36 Comments

You and I read several books that are the same. I read 75 books last year. My number one favorite is Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

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C&P is a great story of Repentance. We all have dragons, and FD was able to gleen a sliver of Hope out of the madness of the double axe murder, Powerful tale.

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I look forward to reading your book!

Also, I’m a huge Middlemarch fan. Glad to see it made your top ten. Here’s a short essay that I think captures the novel’s brilliance:

https://themillions.com/2009/01/middlemarch-fraught-lives-of-women-and_1392.html

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I'm in the midst of reading through Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass which I read last year, but wanted to read again. I'd like to read Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington again after it. Both autobiographies have so much to offer in overcoming the hardship and adversity.

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Frederick D and Booker T should be read by all Americans. GRACE AND PEACE TO SISTER.

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Nice list! I read We years ago - I think Orwell must have been familiar with it when he wrote 1984. I love anything by Dickens, and Hard Times is very good. I plan to tackle Middlemarch soon, thanks to you. Happy New Year, and I look forward to reading your book in 2025!

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Orwell reviewed "We" in 1946. You can find the review in Vol. 4 of his collected Essays, Journalism & Letters.

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I just bought The Clockwork Orange because it's on my list of all-time SFF that I'm working through, but I admit that the content warnings scare me just a wee bit. Have to be in the right headspace for it I suppose... At the moment am bouncing around in the mental afterglow of Hyperion - wow, what a book. Tigana also blew me away last month. Good books are such a joy!

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You said The Third Policeman. Gosh, I 💖 it so much. I also recommend At Swim-Two-Birds. It's not for everyone, but I found it very good. 📚 Great essay and list. Happy reading.

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Lots of great stuff! You can absolutely read two classics a month with that list. Those are some great picks. I had a stinker of a reading year, and mostly took refuge in my favorite children's books. Between the world in general and a long bout of unemployment, I just did not have any reading mojo this year. I hope to get it back and regain some ambition.

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I would love to hear about what led you to choose The Ambassadors rather than another James novel. I love it, and him — but if one hasn’t read much of his work, it’s a challenging place to begin vs Portrait of a Lady or some of his other greatest hits.

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Congratulations on finishing your book. What a great accomplishment. Look forward to reading it. Thanks for the list too—very inspirational.

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Death Comes for the Archbishop!!! This is one of my all-time favorites; I hope you love it but in any event can't wait to read your post on it.

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I'm excited to read about what you make of Zamyatin's We. I adapted and directed a theatrical production of it last October in NYC https://www.kevinrayworks.com/we/

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Hey Joel,

I do interviews in a variety of places like CT, Mere Orthodoxy, etc. I also have a fairly new YouTube channel where there are several interviews (www.YouTube.com/@MOOREENGAGING). If you would like to do an interview on The Idea Machine, send me an email at davidgemoore@gmail.com.

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Joel, I will be happy to help you with your book launch whenever you are ready to get started. Lmk when, etc. You are an excellent writer and I enjoy reading your work. Per your reading list, I can probably join in February as I still have a copy of Passing. This should be fun. Happy New Year and thanks for sharing goals per your book and list for the new year.

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Love your lists and feel smarter when I see that we have read the same books. You love Joan Didion! I have only read The Year of Magical Thinking and my Goodreads review was one word: Nope. Wonder why? Look forward to reading your book on books. Congratulations for the finish.

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Great list of fav books. I'm also a big fan of Uncle Tom's Cabin. So glad you are reading "We" next year as it's a fabulous book. I'm going to borrow your reading goals list and put my own books in.

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Lucky guy, Franny and Zooey coming up. How I love that book.

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