Welcome to Tony’s Reading List, a place where I pretend to know a lot more about literature than I actually do!
Tony? That’s me, a thirty-something Englishman who has somehow ended up living in Melbourne with a wonderful wife and two cheeky daughters. Don’t ask how that happened as I’m not too sure myself…
The Reading List? It does exist, in Excel form, and it’s getting longer by the day. The list was started on the first day of my blog, and it now contains hundreds of titles, culled from the never-ending pile of books we call literature.
What do I read? A lot 😉 Over the past couple of years, my focus has shifted to fiction in translation. In addition to my usual fare of German and French writing (mostly in the original language), and Japanese literature (AKA J-Lit!), I have been casting my nets further afield to take in the best the world has to offer.
What else do I do? That’s not enough? Well, I teach English as a second language, currently to migrants, and try to keep up my own language skills in French and German. I used to play football too, but those days are long gone 😦
Why do I do this? If anyone finds out, please let me know…
Tony's Reading List 
Hi Tony, I have just selected you as my copinaute for two Humbooks. Your chance to improve my reading list LOL. Mystified? See http://bookaroundthecorner.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/christmas-ah-humbook-they-say/#comment-5837
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Lisa – I'll leave a comment there 🙂
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Congrats on the blog, Tony! I love reading foreign fiction too, especially because I'm a translator and like comparing originals and versions to increase my reading pleasure. By the way, do you accept recommendations by regular mail, meaning, would you be willing to read and review a book sent to you? It would be a pleasure to contribute to your ever-increasing list with some short stories from my native Brazil! 🙂 Take care and happy holidays!
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Rafa – Thanks! I've just been looking at your web-site, and I'd certainly be interested in taking a look at the 'Contemporary Brazilian Short Stories' collection. Please e-mail me at tonysreadinglist at y7mail dot com – I can give you my contact details then 🙂
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Stumbled across your blog and like it very much and your post on “The year with the hare” was better than the book itself 🙂 Made me even think of reading it again.
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buchpost – Thanks for the kind words 🙂 I enjoyed 'The Year of the Hare', a nice gentle road-trip novel (and you can never get enough long-eared animals in a book!).
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Through my blog I've got to know a lot more Victorian writers too. How can you ever get bored with Trollope?
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literarytaste – Even though I've read almost twenty of his works, there are plenty more good ones waiting to be read 🙂
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Your picture looks funny.
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Kelly – It's a few years old now (I must have had a bad day!)
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Hi Tony, I'm happy to find your blog. After graduation I haven't read any books until I find Haruki Murakami book titled Norwegian Wood. I feel thirst of reading materials since then. Your blog is such an inspiration. Keep blogging!
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Unknown – Thanks for the kind words 🙂
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Hi Tony, this might not be your kind of thing at all, but I’ve nominated you for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Feel free to check it out here, but please don’t feel obliged to continue the process – it’s up to you.
http://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2014/07/06/very-inspiring-bloggers/
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Jacqui – Thanks for the honour 😉 Not sure I'll have the time to carry on the chain, but you never know…
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Just stumbled across your blog – I'm still in the novice stakes when it comes to reading work in translation. But I've enjoyed the first steps. Its not easy getting hold of authors from some countries is it?
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Karen – I find that when you make the first step, everything becomes easier – it's all about making the decision to try something a little different 🙂
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