I’ve been knee-deep in my Pulitzer Project since I announced it two years ago. In that time, I’ve averaged 1.5 Pulitzer-winning reads per month. I should probably pick up the pace a little bit, but as I’ve said before, I consider it to be more of a lifetime project than something I’ll speed through.
It was your post about your Pulitzer reading project that made me think of doing my own last year. Currently working through the Hugo and Nebula award winners project and as part of the big birthday started another, which is 25 books from the year I was born.
Hi Anthony I decided to read them physically so have been picking up pre owned copies of them. Loved the early winners which had some of my all time favourites and was a bit surprised I had read some already when I was younger. Dune, some Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke mostly although over the years must have read Dune at least 5 times. Ursula Le Guin is a giant but don’t feel she is as appreciated as she should be. Am aware however of an award in her name that has been running for few years.
Forever war and Enders game are other favourites and I can see why Necromancer is so influential but found it a bit of a struggle get through.
Thanks for the feedback. I like to idea of grabbing pre-owned copies too. Thanks! I've never read Arthur C. Clarke, so maybe this is my motivation. Agree about Ursula Le Guin.
The pre owned books are hopefully going to have a shelf to themselves, when get round renovating! If you like your slightly more ‘hard’ sci fi with philosophical feel then Arthur is definitely worth a look and this article should give you more of a feel for his work https://letterreview.com/is-arthur-c-clarke-worth-reading/
Useful tidbit he was knighted in the 1990’s meaning he was Sir Arthur!
I love your idea of a defined project to discover great books. I’ve had the St. John’s College book list taunting me for some time but have yet to take the plunge. I like the Pulitzer approach.
As a related aside, I never spent much time in the world of short stories until recently…there is a similar path of exciting discovery to be had. So many beloved authors have an arsenal of wonderful short stories, and selections can be consumed in a sitting. I find the short stories dropping my jaw or taking the wind out or making me literally laugh out loud more frequently than novels…perhaps their inherent brevity makes for a more potent delivery.
You can kill two birds with one stone as the Fiction category has several short story collections from John Cheever, Jhumpa Lahiri, Jean Stafford and Katherine Anne Porter. I would also include James Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific and to some extent, MacKinlay Kantor’s Andersonville.
I'm enjoying a personal project of reading all the literature that I read (or was supposed to read) during my undergrad in Russian literature. I wasn't ready for it in my early 20s, but now I'm having such a good time with it!
I took one Russian lit course in college 50 years ago and really enjoyed those guys (there were no women authors in the group) and I highly recommend reading them. Except Oblamov by Goncharov -- I gave up after 50 pages or so of him deciding whether or not to get out of bed...
I'm going to revisit the genre. Any works you particularly like?
Ironically, yes—Oblomov! I just led a group on my Substack and wrote regular posts analysing the chapters. Honestly, it's one of my all-time favourite novels and I definitely recommend a revisit!
Thank you, Jeremy, for this column--wise words and excellent perspective. The "what's new and hot" trend so many seem stuck in cuts them off from the riches of reading more widely and deeply. It's the times we swim in, but thank you for offering a sparking splash.
Jeremy, I LOVE this idea! And I love the biography idea, too. I think you've inspired me. One of my ongoing "projects" is to read a book or two of historical fiction about a place we're planning on traveling to. It's a great way to lay some scaffolding for a trip. Cheers!
An inspiring post! I'd love to read through the Pulitzers too, for the very reasons you stated so well: it would tell me something about what was important in that year.
I do have a kinda-sorta personal reading goal that's been going on for a few years, in that I seek out those neglected books and review them. I've found some amazing reads that haven't gotten publicity pushes.
Couldn't agree more with you on the value of reading projects, Jeremy. Some of my most rewarding reading in the last 3+ years has come from a deep dive into the American Revolution and reading all of Kurt Vonnegut's works in chronological order.
I applaud this project and the advice as well. I've been reading classics and "important" books since I was in my twenties and still have not read all the Pulitzer Prize winners. I like the idea of setting a goal and also being on top of what is getting published since I'm a book editor, and right now I'm focused on reading the top ten bestsellers from last year. I loved "Braiding Sweetgrass" and "Everyone Who is Gone is Here."
I've been taking on the St John's Reading List as my long term reading challenge. I came into it with quite a few already checked off, but there's plenty left still even in the freshman year portion of the list. Getting through this list happily also accounts for a lot of the western canon overall.
I’m in the thick of a giant reading project myself and it has been positively invigorating. I appreciate what you said about discovering books you would have never picked up, and algorithmic reading.
It was your post about your Pulitzer reading project that made me think of doing my own last year. Currently working through the Hugo and Nebula award winners project and as part of the big birthday started another, which is 25 books from the year I was born.
As I was reading this I immediately thought of the Hugo and Nebula awards. How has the experience been for you so far?
Hi Anthony I decided to read them physically so have been picking up pre owned copies of them. Loved the early winners which had some of my all time favourites and was a bit surprised I had read some already when I was younger. Dune, some Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke mostly although over the years must have read Dune at least 5 times. Ursula Le Guin is a giant but don’t feel she is as appreciated as she should be. Am aware however of an award in her name that has been running for few years.
Forever war and Enders game are other favourites and I can see why Necromancer is so influential but found it a bit of a struggle get through.
Thanks for the feedback. I like to idea of grabbing pre-owned copies too. Thanks! I've never read Arthur C. Clarke, so maybe this is my motivation. Agree about Ursula Le Guin.
The pre owned books are hopefully going to have a shelf to themselves, when get round renovating! If you like your slightly more ‘hard’ sci fi with philosophical feel then Arthur is definitely worth a look and this article should give you more of a feel for his work https://letterreview.com/is-arthur-c-clarke-worth-reading/
Useful tidbit he was knighted in the 1990’s meaning he was Sir Arthur!
I love your idea of a defined project to discover great books. I’ve had the St. John’s College book list taunting me for some time but have yet to take the plunge. I like the Pulitzer approach.
As a related aside, I never spent much time in the world of short stories until recently…there is a similar path of exciting discovery to be had. So many beloved authors have an arsenal of wonderful short stories, and selections can be consumed in a sitting. I find the short stories dropping my jaw or taking the wind out or making me literally laugh out loud more frequently than novels…perhaps their inherent brevity makes for a more potent delivery.
You can kill two birds with one stone as the Fiction category has several short story collections from John Cheever, Jhumpa Lahiri, Jean Stafford and Katherine Anne Porter. I would also include James Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific and to some extent, MacKinlay Kantor’s Andersonville.
I don't know whether this is a well known recommendation or not but The Aleph by Borges is a fantastic short story.
Borges is great reading. I have a sweatshirt that quotes him: "I always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of Library."
Yes--the gems among short stories really stay with me.
That spreadsheet is impressive!
I'm enjoying a personal project of reading all the literature that I read (or was supposed to read) during my undergrad in Russian literature. I wasn't ready for it in my early 20s, but now I'm having such a good time with it!
I took one Russian lit course in college 50 years ago and really enjoyed those guys (there were no women authors in the group) and I highly recommend reading them. Except Oblamov by Goncharov -- I gave up after 50 pages or so of him deciding whether or not to get out of bed...
I'm going to revisit the genre. Any works you particularly like?
Ironically, yes—Oblomov! I just led a group on my Substack and wrote regular posts analysing the chapters. Honestly, it's one of my all-time favourite novels and I definitely recommend a revisit!
Thank you, Jeremy, for this column--wise words and excellent perspective. The "what's new and hot" trend so many seem stuck in cuts them off from the riches of reading more widely and deeply. It's the times we swim in, but thank you for offering a sparking splash.
Jeremy, I LOVE this idea! And I love the biography idea, too. I think you've inspired me. One of my ongoing "projects" is to read a book or two of historical fiction about a place we're planning on traveling to. It's a great way to lay some scaffolding for a trip. Cheers!
An inspiring post! I'd love to read through the Pulitzers too, for the very reasons you stated so well: it would tell me something about what was important in that year.
I do have a kinda-sorta personal reading goal that's been going on for a few years, in that I seek out those neglected books and review them. I've found some amazing reads that haven't gotten publicity pushes.
Couldn't agree more with you on the value of reading projects, Jeremy. Some of my most rewarding reading in the last 3+ years has come from a deep dive into the American Revolution and reading all of Kurt Vonnegut's works in chronological order.
I applaud this project and the advice as well. I've been reading classics and "important" books since I was in my twenties and still have not read all the Pulitzer Prize winners. I like the idea of setting a goal and also being on top of what is getting published since I'm a book editor, and right now I'm focused on reading the top ten bestsellers from last year. I loved "Braiding Sweetgrass" and "Everyone Who is Gone is Here."
Love the project ideas but I recently discovered I'm bad at making the list to do a deep dive on!
I've been taking on the St John's Reading List as my long term reading challenge. I came into it with quite a few already checked off, but there's plenty left still even in the freshman year portion of the list. Getting through this list happily also accounts for a lot of the western canon overall.
https://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate/great-books-reading-list
I’m in the thick of a giant reading project myself and it has been positively invigorating. I appreciate what you said about discovering books you would have never picked up, and algorithmic reading.
Great article Jeremy. It is a satisfying lifetime goal.