October 2011 Wrap-Up

October was a mixed bag compared to previous months.  I had a few review books to get through, a couple of slim Japanese works waiting to be read, and (of course) I wanted to get a start on reading for November's German Literature Month.  In addition to this, I had one review to write for both the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop and the Classics Circuit's Gothic Literature Stop.  Enough excitement for one month, you'd think, but wait - there's more...

You see, October marked a significant milestone in the history of Tony's Reading List.  For the first time in its three-year existence, I have managed to crack the magic century - 100 books (not out)!  E.T.A. Hoffmann's gothic thriller Die Elixiere des Teufels had the honour of being the 100th book, for those who want to know :)

Anyway, on with the show...

*****
Total Books Read: 10
Year-to-date: 106

New: 10
Rereads: 0

From the Shelves: 7

From the Library: 1

On the Kindle: 2

Novels: 5

Novellas: 3
Short Stories: 2

Non-English Language: 8 (6 German, 2 Japanese)

In Original Language: 5 (5 German)

Books read in October were:
1) Jenseitsnovelle by Matthias Politycki
2) Beauty and Sadness by Yasunari Kawabata
3) That Deadman Dance by Kim Scott
4) Die Elixiere des Teufels by E.T.A. Hoffmann
5) All That I Am by Anna Funder
6) A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oe
7) Die Kinder beruhigte das nicht by Alois Hotschnig
8) All the Lights (Die Nacht, die Lichter) by Clemens Meyer
9) Und sagte kein einziges Wort by Heinrich Böll
10) Bahnwärter Thiel & Der Apostel by Gerhart Hauptmann

Murakami Challenge: 0 (3/3)

Aussie Author Challenge: 2 (19/12)

Victorian Literature Challenge: 1 (28/15)
Japanese Literature Challenge 5: 2 (6/1)

Tony's Recommendations for October are: Alois Hotschnig's Die Kinder beruhigte das nicht and Kenzaburo Oe's A Personal Matter

October was a good reading month with plenty of interesting books consumed.  I loved my first taste of E.T.A. Hoffmann's work, Herr Böll once again produced a wonderful slice of post-war life, and Matthias Politycki's tale from beyond the grave was also a highlight.  However, Die Kinder beruhigte das nicht and A Personal Matter were the two that jumped out at me when I was thinking about this month's recommendation, and (once again!) I was unable to split my top two :)

So, onto November, and the next thirty days will be dominated by my Teutonic tastes.  For the second time this year, I will be participating in a month of German-language reading - this time accompanied by other people!  Hopefully, you'll all stick around to find out about the joys of Central-European literature - bis bald ;)