Maryom's New Year's Reading Plans

I'm going to be hitting the New Year running with several 2014 publications read and ready to review - The Lemon Grove by Helen Walsh, Adele Parks' Spare Brides and Donal Ryan's The Thing About December for starters - all very very good in their differing ways.

This site is primarily about reviewing newly-published books kindly supplied by authors, publishers and publicists.This year though I want to find time for a bit of 'extra-curricular' reading.
Firstly, some of the stash of my own books that's constantly being added to but never read. I've made a good start on this by having already read one of my booky Christmas presents Blood Red, Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick but I have a huge pile of books picked up here and there, books I really want to read but that get ignored in favour of 'review' books.

Secondly, I want to catch up on some highly recommended books/authors that I've never read. No matter how many books you read, there's always some that slip the net. So this is a starting list and if anyone has other suggestions feel free to make them....

Deborah Moggach - because I won a stack of her novels in a Hay Festival-related competition
Steinbeck (though I did read some back in school) and Chekhov's short stories, both favourites of Rob Around Books ,
Donna Tartt, recommended by crime writer Steven Dunne who said I 'must read' The Secret History and books that other bloggers have included in their 'picks of the year' - for example; Proxima by Stephen Baxter and Abominable by Dan Simmons recommended on the For Winter Nights blog 

Thirdly, if there's any time left, to revisit some old favourites. My shelves are stacked with books I love but haven't reread in years. They need to be aired once in a while.