Oh this is wonderful! I'm feeling way more eloquent now. And you've made me super proud to be responsible for a Jane Austen citation. ❤️ I love how your daughter has perfected the use of "lubberly". 😄
I'm so tempted to sign up for the reading challenge, but I'll soon be embarking on a co-reading of Little Women with a friend (I'm ashamed it'll be my first time reading), and I want to reread Wuthering Heights ASAP just so I can grumpily rant about the new adaptation, and I have not forgotten that A Classroom in Kyiv is on my TBR list.
But...
Having said all that, I would so be up for re-readings and discussions of A Swim in a Pond in the Rain (I've always meant to return to that one) and P&P once you get to them. Let me know!
You’ll be even prouder when you see the latest post from my fellow Substack Live host, Lewis. I’ll restack his post and tag you, there’s something in it just for you.
No shame in not having read Little Women before, I haven’t, though can’t say it’s one I’m dying to read. Haven’t read Wuthering Heights either, but it’s loitering on my kindle for a few years now, buried somewhere deep.
I wouldn’t recommend A Classroom in Kyiv, life’s too short, honestly! You’ve already been a superstar for your beta read of Groucho’s adventures and once that’s published - in whatever form - I’ll have a signed copy winging its way to you.
I’ve had a taker for a Swim in the Pond in the Rain (@Liza Debevec), and we’re tentatively scheduled to start that one in a fortnight’s time (that’s two weeks, to ‘me and you’, as a wise Substacker is fond of writing 😉). You can certainly join along. I might also have someone to read P&P with, although she mentioned about 5 or 6 books she’s interested in, so who knows.
How intriguing. Looking forward to seeing his post! 😃
Are you kidding? Of course I'm going to read A Classroom in Kyiv. I know you well enough by now to be familiar with your tendency to unfairly put down really enjoyable work. Delighted to hear I'm getting a signed copy of your novel. I'll be very proud knowing I had the teeniest of parts in its making.
Thank you for the invite! Not sure I'll be ready to revisit A Swim in the Pond in a fortnight's time along with my other imminent reading (or source a library copy - my copy is in KY), but I do hope you'll share your reactions. Keep me posted on P&P. I'll be on standby, especially if your current partner decides to go for a different book.
In case it's of any interest, Plain Jane (here on Substack) is repeating her Great Jane Austen Read-Along and P&P is kicking off in May. I joined late last year, they'd already arrived at Mansfield Park, but I found her weekly essays and insights excellent.
Love this Daniel, so much fun , you’re so clever getting all the words in and as for your book lists, blimey, we must have very different tastes. Intelligent vs chick lit with a bit of sci fi 😃
You might be surprised, Francis, I bet we could find a book that we’d both want to read. I’ve been experimenting more, getting out of my genre. I recently finished ‘If You’re Seeing this Book It’s Meant for You’ and ‘Bitter Sweet’ (@Hattie Williams) - you might like a book like this, it’s kind of rom-commy?
What about Emily St John Mandel? That’s kind of sci-fi ish.
Oooo. I'd be up for Oliver Twist or Scoop as first time reads. I'm planning to reread P&P this year. Lucky Jim — obsessed with it, would reread with you. Excited for you for On Beauty and There are Rivers — two beauties. Comment not written by AI despite em dashes; just tired
Lydia, I'd NEVER dare accuse you of using AI 😂 I'm a prolific em dash user even when I'm not tired.
Full disclosure: I started Oliver Twist in December and it wasn't working for me, put it aside. Scoop would be an great choice - I'm a huge Waugh fan and have read most of his books, but not this one yet. Have you read anything else of his?
I loved Lucky Jim when I read it, must've been 20 years ago now. It'll be my first time with P&P but I also tried that over the holidays, but it was in the midst of a family holiday and I couldn't get any peace and quiet.
Great, glad you're up for it, I'm finding a few reading buddies, still not sure exactly works, but let's give it a go.
Impressive on many levels! To start, the seamless weaving of all these new and unusual words into your prose and to finish, what a list of books. You do know 2026 is the same length as a normal year don't you?😅I have a few on your list, so could go for a reread... that said, I just managed to extricate myself from a bookclub which was becoming a little onerous!
Onerous, nice word! Always been a fan of that one.
Isn’t 2026 a leap year? I was counting on that extra day to get more reading done 😝
Have you read A Heart So White? That’s one I want to read soonish. If you do fancy any others at some point, stay tuned - I might announce my current choices periodically, see if anyone wants to join in.
Hahaha, those 24 little hours will make all the difference. Careful no one proposes to you on that day, as per tradition, that might cut into the reading time.
I write ‘onerous’ in a text to my sister recently, but I wrote it as ‘honerous’ and she said, ‘God you’re so Spanish now’. Cus the ‘h’ is Spanish is silent so I decided to take it as a compliment and not dwell on the idea that I can’t spell anymore!
I haven’t read A Heart So White, I love the title though and also trust your judgement. Let me know when soonish comes around…
Those lyrics sound like me in school (minus the actual dance 😂)
I was reading yet another one of those ‘best books of the past 25 years’ posts on Lit Hub (you see why I have an out of control TBR?) and one writer mentioned Lerner, but said that Atocha and 10:04 have to be read as a diptych to be truly appreciated. I found that interesting.
That is interesting… it makes sense on some levels as 10.04 picks up more or less where Leaving The Atocha Station ends with Adam/Ben/Unnamed protagonist enjoying the fruits of the success of his debut novel, but for me the themes are very different. But that said, it has been a while since I read 10.04. And Leaving the Atocha Station, but I read that one so many times, I can still more or less remember everything 😅
Loved your use of the vocabulary. On your TBR list, I’ve read some, want to read some, will not read some. I’ll stay tuned to what you’re reading and may jump in when it’s one of interest.
What a tease! I’m curious - give me one book that caught your eye that you want to read; and is there a book you saw that made you think ‘no way, not a chance’?
Haha, sounds like you have a grudge against this Howard fella. Someone recommended it to me and it was 99 cents for kindle. I want to read A Heart So White sooner rather than later.
I would love to be a reading buddy Daniel, although I am confused - I am I meant to have the book already in my bookcase? In which case I have read all the ones you want to read that are also in my bookcase. I would be open to read the Robert MacFarlane one with you but I will need to buy it - so letting you know in case it is against the rules. ...
There are no rules. In fact, I’d be totally up for reading a book not on my list if someone convinced me that I’d like it or if they think it’s my kind of book.
Just to clarify - which ones (if the list isn’t too extensive) have you read that are on my bookcase (or on my Kindle)?
Robert MacFarlane, for sure, if you’d like to, absolutely. I almost started it the other day, funnily enough, but went with Emperor of Rome (Mary Beard) instead, but I can start a new one any day you like. Have you read any MacFarlane before?
My aunt is a classics prof so she has the mary beard book but prob couldn’t pick it up till summer. She might have the macfarlane one too… I have read his book of poems/spells but not his other books. From your list, i think i have read the zadie smith, elik sharaf, jane austen, stendal and maggie ofarrell ones. Although some were a while ago n I am not 100 per cent sure but they all look very familiar - plus I borrowed some of them so not technically in my bookcase 😄 I can have a look through things I was planning to read in case you want to persuaded to add any of those. Although I am not great at planning reading, so dont have official plans atm.
Ok great. Planning to read Elena Ferante with my friend went very well - not sure I would have finished it otherwise :D I know it is a classic, but I struggled. Hopefully MacFarlane will be a great read!
I'm stuck in Bleak House right now. I hit a boring spot. My eyes have been glazing over. Mr. Vholes better severely impact the remainder of the plot. If not, I'm going to be angry at Dickens for spending so much time with him.
Great job wih the words haha!! I suck at buddy reading bc I don't like anyone to tell me what and how fast to read, I am a rebel. Tried to keep up with a book club at some point, was mostly miserable. Anyway happy reading!!
I’m a bit of an obstreperous reader. I willy-nilly my way through multiple books at the same time. And my tbr pile doesn’t feature any of those sadly 🤪 I fear we are not compatible 🙃 #dyingalittleinside
Delightful! I will join you and have noticed a couple of books on the list that I’ve been wanting to read and have on my shelves. One of them is Saunders and the other one is Samin Nosrat’s cook book. I’ll read the post again to find if there are more crossovers.
Honestly, I don't know what this entails - that's part of the fun I suppose? I'm a slow reader since I have many books on the go. I also wonder what kind of books works better as a buddy read, fiction or non? There's no rush, we can choose one and take our time with it. I have The Memory Police as an audiobook, and I got that Nosrat book so long ago that I forgot I had it - it was buried deep in my Kindle.
Wow, a cookbook on Kindle, how advanced! How about multiple authors collaborative posts on books we read together- a perfect moment of co-creating. I’ve just finished a 10 month co-active leadership program, so I am all about co-creating.
btw, I know this sounds petty, but you can relate, we've discussed 'likes' before and the algorithm and all that - I have a couple of fairly regular readers who comment often but NEVER actually like the post!
Sounds like an activity I did with my students over the years - take 5 unconnected words without thinking of a topic and use them in a coherent way in as few words as possible. The results were predictably...poor. But I trust you can do much better.
I like to read books in Spanish as a vocab refresher, but I'll just read your future posts to learn more English vocabulary.
Splendiforous! I shall ramp up the vocabulary in that case, introduce a few more spasmodic contrafibularities in future posts.
Oh this is wonderful! I'm feeling way more eloquent now. And you've made me super proud to be responsible for a Jane Austen citation. ❤️ I love how your daughter has perfected the use of "lubberly". 😄
I'm so tempted to sign up for the reading challenge, but I'll soon be embarking on a co-reading of Little Women with a friend (I'm ashamed it'll be my first time reading), and I want to reread Wuthering Heights ASAP just so I can grumpily rant about the new adaptation, and I have not forgotten that A Classroom in Kyiv is on my TBR list.
But...
Having said all that, I would so be up for re-readings and discussions of A Swim in a Pond in the Rain (I've always meant to return to that one) and P&P once you get to them. Let me know!
You’ll be even prouder when you see the latest post from my fellow Substack Live host, Lewis. I’ll restack his post and tag you, there’s something in it just for you.
No shame in not having read Little Women before, I haven’t, though can’t say it’s one I’m dying to read. Haven’t read Wuthering Heights either, but it’s loitering on my kindle for a few years now, buried somewhere deep.
I wouldn’t recommend A Classroom in Kyiv, life’s too short, honestly! You’ve already been a superstar for your beta read of Groucho’s adventures and once that’s published - in whatever form - I’ll have a signed copy winging its way to you.
I’ve had a taker for a Swim in the Pond in the Rain (@Liza Debevec), and we’re tentatively scheduled to start that one in a fortnight’s time (that’s two weeks, to ‘me and you’, as a wise Substacker is fond of writing 😉). You can certainly join along. I might also have someone to read P&P with, although she mentioned about 5 or 6 books she’s interested in, so who knows.
How intriguing. Looking forward to seeing his post! 😃
Are you kidding? Of course I'm going to read A Classroom in Kyiv. I know you well enough by now to be familiar with your tendency to unfairly put down really enjoyable work. Delighted to hear I'm getting a signed copy of your novel. I'll be very proud knowing I had the teeniest of parts in its making.
Thank you for the invite! Not sure I'll be ready to revisit A Swim in the Pond in a fortnight's time along with my other imminent reading (or source a library copy - my copy is in KY), but I do hope you'll share your reactions. Keep me posted on P&P. I'll be on standby, especially if your current partner decides to go for a different book.
In case it's of any interest, Plain Jane (here on Substack) is repeating her Great Jane Austen Read-Along and P&P is kicking off in May. I joined late last year, they'd already arrived at Mansfield Park, but I found her weekly essays and insights excellent.
Love this Daniel, so much fun , you’re so clever getting all the words in and as for your book lists, blimey, we must have very different tastes. Intelligent vs chick lit with a bit of sci fi 😃
You might be surprised, Francis, I bet we could find a book that we’d both want to read. I’ve been experimenting more, getting out of my genre. I recently finished ‘If You’re Seeing this Book It’s Meant for You’ and ‘Bitter Sweet’ (@Hattie Williams) - you might like a book like this, it’s kind of rom-commy?
What about Emily St John Mandel? That’s kind of sci-fi ish.
Thanks for the recommendations😊
Oooo. I'd be up for Oliver Twist or Scoop as first time reads. I'm planning to reread P&P this year. Lucky Jim — obsessed with it, would reread with you. Excited for you for On Beauty and There are Rivers — two beauties. Comment not written by AI despite em dashes; just tired
Lydia, I'd NEVER dare accuse you of using AI 😂 I'm a prolific em dash user even when I'm not tired.
Full disclosure: I started Oliver Twist in December and it wasn't working for me, put it aside. Scoop would be an great choice - I'm a huge Waugh fan and have read most of his books, but not this one yet. Have you read anything else of his?
I loved Lucky Jim when I read it, must've been 20 years ago now. It'll be my first time with P&P but I also tried that over the holidays, but it was in the midst of a family holiday and I couldn't get any peace and quiet.
Great, glad you're up for it, I'm finding a few reading buddies, still not sure exactly works, but let's give it a go.
Impressive on many levels! To start, the seamless weaving of all these new and unusual words into your prose and to finish, what a list of books. You do know 2026 is the same length as a normal year don't you?😅I have a few on your list, so could go for a reread... that said, I just managed to extricate myself from a bookclub which was becoming a little onerous!
Onerous, nice word! Always been a fan of that one.
Isn’t 2026 a leap year? I was counting on that extra day to get more reading done 😝
Have you read A Heart So White? That’s one I want to read soonish. If you do fancy any others at some point, stay tuned - I might announce my current choices periodically, see if anyone wants to join in.
Hahaha, those 24 little hours will make all the difference. Careful no one proposes to you on that day, as per tradition, that might cut into the reading time.
I write ‘onerous’ in a text to my sister recently, but I wrote it as ‘honerous’ and she said, ‘God you’re so Spanish now’. Cus the ‘h’ is Spanish is silent so I decided to take it as a compliment and not dwell on the idea that I can’t spell anymore!
I haven’t read A Heart So White, I love the title though and also trust your judgement. Let me know when soonish comes around…
Did I ever mention the story of an ex-girlfriend who called me multiple times on 29 Feb? I told my Granny to tell her I wasn’t home 😂
I meant to ask whether you’d read any more Ben Lerner?
Oh my, she was smitten 😅 That, in turn, reminds me of a Billy Bragg lyric from “The Saturday Boy” about school age crushes:
She danced with me and I still hold that memory
Soft and sweet
And I stare up at her window
As I walk down her street
But I never made the first team,
I just made the first team laugh
And she never came to the phone
She was always in the bath
***
I have indeed read more Lerner - I’ve read all of his novels (didn’t get along too well with his poetry) and I heard he has a new one out soon too…
Those lyrics sound like me in school (minus the actual dance 😂)
I was reading yet another one of those ‘best books of the past 25 years’ posts on Lit Hub (you see why I have an out of control TBR?) and one writer mentioned Lerner, but said that Atocha and 10:04 have to be read as a diptych to be truly appreciated. I found that interesting.
That is interesting… it makes sense on some levels as 10.04 picks up more or less where Leaving The Atocha Station ends with Adam/Ben/Unnamed protagonist enjoying the fruits of the success of his debut novel, but for me the themes are very different. But that said, it has been a while since I read 10.04. And Leaving the Atocha Station, but I read that one so many times, I can still more or less remember everything 😅
Loved your use of the vocabulary. On your TBR list, I’ve read some, want to read some, will not read some. I’ll stay tuned to what you’re reading and may jump in when it’s one of interest.
What a tease! I’m curious - give me one book that caught your eye that you want to read; and is there a book you saw that made you think ‘no way, not a chance’?
I look forward to A Heart So White. Will not read How Not to Write a Novel, Howard Mittelmarksome.
Haha, sounds like you have a grudge against this Howard fella. Someone recommended it to me and it was 99 cents for kindle. I want to read A Heart So White sooner rather than later.
Let me know when, and I'll read it with you.
Love this daniel
Let’s be reading buddies. Some of us clearly need to carry the rest.
https://yougovamerica.substack.com/p/most-americans-didnt-read-many-books
Zadie Smith's "On Beauty" is one of my absolute favourites 🥰
Oh goody, I will definitely be reading that earlier in the year. It’ll be first book of hers.
I would love to be a reading buddy Daniel, although I am confused - I am I meant to have the book already in my bookcase? In which case I have read all the ones you want to read that are also in my bookcase. I would be open to read the Robert MacFarlane one with you but I will need to buy it - so letting you know in case it is against the rules. ...
Don’t worry Catriona, I’m just as confused 😂
There are no rules. In fact, I’d be totally up for reading a book not on my list if someone convinced me that I’d like it or if they think it’s my kind of book.
Just to clarify - which ones (if the list isn’t too extensive) have you read that are on my bookcase (or on my Kindle)?
Robert MacFarlane, for sure, if you’d like to, absolutely. I almost started it the other day, funnily enough, but went with Emperor of Rome (Mary Beard) instead, but I can start a new one any day you like. Have you read any MacFarlane before?
My aunt is a classics prof so she has the mary beard book but prob couldn’t pick it up till summer. She might have the macfarlane one too… I have read his book of poems/spells but not his other books. From your list, i think i have read the zadie smith, elik sharaf, jane austen, stendal and maggie ofarrell ones. Although some were a while ago n I am not 100 per cent sure but they all look very familiar - plus I borrowed some of them so not technically in my bookcase 😄 I can have a look through things I was planning to read in case you want to persuaded to add any of those. Although I am not great at planning reading, so dont have official plans atm.
I’m terrible with planning as well, my whims change and I suddenly decide to read something else. Let’s see how it goes and pencil in MacFarlane.
Ok great. Planning to read Elena Ferante with my friend went very well - not sure I would have finished it otherwise :D I know it is a classic, but I struggled. Hopefully MacFarlane will be a great read!
I love MacFarlane, have read most of his books.
Let me know if/when you’re ready, no rush 🤗
I got my own special treat in here!!! 🥰
Finnegan's Wake... I've always wanted to. But...
I'm stuck in Bleak House right now. I hit a boring spot. My eyes have been glazing over. Mr. Vholes better severely impact the remainder of the plot. If not, I'm going to be angry at Dickens for spending so much time with him.
Great job wih the words haha!! I suck at buddy reading bc I don't like anyone to tell me what and how fast to read, I am a rebel. Tried to keep up with a book club at some point, was mostly miserable. Anyway happy reading!!
Nothing wrong with taking a rhizomatic approach to reading 😉
I’m a bit of an obstreperous reader. I willy-nilly my way through multiple books at the same time. And my tbr pile doesn’t feature any of those sadly 🤪 I fear we are not compatible 🙃 #dyingalittleinside
Oh, do not despair! There will come a time when our TBR destinies will cross 😉
Delightful! I will join you and have noticed a couple of books on the list that I’ve been wanting to read and have on my shelves. One of them is Saunders and the other one is Samin Nosrat’s cook book. I’ll read the post again to find if there are more crossovers.
I was just about to restack this with a note and tagging you. I also noticed your stack the other day, was going to suggest Memory Police.
Great. Is the idea that we read at the same time? I’m probably gonna be slow reading both Samin Nosrat and Saunders.
Honestly, I don't know what this entails - that's part of the fun I suppose? I'm a slow reader since I have many books on the go. I also wonder what kind of books works better as a buddy read, fiction or non? There's no rush, we can choose one and take our time with it. I have The Memory Police as an audiobook, and I got that Nosrat book so long ago that I forgot I had it - it was buried deep in my Kindle.
Wow, a cookbook on Kindle, how advanced! How about multiple authors collaborative posts on books we read together- a perfect moment of co-creating. I’ve just finished a 10 month co-active leadership program, so I am all about co-creating.
btw, I know this sounds petty, but you can relate, we've discussed 'likes' before and the algorithm and all that - I have a couple of fairly regular readers who comment often but NEVER actually like the post!
Yup! Me too. Some really
Sounds like a lovely idea 🤗
Is that book a cookbook? I didn’t realise - I haven’t even looked at it since I bought it, it must’ve been years ago. I’ll take a look at it.
It is a cook book, but it has also stories about food and cooking.
Dancing through the English language with this one mate, bravo!
I expect to see no fewer than 4 of these words in your next post 😉
Well I'm not even sure what it's about yet so that might help me decide.
Sounds like an activity I did with my students over the years - take 5 unconnected words without thinking of a topic and use them in a coherent way in as few words as possible. The results were predictably...poor. But I trust you can do much better.
Books I'm currently reading:
Henry Marsh, And Finaly;
Victor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning;
Dan Jones, The Templars;
Andrew Carroll's, War Letters.
yep
That's it, no long reply discertation...?
You don't even 'like' my posts!
I do
Ha!