It’s that time again: time to announce the next Reading Buddies book and kick off a new poll! But first, just a reminder that this month’s read is A Room with a View by E.M. Forster, which I’m liking quite a bit so far. The Goodreads thread is up, and I’ll be posting about the book on January 13 and 27. Feel free to join in if you’d like!
February’s book, which won with more than two thirds of the votes, will be The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham. I’ll post about it on February 10 and 24. I read some of Maugham’s short stories last year and really enjoyed them, so I’m looking forward to reading The Razor’s Edge with those interested — who’s in? Here’s a bit about it to whet your appetite (from Goodreads):
“Intimate acquaintances but less than friends, they meet and part in postwar London and Paris: Elliot, the arch-snob but also the kindest of men; Isabel, considered to be entertaining, gracious, and tactful; Gray, the quintessence of the Regular Guy; Suzanne, shrewd, roving, and friendly; Sophie, lost, wanton, with a vicious attractiveness about her; and finally Larry, so hard and so trustful, lost in the world’s confusion. Their story, one of Somerset Maugham’s best, encompasses the pain, passion, and poignancy of life itself.”
The poll for March’s book is up in the sidebar. Please be sure to vote for your preference! In an attempt to incorporate my other two reading projects with Reading Buddies, I’ve included a classic (Smith) and a just READ it book (Calvino) plus a novel I’ve been meaning to read for a while (Stegner). I think I’ll try using this “formula” for a few months and see how it goes. Let me know if you particularly like or hate it!
I can’t link to the titles within the poll itself, but I thought I’d try to make researching unfamiliar titles easier on you by including links to each book’s Goodreads listing here: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino, Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. Now go, research, and vote!
I don’t think I have ever read anything by Somerset Maugham, and I might see if I can join along with you on this one. I do have a huge classic that I am tackling right now, but hopefully I can make time for this one too! The synopsis that you posted was too interesting to ignore!
I think I read short stories by Somerset Maugham some years ago. I don’t know yet if I’ll join you for this one, but definitely will in March if “A tree grows in Brooklyn” is chosen. It’s been a long time since I want to read this one.
Calvino is a great choice too. I’ll check on Wallace Stegner!
I’m in. I have this on hold at the library so this will be perfect.
Ohhh! I loved The Razor’s Edge in high school and have been wanting to read it again for ages! I hope I manage to find the time to join in. It’s so interesting to see how tastes have changed over the years.