AnishaInkspill's reading log from 2024
Original topic subject: Anisha Inkspill's reading log 2024
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1AnishaInkspill
Hi, I’ve been here for a fewish months. I like reading a variety, these are some I’ve read this year.
Target for the year was 72, here’s a run down of the books I read.
Target for the year was 72, here’s a run down of the books I read.
2AnishaInkspill
read in Jan 2024
Anne of Green Gables (L. M. Montgomery) --- What a surprise, it was good to finally meet Anne Shirley. 3*
Cannery Row (John Steinbeck) --- A fantastic read, earthy and profound in the same breath. 5*
How to Read Oceanic Art (Eric Kjellgren) --- I’m new to this subject, an interesting read. 4*
The Complete Ripley Radio Mysteries (Stephen Wyatt; Patricia Highsmith) --- An audio drama adaptation of all Ripley novels. 3*
The Children of Jocasta (Natalie Haynes) --- In Natalie Hayne’s retelling Jocasta is put back into centre stage of her own story. 4*
The Slap (Christos Tsiolkas) --- I didn’t like most of the characters but its exploration of some interesting social issues kept me reading. 2*
Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries (Alan Rickman) --- Interesting but didn’t say as much as I hoped about the working process of a movie or theatre. 2*
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath) --- The Bell Jar’s crisp writing, and its modest telling of a heroic tale, is what keeps bringing me back to read this again. 4*
Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1) (Hilary Mantel) --- I like the writing more than its portrait of Anne Boleyn.
Electra (Euripides; Janet Lempke; Kenneth J Reckford) --- Not a leisurely read but interesting in one of the things that happen after the Trojan War. 3*
read in Feb 2024
Sylvia Plath: A Dramatic Portrait: conceived and adapted from her writing (Barry Kyle) --- A drama written as a companion piece to Sylvia Plath’s poem Three Women 2*
Kindred (Olivia Butler) --- I liked this more for Alice’s story than Dana’s experience when she travels back in time. 2*
The Design of Books: An Explainer for Authors, Editors, Agents, and Other Curious Readers Revealed (Debbie Berne) --- An ARC read that highlighted how much goes into a the design of books. 4*
Sylvia Plath: A Biography (Linda Wagner-Martin) --- One of the two biographies I read this year about Sylvia Plath. 4*
Mayo Clinic Guide to Pain Relief: How to Better Manage Pain and Regain Function (third edition) (Bruce Sutor; Wesley P. Gilliam) --- ARC read, shows medical pathways in the US for management of chronic pain. 3*
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston) --- I've listened to this several times now and each time I discover something new. 5*
Art and Perspective (Trevor A White) --- An ARC read with a generous number of examples to get a better handle on perspective in art. 4*
War Music: An Account of Homer's Iliad (Christopher Logue) --- Good to finally read Christopher Logue’s adaptation of parts of Homer’s The Iliad. 4*
read in Mar 2024
The Hollywood Behind the Lens: Treasures From the Bison Archives (Marc Wanamaker; Steven Bingen) --- An ARC read loaded with photos that give a flavour of the old Hollywood studios. 4*
Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth (Natalie Haynes) --- This is the book wish I had to hand when reading Homer, Ovid and Euripides was daunting. 4*
Paradise Lost (Penguin Classics) (John Milton) --- More fascinating than enjoyable and I would read again. 4*
Reading Lessons: The books We Read at School, the Conversations They Spark and Why They Matter (Carol Atherton) --- An ARC read showing why books and literature still matter. 4*
Eye Rhymes: Sylvia Plath's Art of the Visual (Kathleen Connors; Sally Bayley) --- Discusses and includes the art by Sylvia Plath. 4*
The Elements of Art: Ten Ways to Decode the Masterpieces (Susie Hodge) --- An ARC read that I would have found handy 10 years ago when I was still trying to make sense of art. 4*
The Epic of Gilgamesh (Anonymous; N.K. Sandars) --- A more accessible translation of Gilgamesh in Prose form. 4*
The State of Innocence, and Fall of Man: An Opera (John Dryden) --- Just different to John Milton’s Paradise Lost and available in the public domain. 3*
Anne of Green Gables (L. M. Montgomery) --- What a surprise, it was good to finally meet Anne Shirley. 3*
Cannery Row (John Steinbeck) --- A fantastic read, earthy and profound in the same breath. 5*
How to Read Oceanic Art (Eric Kjellgren) --- I’m new to this subject, an interesting read. 4*
The Complete Ripley Radio Mysteries (Stephen Wyatt; Patricia Highsmith) --- An audio drama adaptation of all Ripley novels. 3*
The Children of Jocasta (Natalie Haynes) --- In Natalie Hayne’s retelling Jocasta is put back into centre stage of her own story. 4*
The Slap (Christos Tsiolkas) --- I didn’t like most of the characters but its exploration of some interesting social issues kept me reading. 2*
Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries (Alan Rickman) --- Interesting but didn’t say as much as I hoped about the working process of a movie or theatre. 2*
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath) --- The Bell Jar’s crisp writing, and its modest telling of a heroic tale, is what keeps bringing me back to read this again. 4*
Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1) (Hilary Mantel) --- I like the writing more than its portrait of Anne Boleyn.
Electra (Euripides; Janet Lempke; Kenneth J Reckford) --- Not a leisurely read but interesting in one of the things that happen after the Trojan War. 3*
read in Feb 2024
Sylvia Plath: A Dramatic Portrait: conceived and adapted from her writing (Barry Kyle) --- A drama written as a companion piece to Sylvia Plath’s poem Three Women 2*
Kindred (Olivia Butler) --- I liked this more for Alice’s story than Dana’s experience when she travels back in time. 2*
The Design of Books: An Explainer for Authors, Editors, Agents, and Other Curious Readers Revealed (Debbie Berne) --- An ARC read that highlighted how much goes into a the design of books. 4*
Sylvia Plath: A Biography (Linda Wagner-Martin) --- One of the two biographies I read this year about Sylvia Plath. 4*
Mayo Clinic Guide to Pain Relief: How to Better Manage Pain and Regain Function (third edition) (Bruce Sutor; Wesley P. Gilliam) --- ARC read, shows medical pathways in the US for management of chronic pain. 3*
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston) --- I've listened to this several times now and each time I discover something new. 5*
Art and Perspective (Trevor A White) --- An ARC read with a generous number of examples to get a better handle on perspective in art. 4*
War Music: An Account of Homer's Iliad (Christopher Logue) --- Good to finally read Christopher Logue’s adaptation of parts of Homer’s The Iliad. 4*
read in Mar 2024
The Hollywood Behind the Lens: Treasures From the Bison Archives (Marc Wanamaker; Steven Bingen) --- An ARC read loaded with photos that give a flavour of the old Hollywood studios. 4*
Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth (Natalie Haynes) --- This is the book wish I had to hand when reading Homer, Ovid and Euripides was daunting. 4*
Paradise Lost (Penguin Classics) (John Milton) --- More fascinating than enjoyable and I would read again. 4*
Reading Lessons: The books We Read at School, the Conversations They Spark and Why They Matter (Carol Atherton) --- An ARC read showing why books and literature still matter. 4*
Eye Rhymes: Sylvia Plath's Art of the Visual (Kathleen Connors; Sally Bayley) --- Discusses and includes the art by Sylvia Plath. 4*
The Elements of Art: Ten Ways to Decode the Masterpieces (Susie Hodge) --- An ARC read that I would have found handy 10 years ago when I was still trying to make sense of art. 4*
The Epic of Gilgamesh (Anonymous; N.K. Sandars) --- A more accessible translation of Gilgamesh in Prose form. 4*
The State of Innocence, and Fall of Man: An Opera (John Dryden) --- Just different to John Milton’s Paradise Lost and available in the public domain. 3*
3AnishaInkspill
read in April 2024
R.U.R (Karel Čapek) --- Second read, I enjoyed this the last time but not as much as this time. 4*
Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City (Gwendolyn Leick) --- I expected this to be a tough read but found it to be an enjoyable read. 5*
Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1) (Chinua Achebe) --- The second read is as sharp and punchy as the first. 5*
read in May 2024
Orestes (Euripides; Frank Nisetich; John Peck) --- The violence and rage in this revenge tragedy still catches me out. 3*
The Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath (British Library) (Sylvia Plath) --- I loved hearing Sylvia Plath reading her own poems, chatting and laughing. 5*
We Can Remember It For You Wholesale (Philip K. Dick) --- I love the movie, not the recent one, and have been meaning to read this for ages. It didn’t disappoint. 4*
Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath (Heather Clark) --- My focus this year was Sylvia Plath and this is one of the biographies I had lined up. It’s over a 1000 pages and what comes through is staying impartial and the care it took in its research. 5*
The Princess and the Goblin (Princess Irene and Curdie #1) (George MacDonald) --- When I was reading about JRR Tolkien there was a mention of George MacDonald and his Curdie series. 3*
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Hunter S Thompson) --- I enjoyed this more for its style and innovative use of form.
The History of Colour: A Universe of Chromatic Phenomena (Neil Parkinson) --- Book about books but books that look at colour theory. 5*
read in June 2024
We ((Momentum Classic Science Fiction)) (Yevgeny Zamyatin) --- I enjoyed this classic, it was an impulsive buy where I knew nothing about the author or book. 4*
The Iliad: A New Translation by Peter Green (Homer; Peter Green) --- It’s been an amazing journey reading this, and with each read it’s getting easier. 4*
Paradise Lost: A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation (John Milton) --- An audio dramatisation of John Milton’s Paradise Lost starring Ian McKellen. 4*
The History of Titus Groan (Mervyn Peake; Brian Sibley) --- A Dama adaptation of a trilogy by Brian Sibley. 4*
Shady Characters: Ampersands, Interrobangs and other Typographical Curiosities (Kieth Houston) --- Just fascinating, the how an why some of the punctuation we use came about. 4*
Life for Sale (Yukio Mishima; Stephen Dodd) --- Minus its view of women, it’s clever in how it delivers big ideas through comedy.
Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams: and other prose writings (Sylvia Plath) --- Interesting to read works by Sylvia Plath that are other than The Bell Jar or her poetry. 4*
R.U.R (Karel Čapek) --- Second read, I enjoyed this the last time but not as much as this time. 4*
Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City (Gwendolyn Leick) --- I expected this to be a tough read but found it to be an enjoyable read. 5*
Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1) (Chinua Achebe) --- The second read is as sharp and punchy as the first. 5*
read in May 2024
Orestes (Euripides; Frank Nisetich; John Peck) --- The violence and rage in this revenge tragedy still catches me out. 3*
The Spoken Word: Sylvia Plath (British Library) (Sylvia Plath) --- I loved hearing Sylvia Plath reading her own poems, chatting and laughing. 5*
We Can Remember It For You Wholesale (Philip K. Dick) --- I love the movie, not the recent one, and have been meaning to read this for ages. It didn’t disappoint. 4*
Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath (Heather Clark) --- My focus this year was Sylvia Plath and this is one of the biographies I had lined up. It’s over a 1000 pages and what comes through is staying impartial and the care it took in its research. 5*
The Princess and the Goblin (Princess Irene and Curdie #1) (George MacDonald) --- When I was reading about JRR Tolkien there was a mention of George MacDonald and his Curdie series. 3*
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Hunter S Thompson) --- I enjoyed this more for its style and innovative use of form.
The History of Colour: A Universe of Chromatic Phenomena (Neil Parkinson) --- Book about books but books that look at colour theory. 5*
read in June 2024
We ((Momentum Classic Science Fiction)) (Yevgeny Zamyatin) --- I enjoyed this classic, it was an impulsive buy where I knew nothing about the author or book. 4*
The Iliad: A New Translation by Peter Green (Homer; Peter Green) --- It’s been an amazing journey reading this, and with each read it’s getting easier. 4*
Paradise Lost: A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation (John Milton) --- An audio dramatisation of John Milton’s Paradise Lost starring Ian McKellen. 4*
The History of Titus Groan (Mervyn Peake; Brian Sibley) --- A Dama adaptation of a trilogy by Brian Sibley. 4*
Shady Characters: Ampersands, Interrobangs and other Typographical Curiosities (Kieth Houston) --- Just fascinating, the how an why some of the punctuation we use came about. 4*
Life for Sale (Yukio Mishima; Stephen Dodd) --- Minus its view of women, it’s clever in how it delivers big ideas through comedy.
Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams: and other prose writings (Sylvia Plath) --- Interesting to read works by Sylvia Plath that are other than The Bell Jar or her poetry. 4*
4AnishaInkspill
read in July 2024:
The Silence of the Girls (Pat Barker) -- adaptation of Homer’s Iliad, this didn’t work for me
The Myth of Sisyphus (Albert Camus; Justin O'Brien) -- philosophical essays, fantastic read and want to read again
The Vampyre (Polidori John William) 3.5* -- short story
A Dog's Heart (Mikhail Bulgakov; Antonina W. Bouis) -- novel, science fiction, and want to read again
Biographical Stories (Nathaniel Hawthorne) – moral tale for young people, enjoyable read
Vincent: A Graphic Biography (Simon Elliot) -- ARC read 4*, I liked it for how it put Johanna van Gogh-Bonger and her husband, who was Vincent’s brother in the foreground.
read in Aug 2024:
Les Misérables (Donougher Christine; Victor Hugo) -- novel, historical, French revolution, I enjoyed reading it, I want to come back to it
Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life (Anna Funder) -- faction with biographical details, not v objective but interesting
read in Sept 2024:
Circe (Madeline Miller) 1* -- adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey
The Florentines (Paul Strathern) 4* -- nonfiction, covers the many Florentines including Dante
Lavinia (Ursula K. Le Guin) 3*-- novel, adaptation of Virgil’s Aeneid
Not I (Samuel Beckett) 4* -- drama
The Aeneid (Virgil; Bernard Knox; Robert Fagles) – 4* -- epic poetry
A Hunger-Artist: Four Stories (Franz Kafka; Michael Hofmann) 4* -- collection of short stories
The Labours of Hercules (Poirot) (Agatha Christie) 4* -- collection of short stories
The Silence of the Girls (Pat Barker) -- adaptation of Homer’s Iliad, this didn’t work for me
The Myth of Sisyphus (Albert Camus; Justin O'Brien) -- philosophical essays, fantastic read and want to read again
The Vampyre (Polidori John William) 3.5* -- short story
A Dog's Heart (Mikhail Bulgakov; Antonina W. Bouis) -- novel, science fiction, and want to read again
Biographical Stories (Nathaniel Hawthorne) – moral tale for young people, enjoyable read
Vincent: A Graphic Biography (Simon Elliot) -- ARC read 4*, I liked it for how it put Johanna van Gogh-Bonger and her husband, who was Vincent’s brother in the foreground.
read in Aug 2024:
Les Misérables (Donougher Christine; Victor Hugo) -- novel, historical, French revolution, I enjoyed reading it, I want to come back to it
Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life (Anna Funder) -- faction with biographical details, not v objective but interesting
read in Sept 2024:
Circe (Madeline Miller) 1* -- adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey
The Florentines (Paul Strathern) 4* -- nonfiction, covers the many Florentines including Dante
Lavinia (Ursula K. Le Guin) 3*-- novel, adaptation of Virgil’s Aeneid
Not I (Samuel Beckett) 4* -- drama
The Aeneid (Virgil; Bernard Knox; Robert Fagles) – 4* -- epic poetry
A Hunger-Artist: Four Stories (Franz Kafka; Michael Hofmann) 4* -- collection of short stories
The Labours of Hercules (Poirot) (Agatha Christie) 4* -- collection of short stories
5AnishaInkspill
read in October 2024
Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour (Fay Blanchard; Anthony Spira) --- I like Vanessa Bell’s art, and I liked this but would have liked it more if the accompanying text had more depth. 4*
Republic (Plato; Robin Waterfield) --- I enjoyed reading this, parts of it I found challenging but I want to read this again. 4*
Tanglewood Tales (Nathaniel Hawthorne) --- I liked this more for how it told its stories then how the women were portrayed. 4*
The Dictionary People: The unsung heroes who created the Oxford English Dictionary (Sarah Ogilvie) --- Fantastic find, reading this led me to discover how it was ordinary people who helped to compile OED and others. 3*
The Penelopiad (Margaret Atwood) --- Second read, I still liked it but having read more myths, I wanted it to dig deeper as it retells The Odyssey by Homer. 3*
To Room Nineteen (Doris Lessing) --- It’s been a while since I’ve read anything by Lessing, I must correct that. 4*
read in November 2024
The journals of Sylvia Plath (Sylvia Plath) --- I wanted to read this to make up my own mind and found it to be an interesting read. 4*
Myths from Mesopotamia: creation, the flood, Gilgamesh, and others (Anonymous; Stephanie Dalley) --- The most thrilling part is to read something so very old and has miraculously survived. 4*
Square Haunting: Five Writers in London Between the Wars (Francesca Wade) --- This I found to be interesting in how it showed what writers like Dorothy L Sayers and Virginia Woolf were up against for being women. 3*
book read in December 2024
Jamaica Inn (Daphne du Maurier) ---As a whole this didn’t gel for me but in parts this has left an impression. 3*
Ringworld (Larry Niven) --- The comedy is a surprise, this isn’t perfect but there are some interesting parts to it. 3*
Measure for Measure (William Shakespeare) --- A second read. Easier to read then the others, I'm thinking it's because of its small cast. 3*
Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour (Fay Blanchard; Anthony Spira) --- I like Vanessa Bell’s art, and I liked this but would have liked it more if the accompanying text had more depth. 4*
Republic (Plato; Robin Waterfield) --- I enjoyed reading this, parts of it I found challenging but I want to read this again. 4*
Tanglewood Tales (Nathaniel Hawthorne) --- I liked this more for how it told its stories then how the women were portrayed. 4*
The Dictionary People: The unsung heroes who created the Oxford English Dictionary (Sarah Ogilvie) --- Fantastic find, reading this led me to discover how it was ordinary people who helped to compile OED and others. 3*
The Penelopiad (Margaret Atwood) --- Second read, I still liked it but having read more myths, I wanted it to dig deeper as it retells The Odyssey by Homer. 3*
To Room Nineteen (Doris Lessing) --- It’s been a while since I’ve read anything by Lessing, I must correct that. 4*
read in November 2024
The journals of Sylvia Plath (Sylvia Plath) --- I wanted to read this to make up my own mind and found it to be an interesting read. 4*
Myths from Mesopotamia: creation, the flood, Gilgamesh, and others (Anonymous; Stephanie Dalley) --- The most thrilling part is to read something so very old and has miraculously survived. 4*
Square Haunting: Five Writers in London Between the Wars (Francesca Wade) --- This I found to be interesting in how it showed what writers like Dorothy L Sayers and Virginia Woolf were up against for being women. 3*
book read in December 2024
Jamaica Inn (Daphne du Maurier) ---As a whole this didn’t gel for me but in parts this has left an impression. 3*
Ringworld (Larry Niven) --- The comedy is a surprise, this isn’t perfect but there are some interesting parts to it. 3*
Measure for Measure (William Shakespeare) --- A second read. Easier to read then the others, I'm thinking it's because of its small cast. 3*
6AnishaInkspill
Books remaining
📖 ✅ The Lifted Veil (George Eliot) --- I'm new to George Eliot and starting with this short, and it was a good start. 3.5*
📖 ✅ cambridge companion to sylvia plath --- second read, this year the author I have been focusing on is Sylvia Plath. 4*
middle east: cradle of civilization --- One of the books I've lined up to get a little more familiar with Mesopotamia.
📖 ✅ aeineid --- a translation by David West, this year I’ve read this twice 4*
📖 ✅ tale of genji --- abridged, --- This abridged version of 224 pages, I enjoyed and gets me closer to read the unabridged novel. 4*
📖 ✅ the castle --- another one delivered by Libby unexpectantly. 3.5*
📖 ✅ The Lifted Veil (George Eliot) --- I'm new to George Eliot and starting with this short, and it was a good start. 3.5*
📖 ✅ cambridge companion to sylvia plath --- second read, this year the author I have been focusing on is Sylvia Plath. 4*
middle east: cradle of civilization --- One of the books I've lined up to get a little more familiar with Mesopotamia.
📖 ✅ aeineid --- a translation by David West, this year I’ve read this twice 4*
📖 ✅ tale of genji --- abridged, --- This abridged version of 224 pages, I enjoyed and gets me closer to read the unabridged novel. 4*
📖 ✅ the castle --- another one delivered by Libby unexpectantly. 3.5*
7AnishaInkspill
thinking about 2025, these are the definite ones I have lines up, so far I have, btw some of the links don't match up, I tried
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms Luo Guanzhong
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Patrick Sandford, Mary Shelley
Hedda Gabler Henrik Ibsen
The "Andromache" Of Euripides (Classic Reprint) Euripides
Andromache Jean Racine
Aias Sophocles
The Dream of Reason, New Edition: A History of Western Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance Anthony Gottlieb
Brief Answers to the Big Questions Stephen Hawking
The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution and Resilience: 500 Years of Women's Self-Portraits Jennifer Higgie
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Ken Kesey
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
The White Tiger Aravind Adiga
African Myths of Origin Anonymous
The Color Purple Alice Walker
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms Luo Guanzhong
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Patrick Sandford, Mary Shelley
Hedda Gabler Henrik Ibsen
The "Andromache" Of Euripides (Classic Reprint) Euripides
Andromache Jean Racine
Aias Sophocles
The Dream of Reason, New Edition: A History of Western Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance Anthony Gottlieb
Brief Answers to the Big Questions Stephen Hawking
The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution and Resilience: 500 Years of Women's Self-Portraits Jennifer Higgie
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Ken Kesey
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
The White Tiger Aravind Adiga
African Myths of Origin Anonymous
The Color Purple Alice Walker
8AnishaInkspill
2025, Jane Austen reads, this is what I have si far
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen
The History of England by a partial, prejudiced & ignorant historian Jane Austen
Jane Austen: A Life Claire Tomalin
A Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections James Edward Austen-Leigh
The Task and Other Poems William Cowper
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen
The History of England by a partial, prejudiced & ignorant historian Jane Austen
Jane Austen: A Life Claire Tomalin
A Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections James Edward Austen-Leigh
The Task and Other Poems William Cowper
