Welcome to my Friday feature!
In each weekly post, I explore
my thoughts on several
book-related topics.
As we begin a new year, every bookworm on the planet is once again faced with that most formidable of delightful obstacles, Mount TBR! Every single one of us looks forward to scaling this mountain, but not every dedicated bookworm can be assured of reaching the top....or is it the bottom? Alas, I am one of those who looks upon this project with quite a bit of trepidation, as I am a slow reader.... When I visit other blogs, and notice their "Books Reviewed" section for each month (or week), my jaw drops, and the green-eyed monster rears its ugly little head...... Some book bloggers can read THREE books a week, or more! How is this possible? If I were to really push myself, I might (MIGHT, mind you!) be able to finish ONE book a week, and it could not be a very long one. It would have to be no more than 300 pages or so. Therefore, the highest number of books I would be able to read in one month would be four. Tops. Of course, this means I would not be reading more than 48 books a year......and that mountain looms ever higher!
I can only conclude that those fortunate souls who read so many books have all taken speed reading courses. How else are they able to get so many books under their collective belts in such a short period of time? How else can they attempt to conquer the top of that daunting mountain? But then, no one ever really does reach the summit of Mount TBR. There are far too many great books being published just about every second, so books are constantly being added to the pile.... In my case, I've been adding books for YEARS now! And they're not any closer to being read, either, because I have kept on adding and adding books.... It seems that I have the problem of falling head over heels with every fascinating book I come across, which, of course, I HAVE to own! Of course. No telling when I'll be able to get to it. I tell myself that I will -- someday.
I can hear the collective groans of commiseration all across The Realm of Bookworms. Loud and clear!
So now I'm telling myself that I MUST, definitely MUST, start scaling that mountain, or else start digging at the roots. This is the time for New Year's resolutions, isn't it? Well, I can certainly make my most valiant attempt. Then again, there's a bridge for sale in Brooklyn..... Let me take a sip of my steaming espresso while I chortle, oh, so quietly....
But then again, I have the blood of Don Quijote in my veins! I WILL tilt at this, my own personal windmill! And who knows, I might actually make some headway!
With these courageous and optimistic thoughts in mind, I have hereby come to a momentous decision, a New Year's resolution that I will make every effort to uphold. Well, actually, there are two of these resolutions: 1.) Stop buying, or attempting to win in giveaways, or receiving for review, any more books. 2.) Start reading the books I already own, which, after all, I coveted with all my heart, mind, and soul when I saw them sitting on a bookstore shelf, beckoning to me with their shiny, beautiful new covers, or grinning shamelessly at me from an Amazon or eBay page. There. That should be simple. Nothing to it! Right? Sure, sure, as Jacob Black, from The Twilight Saga, is so fond of saying....
For what it's worth, I hereby present my list (tentatively, timidly, optimistically) of books I MUST read this year! The first three are, I must admit, review commitments I haven't gotten to yet. The others are books that have been languishing on my shelves..... NONE of these are sitting on a Kindle, by the way. I don't own one. I do have a few e-books on my cell phone (oh, bibliophilic heresy!!), but those definitely do NOT count. No, all of the books on this list are REAL, LIVE books, the kind that speak to you when you ruffle the pages, the kind that beckon to you, attempting to drown you in their very depths. These are books that you can hold close to your heart, because they don't inhabit a COLD, lifeless machine.
And here they are! (Except for the first three, I won't necessarily be reading these books in the order listed here.) Since this is an eclectic blog, I have books from several different genres. They all have something in common, though -- I own every single one of them. If you'd like further information on them, simply click on each book's title, and you will be gently and lovingly taken to that book's Goodreads page.
And oh, by the way....this is to be continued! (I have many more books to add to this list....)
I can only conclude that those fortunate souls who read so many books have all taken speed reading courses. How else are they able to get so many books under their collective belts in such a short period of time? How else can they attempt to conquer the top of that daunting mountain? But then, no one ever really does reach the summit of Mount TBR. There are far too many great books being published just about every second, so books are constantly being added to the pile.... In my case, I've been adding books for YEARS now! And they're not any closer to being read, either, because I have kept on adding and adding books.... It seems that I have the problem of falling head over heels with every fascinating book I come across, which, of course, I HAVE to own! Of course. No telling when I'll be able to get to it. I tell myself that I will -- someday.
I can hear the collective groans of commiseration all across The Realm of Bookworms. Loud and clear!
So now I'm telling myself that I MUST, definitely MUST, start scaling that mountain, or else start digging at the roots. This is the time for New Year's resolutions, isn't it? Well, I can certainly make my most valiant attempt. Then again, there's a bridge for sale in Brooklyn..... Let me take a sip of my steaming espresso while I chortle, oh, so quietly....
But then again, I have the blood of Don Quijote in my veins! I WILL tilt at this, my own personal windmill! And who knows, I might actually make some headway!
With these courageous and optimistic thoughts in mind, I have hereby come to a momentous decision, a New Year's resolution that I will make every effort to uphold. Well, actually, there are two of these resolutions: 1.) Stop buying, or attempting to win in giveaways, or receiving for review, any more books. 2.) Start reading the books I already own, which, after all, I coveted with all my heart, mind, and soul when I saw them sitting on a bookstore shelf, beckoning to me with their shiny, beautiful new covers, or grinning shamelessly at me from an Amazon or eBay page. There. That should be simple. Nothing to it! Right? Sure, sure, as Jacob Black, from The Twilight Saga, is so fond of saying....
For what it's worth, I hereby present my list (tentatively, timidly, optimistically) of books I MUST read this year! The first three are, I must admit, review commitments I haven't gotten to yet. The others are books that have been languishing on my shelves..... NONE of these are sitting on a Kindle, by the way. I don't own one. I do have a few e-books on my cell phone (oh, bibliophilic heresy!!), but those definitely do NOT count. No, all of the books on this list are REAL, LIVE books, the kind that speak to you when you ruffle the pages, the kind that beckon to you, attempting to drown you in their very depths. These are books that you can hold close to your heart, because they don't inhabit a COLD, lifeless machine.
And here they are! (Except for the first three, I won't necessarily be reading these books in the order listed here.) Since this is an eclectic blog, I have books from several different genres. They all have something in common, though -- I own every single one of them. If you'd like further information on them, simply click on each book's title, and you will be gently and lovingly taken to that book's Goodreads page.
And oh, by the way....this is to be continued! (I have many more books to add to this list....)
1. A Thousand Pieces of You - Claudia Gray
2. The Wanderer's Children - L.G. O'Connor
3. The Deadly Sisterhood - Leonie Frieda
4. Forecast - Elise Stephens
5. The Creation of Eve - Lynn Cullen
6. Concerning the Spiritual in Art - Wassily Kandinsky
7. Awaken (Abandon Trilogy, #3) - Meg Cabot
8. Siege and Storm (The Grisha, #2) - Leigh Bardugo
9. Ruin and Rising (The Grisha, #3) - Leigh Bardugo
10. The Second Sex - Simone de Beauvoir
11. Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh - Joyce A. Tyldesley
12. My Name Is Asher Lev - Chaim Potok
13. Pro-Life Feminism - Gail Grenier-Sweet
14. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
15. The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende
16. Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin
17. A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller, Jr.
18. Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
19. Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
20. 2312 - Kim Stanley Robinson
What do you think of my list?
Have you read any of these books?
If so, what did you think of them?
I very much relate to your trials and tribulations here.
ReplyDeleteI more or less have a list of classics that I want to read to read plus alot of non fiction that I know about. Even if I do not count the books that I will become aware of in the future, I do not have enough time to read them all in my lifetime!
I alas, I am a relatively slow reader too. I realized the other day that I tend to read really long books which might create the illusion that I am slower then I actually am. As an example I am currently reading The Last Chronicle of Barset. It is 928 pages long! Blogging also slows me down.
You haver some great looking books on your list. I only read A Canticle for Leibowitz when I was much younger. I do remember it as being an extraordinary book.
Hey, Brian!
ReplyDeleteIt's precisely the thought of not being able to read all of my books in my lifetime that really saddens me.... Unfortunately, there are things in "the real world" (UGH) that take us readers away from our beloved books.....Yes, I do wish I could live in an ivory tower, even though that type of mentality has been criticized in certain circles!
The thing about reading more slowly has its pros and cons. True, you get fewer books under your belt. On the other hand, you do get to savor a book. Of course, not all books deserve to be savored; only quality books do. I tell myself these things so as to make myself feel better about being a slow reader.....lol.
You're reading a 928-page book?! I had no idea Trollope had written such a tome! Well, you certainly deserve admiration for that!!
I'm glad you like some of the books on my list (I'm adding more this week)! As you can see, I have very eclectic tastes. I really need to get to "The Second Sex" this year, and "2312", as well. As for "A Canticle for Leibowitz", I must confess to having read it years ago, but it's well worth another read. It's a GREAT science fiction novel! And that reminds me....I really should add "Stranger In A Strange Land" to the list, as it's another favorite of mine. I'm considering adding "Childhood's End", which would be another re-read, but that novel scared me the first time I read it.
And so the reading saga continues..... "As The Books Turn".....
Thanks for the great comment!! :: )