Start Date: 1 September 2022.
I want to try and read a book from every year I can from 1800 onwards. If I read a book from earlier, I will add them, but I won’t make a line for every year. I will start with the current year and count back.
This is an ongoing project, just for my own amusement and to keep things interesting. I am hoping it will help me read more consciously across the centuries.
I will try and read a book of 100+ pages. If I read a shorter work I will record it, but I will add a note, with a hope to replace it with a longer work later. I will see how it goes.
I am expecting anything from 2000 onwards will get filled up quite quickly. Anything before that may take me a while!
21st CENTURY
- 2024 – The Magic All Around (Jennifer Moorman)
- 2023 – Small Worlds (Caleb Azumah Nelson)
- 2022 – The Marriage Portrait (Maggie O’Farrell)
- 2021 – A Little Devil in America (Hanif Abdurraqib)
- 2020 – A Ghost in the Throat (Doireann Ní Ghríofa)
- 2019 – Mudlarking (Lara Maiklem)
- 2018 – Clean (Juno Dawson)
- 2017 – Wonderland (Brett Westwood & Stephen Moss)
- 2016 – Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi)
- 2015 – Night Owls (Jenn Bennett)
- 2014 – Snow Like Ashes (Sara Raasch)
- 2013 – The Visitor (Katherine Stansfield)
- 2012 – Equal of the Sun (Anita Amirrezvani)
- 2011 – To The River (Olivia Laing)
- 2010 – Bearers of the Black Staff (Terry Brooks)
- 2009 – A River Dies of Thirst (Mahmoud Darwish)
- 2008 – The Angel’s Game (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)
- 2007 – The Elves of Cintra (Terry Brooks)
- 2006 – Armageddon’s Children (Terry Brooks)
- 2005 – Marriage Most Scandalous (Johanna Lindsey)
- 2004 – Blood Red Horse (K M Grant)
- 2003
- 2002 – Fingersmith (Sarah Waters)
- 2001 – Fool’s Errand (Robin Hobb)
- 2000 – Ship of Destiny (Robin Hobb)
20th CENTURY
- 1999 – Waterlog (Roger Deakin)
- 1998 – Ship of Magic (Robin Hobb)
- 1997
- 1996 – First King of Shannara (Terry Brooks)
- 1995
- 1994 – The Lady Chapel (Candace Robb)
- 1993 – The Apothecary Rose (Candace Robb)
- 1992
- 1991
- 1990
- 1989
- 1988
- 1987 – Sarum (Edward Rutherford)
- 1986 – Daggerspell (Katharine Kerr)
- 1985 – Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel García Márquez)
- 1984
- 1983 – The Colour of Magic (Terry Pratchett)
- 1982
- 1981
- 1980
- 1979 – Kindred (Octavia E Butler)
- 1978
- 1977 – In Patagonia (Bruce Chatwin)
- 1976
- 1975
- 1974
- 1973
- 1972
- 1971 – Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Hunter S Thompson)
- 1970
- 1969 – Travels with my Aunt (Graham Greene)
- 1968
- 1967
- 1966
- 1965
- 1964
- 1963
- 1962
- 1961
- 1960
- 1959 – Cider with Rosie (Laurie Lee)
- 1958
- 1957
- 1956 – My Family and Other Animals (Gerald Durrell)
- 1955 – Pedro Páramo (Juan Rulfo)
- 1954
- 1953
- 1952
- 1951
- 1950
- 1949
- 1948 – The Makioka Sisters (Jun’ichiro Tanizaki)
- 1947
- 1946
- 1945
- 1944 – Fictions (Jorge Luis Borges)
- 1943 – Near to the Wild Heart (Clarice Lispector)
- 1942 – Drinkers of the Wind (Carl R Raswan)
- 1941
- 1940
- 1939 – The Book of Paradise (Itzik Manger)
- 1938
- 1937
- 1936 – The ABC Murders (Agatha Christie)
- 1935
- 1934
- 1933
- 1932
- 1931
- 1930
- 1929
- 1928
- 1927
- 1926
- 1925 – Mrs Dalloway (Virginia Woolf)
- 1924 – Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (Pablo Neruda) 89 pages
- 1923
- 1922
- 1921
- 1920 – The Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton)
- 1919
- 1918
- 1917
- 1916
- 1915 – The Metamorphisis (Franz Kafka)
- 1914
- 1913 – Poems to Night (Rainer Maria Rilke) 96 pages
- 1912
- 1911 – The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
- 1910
- 1909
- 1908 – The Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame)
- 1907
- 1906
- 1905
- 1904
- 1903
- 1902
- 1901 – The Making of a Marchioness (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
- 1900
19th CENTURY
- 1899 – Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)
- 1898
- 1897
- 1896
- 1895
- 1894
- 1893
- 1892
- 1891
- 1890
- 1889
- 1888
- 1887
- 1886
- 1885
- 1884
- 1883
- 1882
- 1881
- 1880
- 1879
- 1878 – Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
- 1877
- 1876
- 1875
- 1874
- 1873
- 1872 – Carmilla (J Sheridan Le Fanu) 124 pages
- 1871
- 1870
- 1869
- 1868
- 1867
- 1866
- 1865
- 1864
- 1863
- 1862 – Goblin Market and Other Poems (Christina Rossetti)
- 1861
- 1860
- 1859 – The Woman in White (Wilkie Collins)
- 1858
- 1857
- 1856
- 1855
- 1854
- 1853 – Cranford (Elizabeth Gaskell)
- 1852
- 1851
- 1850
- 1849
- 1848
- 1847
- 1846
- 1845
- 1844
- 1843 – A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)
- 1842
- 1841
- 1840
- 1839
- 1838
- 1837
- 1836
- 1835
- 1834
- 1833
- 1832
- 1831
- 1830
- 1829
- 1828
- 1827
- 1826
- 1825
- 1824
- 1823
- 1822
- 1821
- 1820
- 1819
- 1818
- 1817 – Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen)
- 1816
- 1815
- 1814 – Mansfield Park (Jane Austen)
- 1813
- 1812
- 1811
- 1810
- 1809
- 1808
- 1807
- 1806
- 1805
- 1804
- 1803
- 1802
- 1801
- 1800
PRE-1800