I started 2011 with the goal to blog about 52 books in 52 weeks. I’ve just finished my promised 52 books, and it looks like I still have a few weeks left in the year.
I seriously thought about quitting the project at this point. After all, I did complete my goal, but what’s a year’s challenge without finishing the year? I also considered bumping my goal number up slightly, to say 75 or something that would be easy to reach before December. Again, what’s the challenge in easy?
With that in mind, I’ve just bumped up my official goal on Goodreads to 100 books for the year. I kind of doubt I will get that far. I’ll probably read that many books, but I’m not sure how much time I’ll find for blogging once school starts back full time for the fall. And that uncertainty, my friends, is what makes it a challenge.
This morning I was 20-something books ahead on my Goodreads schedule. I added two new books today, but I am now one book behind due to bumping the goal up. I’ve decided not to let that worry me. Maybe I’ll get to 100. Maybe I won’t. It’s okay either way because I already met my original goal. Keeping the goal up to a number than is possible but uncertain will just give me something to wonder about for the rest of the year.
Meanwhile, I’m thinking my January 4 post in which I issued this challenge to myself is pretty funny in that I’ve basically completely ignored the list of books I said I was about to read next. It seems I’m easily distracted even when I’m remaining focused on a goal.
I don’t think there’s any point in saying what I will read next. I might read anything. I will say what I think I’m interested in reading soon, though.
Here are a few items on my current list —
Game of Thrones — This is the fantasy novel everyone is talking about this summer since there is now an HBO series based on it.
A Visit from the Good Squad — It won the Pulitzer Prize.
Absalom, Absalom! — Several people told me this was their favorite Faulkner book, and my friend Andrea said she was going to read it this month, so it’s on my list too.
Swamplandia — Somebody suggested this book. I don’t remember who, but I think it was someone I trust.
Eating Animals — I’m not sure how much I want to read this, but I do want to read other books by the same author, and this one happens to be the only one of his that I own. It was given to me at a book fair. In an effort to keep myself from purchasing too many books too quickly, I’ve made a rule that I can’t buy a book if I already have one by the same author that I’ve never read. That’s a sensible rule, don’t you think?
The Girl in the Blue Beret — I loved Bobbie Ann Mason’s novel about the aftermath of Vietnam. Now years later she’s back with a World War II story. I expect it will be spectacular.
Wolf Hall — I started this book in January and never finished it. I still want to read it, though. It won the Booker Prize, and that’s a prize that hardly ever steers me wrong. When I started this, though, I was listening to the audio version. I’ve decided the audio is just not for me. My attention kept drifting off, and I’d lose the thread of the plot. I generally love audio books, but I can also read quicker and more attentively when I just read the book. Also, some audio narrators are harder to stick with than others. This one, I think, is one I’m going to have to just read.
I’d be extraordinarily surprised if these are actually the books I read next. I change my mind on a daily basis about what comes next. Sometimes I change my mind in the middle of a page. Still, this is a sampling of my current wish list, and I hope I do read most of them by the end of the year. If not, oh well. There’s always next year or the year after.
All I know for sure is that if I’m conscious, I’ll be reading something, and if I want to catch up on my new goal, I guess I’d better get to it.
