I usually wait until mid to late January before posting my reading plans or goals. Mainly because I'm very optimistic about my superhuman capabilities during the start of a new year but much of that enthusiasm fades over the next couple of weeks. I tend to believe I can read more than ever but reality is usually closer to how much I averaged in previous years. So, to allow myself the opportunity to dream big and then plan well, I take the ambitious goals for a road test during the first couple of weeks of the year. If they still look achievable, great! If not, I will part ways with those that are a stretch. The numbers I have an arbitrary number set in Goodreads for this year but it's not a number I will quote as I tend to change it often and it is intended to factor in the many picture books I read with my kids. But that said, there are three numbers I would like to improve this year (last year's stats in parentheses) - total number of pages read (approx. 11k), average n
So far 2013 has started out well for me. At least, for the first time in over a year, my Goodreads reading challenge widget tells be that I am 1 book ahead. I randomly set 50 as my target for the year, but I expect the actual number may be higher because I am listening to a lot of audiobooks currently. I'm beginning to love listening to nonfiction in the car, especially narrative nonfiction, so I've been eagerly looking at my library catalogs for the next read.
This week I read...- The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton: I know Morton has many fans and I've always wanted to read one of her books, but it took a book club monthly read to finally get me to pick one of her books. I have to say - I absolutely loved The Secret Keeper, which has quite an intriguing suspense and managed to be a page-turner right to the last page.
- Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool: I picked this one mainly because Vanderpool won the Newbery Award a year or two back and I have pretty good success with Newbery winning authors. Unfortunately, it took a long time before Navigating Early began to hold my attention. I had almost given up on this title.
Currently I'm reading...- The Road by Cormac McCarthy: I spent this weekend getting my ebook collection in order (thanks to Calibre) and found a copy of The Road languishing there. I'm about a quarter into this book and although it took me a while to warm up to the writing, I can see why this book is considered a master - I could almost feel the sense of loss and desolation that is prevalent in this book.
- The Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal: I have been listening to this book since the mid of December but that's only because the book is really long and I only listen to about 30-40 minutes per weekday. At this point, I'm wishing for it to get over soon, mainly because the protagonist who has been conning people for years is getting on my nerves and I'm beginning to feel as annoyed as Man of la Book was with him.
Purchased- Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell: I've heard about Mitchell's sagas for as long as I have been blogging and I love sagas! I love anything that spans a century at least and it's interesting how the authors connect things from different time periods. This one may or may not fall into that category but I'm intrigued.
Picked at the Library
- The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
- Atmospheric disturbances by Rivka Glachen
- Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez
Comments
Yes, The Road is SO good. So bleak, but so good. :-)