Novellas in November 2015
Welcome back to the third edition of Novellas in November!
This event is so special to me, I stopped doing all other blog events. This year is super-special, because event creator The Book-A-Week Project is back, and is calling himself The Book-A-Week Project again.
How under appreciated are novellas? Well, how many times have you heard Garth Risk Hallberg’s City on Fire referred to as his (900+ page) debut? Turns out, he wrote a novella back in 2008! No, I am not going to read it, as I already devoted weeks of my life to CoF, but you see: novellas get no respect.
It’s not all bad news. Giller Prize shortlisted Fifteen Dogs qualifies at 171 pages (and it’s freaking awesome,) and there are a couple of short story collections on there too – or baby novellas, as I like to call them.
Novellas are a great way to sample a genre or author you wouldn’t usually read, not to mention they’ll kickstart that Goodreads challenge as we approach year end. Wanna novella with us? See below for inspiration, follow me and #NovNov on Twitter, and let us know what you’re reading.
My 2015 novellas
- Ghosts by Cesar Aira (139 pages) Noted novella connoisseur Michael Hingston recommended this to me. I trust his recommendation so much that I dropped $14 on the ebook, which is a little hard to swallow for the length. It is creepy as hell so far.
- Bartleby & Co. by Enrique Vila-Matas (178 pages) Based on this intriguing review by JacquiWine.
- The Poor Clare by Elizabth Gaskell (60 pages) Because I wanted a super-shorty and because it’s Elizabeth Gaskell.
- The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami (96 pages) Is this a novella? I don’t know. But it’s been on my shelf for a year or so.
- The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon (183) Because novellas are short, not easy.
- Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey (119 pages) So I can watch the adaptation.
- Every Day Is For The Thief by Teju Cole(128 pages) Another one that’s been on the shelf far too long.
More novella TBR inspiration
- Check out my Goodreads Novellas in November shelf
- My 2013 novellas
- My 2014 novellas
- The Wandering Bibliophile’s posts from last year’s event
- The Book-A-Week Project’s intro post
You know what I’m missing? CanLit. Where my Canadian novellas at?
Reading in Bed 
I just ordered Cheerful Weather for the Wedding because Kay recommended it and her description made me think of Steel Magnolias–I can’t wait for it to come (aka The Wake is D-A-R-K). Now what is this movie adaptation?
I dunno but it has the mom from Downton Abbey!
Is it just me, or is it hard to find CanLit novellas?
I’m going to try to join in this year, because surely I can fit in a couple novellas this month. And I don’t even know which ones they will be except for The Stranger. It was the only one I searched up that our library had. So, I put in a bunch of requests and now I can’t even remember what they were. I think this will make it even more fun – maybe it will become a tradition. 🙂
Yes, that’s my approach too! Put everything on hold, see what comes in.
I hope you enjoy Bartleby & Co – and thanks for the link, very kind! You’ve got a very diverse selection of novellas on your list – it should keep things interesting for you. I loved Teju’s Cole’s Open City, so it’ll be good to hear your thoughts on Every Day is for the Thief. Happy reading 🙂
It begins! Luckily I get to close my Giller reads and start my Novellas in November reads with the same book: Fifteen Dogs. Really liking it so far!
Do you recall how many novellas you’ve read in previous years? Is 7 a standard amount or is it more/less?
Probably more like five. My list is more a starting point than a goal. I have a bunch more holds that came in too so probably will have a TBR part two!
Count me in! Quattro Books publishes Canadian novellas and could be a good place to start. I’ve read one or two of their books.
Joining this year! Haven’t read too many novellas before so looking for some suggestions!
Thanks!
Laura
http://bit.ly/1StF0vt
Hello! I *did* read a Novella in November, but then I couldn’t remember who was hosting it. It wasn’t until I read your end-of-year wrap-up that I found you again *smile*.
Anyway, I read Alison Croggon’s Navigatio and my review is at http://anzlitlovers.com/2015/12/03/navigatio-by-alison-croggon/
Thanks for hosting:)