It’s a new year and I’m using this turn-a-new-leaf time to write my first post for The Sunday Salon. These are some of my favorite posts from other bloggers and I want to join in the fun. The description of the Sunday Salon is one of a mini-readathon, but I’ve noticed that most use it as a sort of weekly recap or a place to discuss a particular idea. So if I’m doing it wrong, let me know, but I’m taking my cue from loads of other book bloggrers.
This week has been a bad one for reading and a good one for blogging so I guess overall it’s been an average week.
Reading
Despite the limited time spent at work, I still didn’t manage to finish a book (a feat I last accomplished on December 5 – how sad). I am currently reading:
It is my goal of the day to get to page 600 in The Sweet Far Thing. That’s about 125 pages and will bring me 200 pages from the end and is certainly possible if I can just sit down and do it. I must say I’m not enjoying this book very much and only want to finish it because it’s the last in a trilogy.
Blogging
This could very possibly be the most I’ve written in one week. This week I told you about my Christmas goodies both in book form and reading related. I shared my favorite books of 2009 and my reading stats for the year. My favorite post (and most visited by you) is my husband’s guest post sharing his favorite books of 2009. I’m glad you all enjoyed hearing from him and left encouraging comments.
I loved reading everyone’s end of the year recaps. This might be my favorite time of the year to open my google reader.
Goals
Everyone is talking about their reading goals for the new year. I don’t want to set myself any numeric goals because I’ve learned that I can’t predict how much time I’ll have to read. Instead, I want to set a few guidelines that can apply no matter how much I read and list a few books/authors that I hope to get to in 2010.
- I want to read more adult literature than young adult/middle grade. While I love YA/MG books, I felt like I got a little distracted from other books in 2009. So it doesn’t matter if it’s one book more or 30 books more, I just want to read more adult literature than not.
- I’m aiming for 20% of my books to be classics. That’s a little better than I did in 2009.
- And I’m aiming for 15% of my books to me nonfiction/memoir v. fiction. I’m trying to broaden my reading horizon.
- Specific authors: Margaret Atwood (never read); Isabelle Allende (never read); Kurt Vonnegut (haven’t read in awhile)
- Specific books: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld; The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein; David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (my one daunting read for the year) ; Finish the last 5 Betsy-Tacy books; The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
While I didn’t meet all of last year’s goals, I did like having them as a guide, so that’s all this is: a guideline. If I don’t meet it, no worries. I’ve also joined a few challenges so with these guidelines and the challenge requirements, I think my year is on the right track. If only I could finish The Sweet Far Thing.
my books. my life. 
I love your goals. I feel like I got distracted with YA last year and felt strange when I realized I didn’t read that much of it. Atwood is an author I really want to read this year after having so many bloggers recommend her to me. Good luck with all your goals.
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Thanks. I’ve always read a fair amount of YA but I was surprised by how much MG I read last year.
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Your 3 specific authors are three of my favorites! Atwood will show up on my “Best of 2009” list when I post it. I can’t wait to read your posts about whichever books you pick. If you want to go a little off the beaten path with Vonnegut, Mother Night is excellent. Any of his will be a treat though.
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Mother Night was actually the one I was planning on reading next.
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Ugh, I hate it when the last book in the series feels like a struggle to get through. But I also understand the need to finish a series. Good luck!
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The worst part is that my first read of 2010 is going to be a disappointing one.
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You´re right, everyones lists are really fun. I hope you´ll like Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid´s Tale is a great way to get into her works. Looks like you have great goals for this year. Good luck! 🙂
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I think The Handmaid’s Tale will be my first read of her’s. Thanks for the encouragement.
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I agree, I think it would be a great way to start Atwood.
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I didn’t really enjoy The Sweet Far Thing either, but I liked the first two books in the series. Can’t remember why I didn’t like it though because I read it in 2008 and I can’t think back that far!
Those are good goals. I think you will enjoy both Atwood and Allende, of Allende I’ve only read The House of Spirits by Allende but it’s going to make my best reads of 2009 post when I finally get it done. I second the recommendations for The Handmaid’s Tale, also if you like historical fiction Alias Grace is quite interesting.
My first read of 2010 was a disappointing one too. I couldn’t wait to get it over with. Hopefully it doesn’t set the tone for my year of reading!
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That’s to bad that you are stuck in a book that you are not particularly enjoying. i really dislike that when it happen. I think I have the first book in this Libba Bray series, so I am glad that you enjoyed the others. Good luck finishing it and on the rest of your goals for 2010.
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Great goals! I love that you’re aiming to read David Copperfield this year. It took me a while to read it, but I loved it. I recommend reading it in the winter – it’s much cozier in the winter. (I know you don’t get much of a winter down there – but it’s got to be cooler than the summer, right? 😀 )
I also love that you’re planning on reading the rest of the Betsy-Tacy books.
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Interesting reading goals! I like the fact that you have made a guideline rather than strict goals – I guess they will gently nudge you to read more while being flexible at the same time. Your choice of authors to read – Margaret Atwood, Isabelle Allende, Kurt Vonnegut – is wonderful! Nice to see ‘David Copperfield’ in your ‘TBR’ list for the year 🙂 I have Dickens’ ‘The Pickwick Papers’ on my list.
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I think I’d like to read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. Are you enjoying it?
I remember liking The Sweet Far Thing when I read it last year… But I honestly can’t remember much of it (maybe that’s a bad sign ;)).
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