The Terror of Knowing

Just a quick Friday Reads post from me today where I’ll share what I plan to read this Friday and into the weekend ahead. My reading this week so far has been intermittent at best, so I hope to correct that today and into this weekend. The usual excuses apply: job hunting woes, feeling generally terrible and whiny, devoting time to watching copious episodes of Archer on Netflix instead. Actually that last one is probably the main excuse. Sorry/not sorry.

Even so, I’m still plodding my way through a re-read of A Clash of Kings for the #readasoiaf readalong in which a group of readers are reading George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, one book per month. This month has been the turn of the second book in the series and I rather naively thought that, as this was a re-read, I might be able to fly through it. I was wrong, so very wrong, especially when I know I could technically get lazy and just skim read it since it is a re-read but I suspect I would then remember little to none of the actual plot, which wouldn’t stand me in very good stead for picking up A Storm of Swords in August. So basically I keep putting this down and forgetting about it, I claim to be actively reading it but only in the sense that I frequently bring it downstairs with me on a morning and leave it on the arm of the sofa, as though I might pick it up spontaneously. However, I recently realised just how far ahead of me Liz is with this book and, let me tell you, being behind with your reading that much makes you want to catch up. Not that this is a race in any way but I like to be drawing level.

This week, as you can see from my Teaser Tuesday post, I spontaneously decided picking up a second tome-like novel would be just a swell idea all around (spoiler alert: it’s a dumb idea, dumb is the word you’re looking for, Emma), so, naturally, I started reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy in a rather beautiful Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition. It has deckled edges and french flaps… I think I’m in love. (Don’t worry, Hiddleston, you still hold a sizeable place in my heart, I got a lot of heart to share) Seriously though, I tried to read Anna Karenina a couple of years ago and found that it was not horrendously difficult to get into the writing style and the story itself. I don’t know if that’s down to the translation or what but mark me down as pleasantly surprised. I’m only some 100 pages in but if I’m beginning to get tired of reading about warring kings in Westeros, I might switch over to this classic novel instead.

And, just as all good things apparently come in threes, I will also be trying to read E.K. Johnston’s A Thousand Nights, a One Thousand and One Nights retelling published last year. This is a book I requested to review for Cuckoo Review, having previously wrote a review and a playlist feature for them, and I need to get to this asap so I have a week or so to put together my review. I have been intrigued about this book for months, having seen Leena’s video about the importance of stories and storytelling, and it seems like a very magical and mythical read. The tone is very different to anything I’ve read recently and I’m finding it extremely refreshing, if a little slower paced. I must ashamedly admit I have very little prior experience with the original Arabian Nights’ collection of stories, a travesty and utter ignorance on my part, but if nothing else it means I can read A Thousand Nights without already knowing exactly how the story is probably going to pan out. Hurrah for ignorance (for once)!

So those are the books I will hopefully be reading today and this weekend. What are you reading at the moment? Have you any weekend plans, reading-related or otherwise? Have you read any of the books I’m planning to read – what did you think? Share below!

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