to an impersonal list of what I SHOULD and PLAN to read kills the very essence of reading for me.

Plays. In the past few months I have read plays by Tennessee Williams, Jean Paul Sartre, Eugene O'Neil, Richard Sheridan, Euripides, J.M. Synge, Sophocles, Shakespeare, Samuel Beckett, and Oscar Wilde. Some Booktubers do not speak very highly of plays but I feel they are better representations of real life than most books. There is an immediacy of impact present in the dialogue that does not happen with most fiction. I read plays because I learn about what makes people tick in a more succinct way that I usually receive from a novel.

Speaking of reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by WIlde immediately made me think of the play I read by him, Lady Windermere's Fan. The play is quite funny. But, even more than that, at the end there is a lesson of human nature and how it reacts in the face of love and trust that astounded me. I did not expect anything deep in the play but the ending blew me away. And, there's that famous line from it that says a cynic is the man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Doesn't get much better than that!!

I almost forgot! I always present books or authors I can recommend. The French author, Patrick Modiano is wonderful! I don't remember if I've mentioned him before. I've read two of his books and am reading a third. He won the Nobel Prize in 2014 and a raft of others. I've read La Place de l'Etoile and After the Circus. They were amazing! Right now I'm reading Young Once. He writes a lot about the past and memories and explores his Jewish heritage in connection with his father's actions during World War II. I find him to be a quiet and warm writer that I can relate to. No fireworks for the sake of fireworks in his writing. He has a story to tell and tells it in his own distinct manner. You might like him.

It’s funny, I never had TBR lists for reading, just the usual massive Goodreads list of books I’d like to read some day. This year I tried it for a few months and I am taking part in an Iris Murdoch readathon and occasionally join other readalongs but reading by whim suits me best with attempts at variety and diversity. I’ve found there are only very few people I watch TBR videos from as it’s so hard to stick to them. Never heard of Equus but would now like to see it performed.

Been meaning to read Shaffer's plays ever since I heard Milos Forman's movie Amadeus is based on his play! I might try Equus soon. Perhaps your review was the final nudge that I needed.
No to TBRs! Even if I make a TRB list just for two books, I manage to fail. Mood/current interest is a huge factor when it comes to picking up the next read.

TBRs are tough. Personally, I like to have TBRs surrounding themes or events (like Black History month) but in small doses only. I find it is helpful at times but restricting so I don’t live my book life with TBRs. I’m not sure if I commented on your Monstress review but I really loved your critique of the art and jumble of the storytelling. I’ve wanted to re-read The Picture of Dorian Gray so I’ll be looking for the audio you mentioned.

How brilliant is Stephen Fry's narration? He's such an all-rounder!
I wouldn't worry about TBRs. I occasionally do one if I have a buddy read that I need to fit in during a month, but then it's mostly so that I don't forget what I'm supposed to be reading :D
Really enjoyed my first visit to your channel! -- Laura

I completely understand about TBR's not really working for you. Sounds like you enjoyed your reads though ... so YAY!

I have tried TBRs, reading challlenges and goals, but it´s not for me. I rebel against myself when I try to make rules. Too much of an anarchist I suppose.