📚 2024 Reading Plans 📚

[@LeaReads]

I’m such a mood reader that preselecting my books would be too much pressure. Instead, I make prompts like “Russian Classic” “fantasy” “book by ‘x’ author”, which gives me the freedom to choose something I’m in the mood for but still get around to the all the kinds of books I want to.

[@MicahRion]

I do the same!

[@alanaestelle2076]

I admire mood readers! I'm trying to embrace it more!

[@MargaretPinard]

That's even too restrictive for me, lol! Wish I could make myself follow through on a reading plan 😆

[@welldonebooks]

The story of a new name is one of my favorites of Ferrante's work!

[@alanaestelle2076]

Good to know!

[@meliora1985]

East of Eden was an absolute revelation for me! My favourite Steinbeck of all time! I still occasionally think of the characters and wonder how in the world Steinbeck managed to write such "foreign" psychology so well.

[@alanaestelle2076]

I'll be starting East of Eden later this year!

[@robinkirk1821]

I am scaling back, as well. Mainly because I want to enjoy my reading again and also, I’m planning to grow a garden. And I really want to invest a lot of time in gardening and then putting up the food. I do have a few classics on my list: Wuthering Heights, Little Woman, Persuasion, North and South and I’m currently reading The Fellowship of the Ring. There are a few historical fiction I want to read also. But mainly I’m hoping to be moved again by my choices! Hope you have a blessed reading year! 😊

[@jamesduggan7200]

I've read most of those and based on that experience I'll guess you'll want to proceed directly to the Two Towers upon finishing Fellowship. Either way it's a great tbr - enjoy!

[@alanaestelle2076]

Aw, that's awesome! I wish I had more of a green thumb lol. You're got some exciting reading ahead :)

[@stephaniekowalchuk2614]

East of Eden and Lonesome Dove are both epic. Can't wait to hear your thoughts. 📚❤

[@alanaestelle2076]

I can't wait to read them!!

[@davidnovakreadspoetry]

Gosh so many people are reading _East of Eden_ this year. Going with the flow sounds good, also the idea of not buying till ready to read. I may have to implement that but… not yet.

[@caivail4614]

It’s the current read in the Hardcore Literature Book Club, which has well over 500 participants, I believe. Might be the culprit ;)

[@alanaestelle2076]

haha are they? i don't pay attention to group reads - in fact i think people would be surprised about how little book content i consume LOL. I have no idea what's going on in the group reading sphere.

[@josryder7841]

Love your channel! I’m so glad I stumbled it! It’s refreshing to listen to such insightful reviews with quality over quantity Booktube has been depressing lately with too many hauls and not enough substance😂 I am determined to finish The Count of Monte Cristo this year!

[@alanaestelle2076]

Thank you so much!! Ah! Cristo is wild, enjoy!

[@margot_polo]

Great list! Eager to follow along this year for your thoughts.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Thank you so much, Maggie! :)

[@browngirlreading]

Happy New Year Alana! I'm a mood reader too, so I totally understand you. The Story of a New Name and East of Eden!!!❤ East of Eden will bump Grapes of Wrath for sure. A Fine Balance is on my TBR too. Proust!❤

[@alanaestelle2076]

Happy New Year! Really excited for East of Eden. Happy reading! ❤️

[@RaduAndrei91]

Awesome books! Really glad to see you are continuing the A Song of Ice and Fire series. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on A Clash of Kings and particularly A Storm of Swords (my all-time favorite book) 😄

[@alanaestelle2076]

Yes! i love escaping into a fantasy world!

[@tjpieraccini]

I finished Lonesome Dove three days ago. It's a ride, in more senses than one. And I also plan to read A Fine Balance this year (I thought I'd make it a year of weighty tomes - Nicholas Nickleby, Life and Fate, and Count of Monte Cristo are among my other prospects). It's easily over decade since I read Proust or Dosteovsky, so a revisit would be nice, but like you I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself this year! Good luck with your plans.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Ooooo you have some exciting reading ahead this year!

[@kurtfox4944]

“Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolution. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.” - Mark Twain. No buddy reads, no group reads... yeah, I'm with you on that. For me, same goes with TBR... because I begin to pave my way to Hell. I keep a spreadsheet of books I own but haven't read, and I once planned a TBR eg. "to read in 2021"... It's now 2024 and some of those books are still tagged with "to read in 2021" Keep the stress level low. Reading is for fun, not work. Or, if you want, make your TBR even more flexible, even less stress ... - Plan 1: Do 5 re-reads - Plan 2: Continue 5 series - Plan 3: Read 4 More Classics - Plan 4: Read 3 New by favorite authors - Plan 5: 1 Buddy Read such as: (some count in more than one category) 2024.1: Secret History, LOTR: Two Towers, The Brothers K, Outlander #3, GOT Clash of Kings 2024.2: LOTR: Two Towers, GOT Clash of Kings, Ella Ferrante - Neapolitan #2, Outlander #3, In Search of Lost Time #3 2024.3: Myth of Sisyphus, The Idiot, Lonesome Dove, East of Eden 2024.4: Clarice Lispector, Amor Towles, Otessa Mossfegh 2024.5: A Fine Balance

[@alanaestelle2076]

LOL love that quote. yea i'm really picky about reading with others, especially now because life has gotten busier lately and I don't need the added pressure. I do need some structure though because that's how my brain works lol.

[@shelbycrobinson]

I can’t wait for you to review Lapvona it was absolutely my favorite book of 2023

[@alanaestelle2076]

oooo good to know!

[@janethansen9612]

I have Swann's Way and a reread of Crime and Punishment on the cards. This year I need to get over my book FOMO and choose what I am reading more wisely.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Book FOMO is a thing!!!

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

Yesss girl on taking as much time as you Want! Don't let social media be the BOSS of you!😅❤ Can't wait to see what you think of Lincoln Highway. I own it and haven't gotten to it yet. I've read his other 2. Looking forward to his ss book.

[@alanaestelle2076]

LOL AMEN! my life is busy - social media gets on my nerves sometimes, if I'm honest LOL!

[@elizabethaliteraryprincess]

Great list! I can't wait to hear your thoughts as you continue through A Song of Ice and Fire. I totally get what you mean about scaling back. I still have a list of 50 books I plan to read, but I'm trying to make more realistic TBRs from month to month. My big plan for the year is to finish my read through of George Eliot's fiction.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Yes, definitely need to scale back - life's been busier lately and so I have to adjust! Ooo I need to get to more Eliot at some point.

[@greyemk]

Both East of Eden and A Fine Balance are excellent. I also have Lonesome Dove in my 2024 reading plans, and I’m considering starting In Search Of Lost Time. Good to see others in “take the pressure off “ mode!

[@alanaestelle2076]

Yes, time to take the pressure off!

[@jennyyeh4730]

OMG East of Eden ❤❤❤❤❤ No hype but omg sooo much hype. It’s my favourite ! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts. I need to read grapes of wrath

[@kurtfox4944]

Only if I know a person's reading tastes will I recommend _East of Eden_ or _Grapes of Wrath_ . Some people prefer Tolstoy, some Dostoevsky. You will like one, but love the other. I honestly don't know which camp Alanna will fall into: EoE or GoW, so am anxiously awaiting a review. I read both within 6 months of each other and easily preferred Grapes of Wrath. However, I find that I have a hankering to re-read East of Eden.

[@alanaestelle2076]

I'm really excited to read it! I feel like I'm going to love it!

[@ElinWinblad]

I picked out 24 books that are priority if selecting from current physical tbr but not limited to myself to picking from those but keeps the ones I’m excited about in mind instead of lost on my shelves

[@alanaestelle2076]

Happy reading!

[@kurtfox4944]

Two suggestions: 1) Read Dostoevsky in order of publication (read _The Idiot_ first). I have read that Dostoevsky refined The Idiot into Aloysha. It would be interesting to see his writing and philosophic progression of that character. 2) Benjamin McEvoy has just released a "How To read East of Eden". On his How-to-read series of his, they are usually spoiler free, and very well done.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Too late, I've already read three of his novels LOL I scrolled past that vid! I may watch it after because I like to go in blind with some novels and this is one of them! Completely unawares hahaha

[@robinkirk1821]

That rant at the end 😂

[@alanaestelle2076]

LOLOLOL!

[@mikegseclecticreads]

Ah The Myth of Sisyphus, I'll have to try to read that one this year. I read The Fall last year and found it very interesting. Would also like to read some stuff by your boy "D-Money" but I probably need to plan ahead and be deliberate about that. I'm not much of a planner with my reading lately, for better or worse. East of Eden ... I hope you like it. I sure did.

[@alanaestelle2076]

I'm trying to ease up on the struct planning this year - life's gonna life haha. Really looking forward to East of Eden!

[@Amy-tg7tu]

I've been craving The Secret History again too!! I forget everything I read pretty much so def wanna reread it this year. East of Eden is sooo grim and intense you’ll love it. Also “D-Money”??? Girl get out 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@alanaestelle2076]

I love grim and intense LOL. HAHAHAHA D-$ is my guy!

[@RockingChairAdventures]

D-Money 😂 those are some real chonkers and great books, I'm sure you're gonna love East of Eden and hopefully Lonesome Dove as well.

[@alanaestelle2076]

LOL I hope Dostoevsky doesn't mind me giving him a rapper name haha. I think I'm going to love those as well!

[@cathyg.9996]

I loved The Goldfinch and The Lincoln Highway. East of Eden is fantastic and I need to reread it. I’m also changing things up this year. I’m going more for quality vs. quantity. I also am not purchasing any more books until I read my approximately 50 unread books that have been on my shelves for too long. I want to be able to read a book when I buy it and not put in on the TBR stack. 😉😊

[@kurtfox4944]

I wish I only had 50 unread books. I have well over 500 unread. I go to book sales at local libraries, but you do not always see books you want. But, when they are only 25 cents apiece, or bag sale for $2 per bag or even $5 per bag, most books are 50 cents or less. On the plus side, there is always something to fit my mood in my unread TBR.

[@cathyg.9996]

@@kurtfox4944 Definitely can’t beat the library sales; can’t beat the prices and I have found some really great books at library sales! 50 unread books makes me anxious so I can’t imagine having over 500! That’s pretty amazing! Happy Reading Kurt!

[@alanaestelle2076]

I just finished The Goldfinch - I have thoughts LOL! Yes to these plans - Happy Reading!

[@gabbylikestoread]

I have 12 books I need to get to because they have been on my shelf the longest. Then I have quite a few re-reads.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Happy Reading!

[@SheriMaple]

I have a running reading list of books I own. I will purchase a few books published in 2024, but my plan for this year is to read 50% fiction and 50% nonfiction. I'm reading East of Eden and Plato's Republic this weekend, and that doesn't mean I will finish them in the month of January. I read most days, not every day.

[@jamesduggan7200]

You know, that's a good idea: I may re-read The Republic soon. It's definitely worth the time spent. Thx.

[@alanaestelle2076]

PLATO'S REPUBLIC!!!!! I NEED to revisit it!!!

[@TH3F4LC0Nx]

I actually have Lapvona to read myself; be curious to see your take on it. And I'm actually reading The Guermantes Way right now. It's...definitely Proust! XD

[@alanaestelle2076]

LOL Proust is gonna Proust.

[@ryerye3147]

I started just letting my curiosity dictate what I pick-up. The last book I read of 2023 was 'The Eye of The World' so.. after that I decided to take a day or 2 away, and what do you know.. murder mysteries and noir's have been my interest.. Greg Illes and Stephen King have been taking up my time. I also stopped listening to the "gatekeepers". Lonesome Dove is on my list for this year so I look forward to hearing what you think.

[@jadeddiamonds9983]

Lonesome dove is on my list this year as well. As well as the idiot. I recently finished Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese and I really think you’d love it. Been watching you since 2022 and I think I know your taste.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Oooooh I haven't heard of The Medicine Walk! Thanks for the rec!

[@2222arianna]

Ok you have convinced me to start reading Dostojevsky (sorry for the spelling), I need to knock this off. Greetings from Italy 💯

[@alanaestelle2076]

I'm so glad! And I love that spelling :) Thank you so much for watching!

[@lennipurba2146]

Great list Alana! For your rant at the end, I'm kinda the opposite. I know first from social media but it depends on the accounts and the followed by the reputable outlets. Even these big name media are not that 'reputable'.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Thank you! Some of the bug outlets are SHADY! For me- IG is for fun. When I want to look into what's going on on the world stage, it's just not my preferred source.

[@XDAKOTA]

I clicked subscribe when i saw philippa gregory books up there 😊😊😊😊

[@alanaestelle2076]

Oh no I’m getting rid of them 😅

[@stephenn3727]

Prince Mishkin is a joy!

[@alanaestelle2076]

Ah!!!! excited!

[@heathereads]

re: The Lincoln Highway and cover art - Cover art can be so hit and miss sometimes. It's like the artist is just told to produce some art with no notes about the book whatsoever

[@alanaestelle2076]

Yes and it's interesting because the covers are selected based on the market, which is why they can vary from country to country. The French market gets AMAZING covers!

[@kurtfox4944]

My prediction: Lonesome Dove will be your favorite of the new books to you.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Me too!

[@gabbylikestoread]

th UK covers are better! 100%. I've never read Outlander. I might give it a try sometime.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Outlander is ... a wild ride haha

[@Pestopasta_]

Maybe I made a mistake reading Lapvona as my first moshfegh😂 I hated that book with a passion. I still have my year of rest and relaxation and death in her hands on my shelf, quite hesitant to pick them up. I hope you like it better than me.

[@kurtfox4944]

I DNF'd it, as my first and only Mossfegh. Many new books and new authors do not live up to the hype, at least for me. So, not sure I even want to try her again.

[@Pestopasta_]

@@kurtfox4944 it’s such a shame, feels like you’re taking a risk when you try a new author out. I think her books are very odd and you either ‘get’ it or you don’t and I certainly don’t lol. I think a lot of new authors are going for this crass, abrupt and slightly vulgar style especially within the contemporary and literary fiction genres and a lot of their executions are not sticking the landing

[@alanaestelle2076]

Moshfegh, I think it one of those "marmite" authors - I definitely understand why some don't get on with her. She also made more sense to me after I listen to her reading excerpts from My Year of Rest - her own voice added to the meaning!

[@Tolstoy111]

There’s a new translation of TBK by Michael R. Katz that is supposed to be territic.

[@alanaestelle2076]

WHAAAAAT!? Gonna have to look into this!!

[@Tolstoy111]

@@alanaestelle2076 and the great booktuber Steve Donoghue is blurbed on the back too!

[@alanaestelle2076]

@@Tolstoy111 If it’s Donoghue approved then I’m SOLD!!!

[@jamesduggan7200]

Dostoevsky enjoys a resurgence here on BookTube this year and last. I neither know why nor wish to join it. Something oddly wrong about his work, like hearing a pianist hit a clinker during an important concert. Proust too is popular again tho having read the entirety of Lost Time I can't claim to know why. If it's 1952 and you're tres chic his slightly veiled homosexuality carries you through the interminable whining about having stuff but never enough. To be truthful, I was kinda hoping you would host a Moby Dick party, although considering how many people are reading big books this year I'm only half-sure I can participate in it. Thx Alana - Always good to see you.

[@kurtfox4944]

That Proust comment. LOL! Per Dostoevsky, I guess it depends upon why you read. While both War and Peace and Hunger Games are 5 star books for me, they are not "equal" in any scale you can imagine. Beach reads, deep thought reads, literary prose reads, non-fiction, culture or social issue reads... all different moods and reasons to reads. Dostoevsky (especially in translation) to me is never a light read, never literary, but almost always intensely Russian, deeply thoughtful and often introspective. Like Sacre du Printemps, yes there is discord, but it is there for a meaning and, by the end, the distinct discordant threads tie together and become musical in its own way. For me, I definitely must be in the right mood to read Dostoevsky. I admit, sometimes I don't hear the music. But when the music is good, it is really good... I, too, was hoping to see Moby Dick on the 2024 list (but partly because I think Alana mentioned it in a previous video).

[@alanaestelle2076]

I don't know why either - I don't pay attention to reading groups and read-a-longs lol. hosting a ready group/party sounds stressful to me hahaha. Thanks for watching!

[@sarahcohen2688]

READ THE GODFATHER BY MARIO PUZO!!!

[@jamesduggan7200]

Yes, I read that when it was first published in the late 60s - early 70s. We used to compare books to movies and Godfather was the first movie generally felt to be better than the novel on which it was based. Maybe forgotten now is how closely Coppola followed Puzo. They're both brilliant, and reading the novel is an experience been unfortunately buried by the excellent movie version.

[@sarahcohen2688]

@@jamesduggan7200 Ew I hate the movies. Never say that ever again in my presence. The book is an inimitable masterpiece please

[@jamesduggan7200]

@@sarahcohen2688 you're entitled to an opinion - that's fine. However, if you want an argument I'm sure there are plenty of movie people who would love to fight about what movies are good and so on. Thx.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Ooooh this isn't the first time I've had this rec! I'm curious!

[@sarahcohen2688]

@@alanaestelle2076 YESYESYESYES

[@martasoltys9091]

Lapvona- I have never heard of this book. I have been meaning to read My Year of Rest and Relaxation, so maybe I will try in the spring later this year. A fellow clarinet player; must be nice for you. Great selection, Alana. Not really my kind of books, but that's probably a good thing, since I need to focus on actual life and changes I want to make. I'm still hesitating if I should read A Dragonfly in Amber. I even saw it at the 2nd hand store for $4. I still didn't get it. That's definitely a new aspect of my character. I just can't, or nothing will change. Again, thank you for the video. Enjoy your reading time. P.S.- If I may suggest two more books (food for thought only) I did enjoy Dune, which really surprised me, and A Study in Obedience a WINNER OF THE 2023 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE Shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize. I will try to read it myself; maybe in the summer. I love Cold Mountain; such a huge surprise when I read it. P.P.S.- I'm reading THE BIRTHDAY PARTY by Laurent Mauvignier. It's excellent. I needed a book to grab me and this one did. However, it's not everyone's cup of tea. His long sentences definitely challenge the brain. I'm also planning on reading STAY TRUE by Hua Hsu, a Pulitzer prize winner of 2022 for memoir. DEMOND COPPERHEAD has taken a back seat but will be dusted off. THE BHAGAVAD GITA is being reread slowly. BEAR TOWN is waiting, but... my very dry finance course are number one reading ATM. Oh well, if we don't challenge ourselves, no one is going to tell us to do it. Again, Enjoy your reads and your rereads. Sounds like you'll have a wonderful time.

[@alanaestelle2076]

We'll see how this year goes LOL. I've got to go with the flow because it's been busy lately.

[@martasoltys9091]

@@alanaestelle2076 I get it. I'm reading at a snail's pace