Forest of Noise and The Wickedest sound amazing! I just checked and my library has both.

I love our buddy reads ❤ I was very much awed by the writimg of Pat Barker in this one. I should read her backlist too 😉 The live show of Clean was very productive for me, to see different viewpoints made me think about the social issues in Chile that I missed while reading. Still not a fan of the writing style though 😉 I will finish A Crack in the Wall most probably tomorrow, it is fine so far but not very exciting tbh.

Hi Roz, I have Forest of Noise on my list of books to get. I already have Wickedest and might read it next. I am reading Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson at the moment and I got a feeling this poet collection might be a good followup.

Just finished reading the book 2 days ago and can now watch the recording! ❤

What a fabulous month you had. I really must pick up Pat Barker’s Troy novels. I completely agree about RUR and Clean. Fabulous start to the year 😊

This was a delight. Hearing you describe Neighbors and Other Stories by Dianne Oliver (and noticing Jo's comment that it was a top read of last year) I immediately bought the audiobook and hardcover to try and squeeze that in for North American Black History Month. I've been curious about Bellies by Dinan for a while and your description of it heightens my interest. Will be eager to hear your thoughts on it! I was a big fan of Barrett's Wild Houses. I hope you like it too. Happy to hear you'll be taking part in the book club discussion of The Thorn Puller! 💕💕

I also love Forest of Noise!

You and Marc Nash might actually get me to pick up some poetry one day Ros! 😉 I really enjoyed Clean, I’m a big fan of Alia Trabucco Zerán enjoying both her fiction and non fiction and this was another success for me, that and finally finishing Shadows at Noon by Joya Chatterjee were two of my January highlights.

Dealing With the Dead sounds like a trip! I agree with all of your comments on R.UR. The Wickedest sounds so good, too. I’ve been circling around reading Pat Barker for years but haven’t done it yet.

I am buddy reading _Middlemarch_ in March! Yes, havent read it since 1980s undergrad school 😅

Hello! I am a new subscriber; I love the variety of subjects you read. Oliver Sacks is one of my favorite writers, so I thought I'd defend him a little. :-) I am a professional editor in medical publishing, where I read and edit a LOT of case study content for students and health care professionals. Nearly all of it is cold as ice; removed, distant, depersonalized, focused on the disease and not the person. Everything is an affliction, and everything that is different is "wrong" and needs to be "fixed." To read Sacks is to learn and begin to understand the beauty of humanity, its wonderful diversity and the most interesting aspects of what makes us unique. He conveys that differences are not always wrong; some conditions are stressful or painful and cause limitations, but others are in their own way strangely beautiful. The way Sacks wrote was so profound, so different and so accepting of the human mind (and body) that it revolutionized how clinicians viewed patients and brought understanding to the general reader interested in our wonderful diversity. I hope you give more of his work a try; his patients did not feel exploited (as far as I am aware) and were in full agreement of their stories being shared. (And now that I put all this in writing somewhere other than my own book journals, I hope to never hear anything bad about him, as he is one of my heroes!)

hellloooo😊

Hi, thanks for this video. Which George Eliot novel would you recommend to someone new to her books? Thanks!! And tied for my favorite January reads are The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Old GOD’S time by Sebastian Barry.

Oromay sounds really interesting. I'll be reading Beyond the Door of No Return this month. I'm really looking forward to that!

I definitely don't read enough plays or poetry so this was so fascinating to learn about some more options for me to pick up!

💙💙💙

I think Raisin in the Sun is a great book. I read both the book and play version, just amazing. Thank you Ros, I am so enjoying buddy reading A Murder is Announced with you. (I wouldn't call myself an expert just a fan. I read all the Poirot's, Miss Marple's, Tommy and Tuppence, Battle's and Harley Quin's. I still have some stand alones to read.) I think it is a wonderful mystery with fun characters and a look at the transition of the UK from after WW2 to the 50's, they are entering the modern world and their reactions to it are very interesting.

Thank you ladies for the wonderful discussion. Clean was the first book I read this year. Maybe not my favourite book but very pleased I read it. Another book I read in January was In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar set in Libya under the Gaddafi regime from the view point of a child with some Atonement vibes

Oromay does sound good. I'm also looking forward to Bellies, though I am quite far behind!

Lots of intriguing reads Ros! I read the Diane Oliver collection last year and it was in my top twenty reads and one of the best short story collections I read last year, hope you enjoy it!

❤

That cover of Oromay is a stunner. Your whole line-up sounds so interesting!

IDK who reads more: you, Greg, of St. Donahue? Seriously. Ive seen thr film of _A Raisin in the Sun;_ have not read/seen the play, alas.

Riku Onda is one of my favorites I ve read Fishing in Dappled Sulight and thought it good. Also read The Aosawa Murders which was very good. She has a third translation I’m aware of Honeybees and Distant Thunder which I own but haven’t got to yet. I’m happy to be part of the Reading the Globe and really liked Clean and just finishing Beyond the Door. Your choice of books are always interesting see you next time

Lots of good books! I will be reading the Thorn Puller also, probably more toward the end of the month. Fish Swimming etc sounds interesting but I don’t want to get more books and not read the ones I already have.

hwllo Roz....😊📚📚📚📕📔

The Dianne Oliver stories sound excellent - look forward to your thoughts! Pencilled in The Thorn Puller and Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight on my TBR. I hope they're as good as they sound - will wait for your verdict 😊✨️

Amazing list!

I found Tale of Genji transporting as well. In addition to the many fascinating elements, my reading experience was enriched by leading a group read of it in 2019. Definitely a memorable read. I understand completely how it happens that some of your top reads were also group read experiences.

Thank you for this review!:) as someone who’s actually kinda struggled with the accessibility of some of Smith’s work before, I really enjoyed this one. I’d picked it up in a local bookshop after being dazzled by the cover! Very excited for its twin.

I missed the livestream but I'm here now - catching up! 🫶🏽

Couldn't make it to the live discussion, watching it now. 😊👋🏻

Aww I missed it. I planned on joining. This was a great book choice. I’ll try to make the next live

Happy Booktube Birthday 🥂

Currently reading a book by Claudia Piñeiro that is not translated into English (yet). Immediately made me thinking of you and the Piñeiro reading group.

Just found your channel and this announcement. Going to join in February 😀

I had women's prize books in my top 10 too, such a great list. I absolutely loved Soldier, Sailor too. So good. I have Mrs Montgomery Hurst on my kindle ready to read 🥰

I loved the poetry of A. R. Stallings, her book _LIKE_ (She writes in form, which I love.) 🖋

I really want to read this

For the first time ever my top book of year was Nonfiction and it was How To Say Babylon

OMG The Magic Mountain is next level writing, amazing novel

I enjoyed The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris several years back

nice list

Some interesting books mentioned. Food for thought. The ever expanding tbr! Happy reading to you.

PS I just looked into your earlier vlogs and learned you live in Sussex. I used to live in Arundel, West Sussex, but now live in Atlanta, GA. A nice connection ~

Goodness! I am amazed to learn about so many books I have never heard of and I'm in a classic literature book club! Thank you! I will check out some of these. You have also spurred me to go back to Anthony Trollope. The best book I read last year was the Walter Arndt translation of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin. Some of my other favorite classics include The Count of Monte Cristo and Bleak House.

amor towles, paul auster, isabelle allende and julia phillips bear

I am so glad you are enjoying Hikmet’s poems And you are right about translation in poetry, my translator friend says it is one area she cannot do. It is very hard and you have to be a poet yourself to do it A very famous poet here translated works of Sheakespare and they are great independent works of their own 😊

I’ve read everything from Jane Austen, the Brontes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Wilkie Collins, Rebecca du Maurier. I’m working on Shakespeare, Dorothy Sayers.