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Rabia Gale

alchemical fantasy

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64 books in 52 weeks, and looking ahead

At the beginning of 2009, I committed to reading 52 books in 52 weeks. By the end of the year I had read 64. However, that number does not accurately represent all the reading I did last year. It doesn’t take into account blog posts, magazine articles, anthologies, all the books I only partially read (reasons: I got bored, I was re-reading my favorite parts, I was interested in just a few chapters of a reference book).

The bulk of my reading was in the fantasy genre. No surprise there. Fantasy is my first love, and what I write. I discovered several trilogies and series that I enjoyed–Garth Nix’s Keys of the Kingdom, Angie Sage’s Septimus Heap books, the Crosspointe novels by Diana Pharoah Francis, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn, Nathalie Mallet’s Prince Amir series and Robin Hobbs’ Liveship Traders trilogy. I read Neil Gaiman and Elizabeth Bear for the first time. I rediscovered Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series. A lot of Young Adult and Middle Grade books made it into my reading pile.

I balanced the shorter books with doorstoppers like Charles Dickens and A Suitable Boy. I wanted to read more classics, but only managed a small handful. Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth ranks as the book I’m most ambivalent about, the one I found both fascinating and repulsive. It was like a horrific trainwreck that I couldn’t wrench my gaze away from.

I read some non-fiction, but not as much I would’ve liked. Mark Kurlansky’s Cod and Salt rank as the two of the more enjoyable ones. I only read one book on American history–Joseph Ellis’ American Creation. Outliers was fascinating, Your Child’s Growing Minds was informative and The Creative Habit inspirational. Karen Andreola’s comprehensive A Charlotte Mason Companion rekindled in me the desire for a literature-and-nature-rich education in our home. It made me view parenting and schooling as two sides of the same coin; it brought home to me the importance of character in a child’s education.

My reading goal for 2010 is 75 books (but no beating myself up if I don’t get there), and expand my non-fiction reading. I want to read at least three books each in the categories of American history, creativity and theology. I want to read much more about history and other cultures. I want to read science books (any recommendations?).

If I get any classics in this year, it’ll be gravy.

I’m also changing the way I review books on this blog. I’ll list my monthly reads with little to no commentary, and do separate review posts for those books I feel the need to say a lot about it.

Do you have reading goals for the year?

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Megs - Scattered Bits says

    January 6, 2010 at 3:58 pm

    Read and dissect a minimum of twelve short stories to better understand the craft. (I’m horribly focused when it comes to righting. :shakes head at self: ) And I would like to find and read five new books I’ve never read before that make me love them. The problem has always been finding them. I like a lot of the books I read, but I only love the ones that make me think, feel, lose myself in them, that have amazing characters and relationships and that have something that makes me think about God.

    My all time favorite books are Dream Voyagers by T. Davis Bunn, Joseph by Terri L. Fivash, Ingathering (short stories, but still) by Zenna Henderson, The Brother’s Keeper by Tracy(sp?) Groot, and The Guardian by Jane Hamilton.

    I WANT to double that list. It’s just hard when everybody’s writing romance and suspense. :sighs:

    Reply
  2. David says

    January 6, 2010 at 9:26 pm

    As far as science books go, I’ve heard really good things about Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time”, though I have to confess that I haven’t read it yet. I think we have a copy on the bookshelf. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  3. LisaM says

    January 7, 2010 at 4:19 am

    Reading goals for this year?

    I read some non-fiction, but I don’t usually add the books to my What I’m Reading blog. However, I might think about reading more non-fiction works and adding the books to the blog…

    What was it Holly wrote in one of her emails? Non-fiction is the playground for writers, or something like that. πŸ™‚

    Reply
  4. Rabia says

    January 7, 2010 at 11:53 am

    Megs, I haven’t read *any* of those books on your Forever-Love list. I will have to look them up.

    I’m still getting up the nerve to dissect a novel, as Holly recommends in her HtTS course. I just can’t get over the mental block that it is wrong *wrong* WRONG to write in books!

    I have to say that most of my love-forever books are ones I discovered in my childhood/teen years. I don’t know why–as an adult I seem to have more of a protective shell, I’m more wary of a story’s power to twist at my heart strings. These years, it’s TV shows and music that have the power to deliver an emotional punch to my gut.

    Reply
  5. Rabia says

    January 7, 2010 at 12:00 pm

    David, Sometimes it seems that going through our bookshelves is akin to an archaeological excavation. If you find any A Brief History of Time, just shove it on my nightstand shelf. I’ll find it eventually. πŸ˜€

    Lisa, Holly’s right about non-fiction. That’s where some of the coolest world-building ideas can be found. Myths, legends and fairy tales are another neat source to mine.

    I’ll have to mosey on over to your reading blog.

    Reply
  6. Megs - Scattered Bits says

    January 7, 2010 at 4:17 pm

    Come to think of it, I can add Madeleine L’Engle’s A Ring of Endless Light.

    Okay. One down, four to go.

    Reply
  7. Rabia says

    January 7, 2010 at 4:20 pm

    That was easy. πŸ˜€

    Reply
  8. Megs - Scattered Bits says

    January 10, 2010 at 5:08 pm

    I just spent MONEY. On BOOKS. And on MAGAZINES too!

    My poor little budget is wondering what in the world went wrong with me, but anyway. I bought The Wednesday Letters (fiction) and Angels in the ER (nonfiction). I have set a new goal to get out there, read, and start updating “Bookends” more regularly. My status report looks way too slender: http://writing.smeganpayne.com/5/post/2010/01/bookends-in-review.html. :shakes finger at self, ordering to get back to work:

    Well, once again, you have inspired me. Now, I only have to read, review, write short stories, write a novel, and revise one.

    I’m nuts. Totally, utterly nuts. :collapses after that ridiculously huge list:

    Reply
  9. Rabia says

    January 11, 2010 at 3:35 pm

    Just keep it fun! Reading intentionally is a good exercise, but it shouldn’t become drudgery.

    Reply
  10. Megs - Scattered Bits says

    January 11, 2010 at 5:24 pm

    Always, always. Reading is fun. Not that it doesn’t suck up valuable time, but never can I stop doing it.

    Reply
  11. Megs - Scattered Bits says

    January 11, 2010 at 5:51 pm

    It’s all the writing about it that makes me shake my head at myself. But I seem to be willing to do anything for writing, and to teach myself short stories, I’m trying to analyze.

    Speaking of, I started reading The Wednesday Letters and brain started analyzing! I have to keep telling inner editor to shut up. But HTRYN has awakened the sleeping monster! LOL :shakes head at self:

    Believe it or not, I’m actually having fun.

    Reply

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