Happy New Year!
Well, another year is over. I didn't accomplish my reading goals, but I came pretty close. I'm satisfied.50 New Books
Not quite: I read 50 books total, including 3 re-reads.
Best: I Capture the Castle/Hunger Games Trilogy
Worst: Shadow of the Wind/A Lady of Persuasion
Best: I Capture the Castle/Hunger Games Trilogy
Worst: Shadow of the Wind/A Lady of Persuasion
6 Non-Fiction Titles
Yes!
4 White Whales
Not quite: read 2, started a third. I don't think I'll ever get around to reading those Russians.
Roald Dahl Catalog
Nope. I didn't even actually try to do this in the end. My enthusiasm for Dahl's work sort of petered out by very early in the year.
For 2011, my reading goals will be:
- 50 books total
- 8 non-fiction
- 4 white whales (probably Madame Bovary, Wind Up Bird Chronicle, Anna Karenina (again), and TBD)
- The rest of Fitzgerald
Bovary and WUBC are actually not so bad. And well, when it comes to the Russians, you know I'm biased. Mine would be Don Quijote, and like, Pynchon or something.
ReplyDeleteI've started WUBC no fewer than 5 times. I'm very hopeful about 2011's 6th effort. As for Bovary (3 previous attempts), I'm currently about 20% into the new Lydia Davis translation and enjoying it a great deal. Report to come!
ReplyDeleteOh! I would say don't give up on Dahl. His stuff is still among my favorites. But I understand if you're not in the mood :)
ReplyDeleteI applaud your tackling of the white whales. I got a Kindle recently, which is terribly fun. I downloaded a bunch of the "oldies but goodies" (aka the freebies). I am most of the way through Sons & Lovers. But was really slogging in the middle. I'm having mixed feelings about Lawrence.
Wind Up Bird... sigh, I still haven't picked up again. I made it through half, about, but felt too abused in general by Murakami.
Thanks for posting all these reviews! Now that I'm getting into reading again, I marvel at your tempo.
Rach,
ReplyDeleteI too feel abused by WUBC, but feel left out for not having read it (of what, I don't know). I am determined get through it one day, hopefully that day will be in 2011.
As for Dahl, I will likely get around to his whole body of work. I haven't met a book of his I didn't like. I just, as you mentioned, haven't been in the mood.
Hooray for your Kindle! I am a big fan of mine, though I admit I often still buy books. Sometimes, I just want to turn pages, you know?
I've read a bunch of Murakami, and you know, if you read WUBC that's really all you need to get a sense of his work - I'm pretty sure most of his books are variations (and lesser ones) of it. Kind of like Auster that way.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yay that my book club pick made the BEST list!