It’s a new year! Some people make resolutions, and some people resolve not to make them ever. I prefer making general goals rather than specific ones, that way I don’t feel as crushed when I inevitably mess up at “wearing makeup every day like a grown up lady” or “only having one Coca-Cola a week” or “not drinking before 11 AM” etc. Like this year, I “resolved” to read more books. Not really a specific number, just more.
My attention span has shrunk significantly, and I find myself reading a lot of short articles on the A.V. Club or Slate all day but not having the concentration to read a book all the way through. Or most of the way. I did set a number on Goodreads though, of 40 books for the year. Some of you may find this heinously small. But I thought it was a nice one.
To help me out with both my reading goals and to inspire my writing, I purchased The Best American Short Stories for 2012 last night. It looks like the price has gone back up again sadly but yesterday it was $1.99! A steal. I have read one story already and I think this will be a good way to help me get back into reading something that isn’t a review of a TV show or letters from people who make me feel way better about my life by comparison.
So… what are you reading? Do you have a guilty pleasure read? (Come on. We know all about your Downton Abbey fanfic. It’s okay.) Have you read anything other than the back of the cereal box lately? Feel free to show off if you decided to plow through Les Miserables before seeing the movie; the rest of us will try to shower you with praise and conceal our irritation with your over-achievement.
Jan 25, 2013 @ 14:43:48
I read Emokah v. Mukasey. A fascinating short story about a guy who got kicked out of the country.
Jan 25, 2013 @ 15:19:24
I’m a YA writer, so I find myself reading a lot of YA lit. The latest was Bayou Suzette – a very quick and entertaining story by Lois Lenski.
I have to admit – I vowed to read War and Peace in 2009, but didn’t even open the book. I’m sorry – Russian lit just doesn’t do it for me. I did, however, read Nausea in French. :D
Jan 25, 2013 @ 17:21:59
Lately- a lot of head candy (dreck really) in the form of Christina Dodd (very explicit sex with men who later turn into eagles and panthers and such). Slightly less dreck-y is Karen Chance: chase and fight scenes and sex with Vampires. To elevate the intelligence of my book list, I am reading American Food Writing by Molly O’niell, great collection of food essays and articles that are funny, informative and hunger inducing. And the book that is keeping me above the complete drivel marker is Little Women. I have at last cracked open the copy that Aunt Carolyn gave me on my 9th birthday (33 years ago-gasp!), I have carted along through every move because it is a beautiful book, and I have enjoyed everything else by Louisa May Alcott and have always had the best of intentions, blah blah blah…Guess what? It’s quite good, it has all of the wit and fun of Jane Austen, but its easier to read.
Jan 25, 2013 @ 18:33:44
I realized I miss real paper books, the Kindle was not inspiring me to pick it up and finish the 5 books languishing there. Thank goodness for Karen who supplied me with a great set of above average mysteries, the Miss Winter series. For light evening reading I am one third the way through Team of Rivals, the story of President Lincoln and his cabinet. Doris Kerns Goodwin makes history very readable.
Jan 27, 2013 @ 10:44:39
I resolved to read 50 books in a year on GoodReads because I managed to do that last year and it stressed me out so much when it told me how many books I was behind I decided not to increase it to anything higher…
I have this HUGE list of ya books from Cobalt’s sister who went to this ya book conference and came back with this epic booklet of all the books that came out last year. I wrote down the ones I found interesting and now I am slowly working my way through those…. :-/