Book Goals Mid-Year: A Fail
As you may recall, I made one New Year’s resolution when the calendar rolled over to 2010: I wanted to read 26 books this year, which averages out to one every other week.
I’ve reminded myself again why I do not make New Year’s resolutions. I stopped at five books when the weather warmed up. I only read what I had to read for work.
I was excited to jump back into my reading a few weeks ago with my book club’s pick of “The Senator’s Wife,” by Sue Miller. I’m not normally a “Peyton Place” type reader, but I had skipped the two previous book club reads and instead went just for the conversation and food.
This was a bad choice to get me back into reading. I have one word for the book: Creepy.
Another woman at book club felt the same, only her word was: Ick.
It had to be one of the worst books I’ve ever read. I really hate this modern storytelling style of introducing an unlikable character and not giving the reader a reason to like them any better by the end. As a matter of fact, I started off not liking this character and ended up not only loathing her, but also being completely creeped out by her shallowness and lack of remorse for her actions. What’s the point if the character doesn’t learn and grow?
Only two of about a dozen women in our group liked this one.
So, onward and upward, our next book club pick is “Liberating Paris,” by Linda Bloodworth Thomason, a book about a fun loving feminist who sets a small town in Arkansas on its heels (maybe I can learn something!) Initial reviews from a couple of group members were good.
We also have the book, “Lady,” by Thomas Tryon on the docket, as well as “Sophie’s Choice,” by William Styron, so those will be my next reads.
At this point in the year I can only hope to catch up to half of my initial goal. Can I make 13? I’m already at 6. These books are still in my stack to read:
“The Shack,” by William P. Young
“A Big Little Life,” by Dean Koontz
“Breaking the Bank,” by Yona Zelda McDonough
“Strangers Among Us,” by Ruth Montgomery
“Marrying George Clooney: Confessions of a Midlife Crisis,” by Amy Ferris
“The Intention Experiment,” by Lynne McTaggart
“Pieces from an Active Life,” The Bill McKibben Reader
Did you make a book reading goal this year and how are you doing? What’s on your reading list or what have you read that is good so far?
Kerri, go to my blog, Eat, Read and Be Harried (http://www.landguppy.com/eatreadandbeharried). I have several posts about books I've read in the last year. And I really have to update that this weekend with more of what I've been reading. I read at least a book a week, so you have a lot to choose from!
Thanks, Lisa, I'm sure that will give me some really good ideas!
I love a book I can't put down. And I love your 26 books a year goal. Wouldn't it be excellent if you found 26 in a row that were non-put-downable?!
That would definitely be a dream come true!
Kerri, maybe you should redo your goal to either read your book club book or another book in the same span of time.
I love reading at night and in the summer when there's no TV to speak of, I read more. I just finished number 33 for this year and am on track to finish the year with 56 books read.
I have lists all over the place of books I want to read, but the most pressing ones are: Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich, The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch, Small Change by Sheila Roberts and I'm really excited to read Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins when it comes out later this month.
Thanks for the suggestion, Heather. You rock with that goal. I know you will make it this year! Thanks for also sharing your list. Another on mine is "The Lost Dogs," about Michael Vick's dogs and their rescue. It's by Jim Gorant, who wrote the excellent story in Sports Illustrated about the dogs. I've written about some of them and I'm excited to read the whole story on all. It won't be out till September.
When I read a really good book and can look forward to more chapters each evening, that makes me more apt to search out similar good books … right now, I recently finished the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and recommend it except for the last few chapters which kept hammering at a point readers had already gotten. I also enjoyed The Imperfectionists, which I read last month.
The problem when I get a real page turner, is putting it down to do my work!
Thanks for these two suggestions, Alexandra. I will check them out.