2013 is looming, and I thought that I might get more read if I really sat down and though about what I’d like to read this year. I finished over 100 books last year, according to the journals I’ve kept on this site. So, what’s the plan?
Textbooks: let’s get these out of the way. I’m doing some Coursera on disruptive technology and need to finish a couple of books on how technology is going to transform libraries in ways you’ll love, but my co-workers – and possibly I - will hate.
Books I meant to get to: I must read “The Night Circus”, ”The Atrocity Archive” and “Dodger”.
Reading Challenges: I’m going to try for six books by Australian women authors this year. Probably “First Man of Rome”, but probably als some Kylie Chan.
…so that’s 10% of the reading for the year sorted out.
Anyone else have plans for the year?
Loved your choice for next year and I am going to read “The First Man of Rome” and “The Dodger” but “The Atrocity Archives”, couldn’t find that title in the library list. I have so many books chosen from Book Coasters and past News Letters to keep me reading until 2015….or more.
Estelle
Estelle, I can’t see how to get WordPress to let me put embedded links in comments until after I’ve sent them, so here’s an ugly looking link for The Atrocity Archives:
https://gcccopac.sirsidynix.net.au/uhtbin/cgisirsi.exe/x/0/0/5?srcfield1=%5etitle&searchdata1=((atrocity)%7bti%7d)AND((stross)%7bau%7d)
Basically it’s about a section of the UK government which keeps Cthulhu Mythos horrors at bay, but using computers which can cast spells. So, your smartphone is a spellbook, in their world.
Hi Timothy
I’m so glad you’re signing up again for the Australian Women Writer’s challenge.
Have you see the AWW feedback survey? It’s to give information to Bookseller & Publisher on the impact of Australian women’s writing in 2012, and they are particularly eager to have responses from libraries: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VLQYMQG
If anyone else on your staff can find the few minutes to fill it out, please ask them – it’s open to all, not just AWW participants. It’s only 10 questions, mostly check boxes, so it’s very quick.
Responses are very much appreciated (and especially from male readers).
I’ve already done the survey. I put myself down as an incomplete, because I’ve read 8 of the 10 I’d planned to do. I suppose I might get another two in (particularly if I cheaton my self-imposed “only authors you have not read before” rule and choose some by Mem Fox)
This year its been mostly classics. Next year I will try some more modern stuff I think, but I really do want to finally get into the Roman series by Collen McCullough, and First Australians, which were going to be my last two this year.
I’ve been putting off my competition ending post because I thought over the Christmas break I might sneak an extra through, but I have a writing project that just won’t bed down, so I’ll do a final post on this challenge for the year in the next week or so, and then start fresh next year with the two that got away.
I just saw your survey response! Still, if you wouldn’t mind sharing the survey at work, it would be wonderful to get extra library responses.
Do you need any suggestions for picture books that would help you achieve your quota? Frances Watts’ Goodnight, Mice! won the Prime Minister’s award earlier this year, and Wendy Orr just tweeted about a stunning book, The Selfish Giant, which looks excellent: http://wendyorrjournal.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/the-selfish-giant-lives-again-art-of.html
Your library might have them.
Oh, I’ve read “The selfish giant”! I didn’t pick up on the author being Australian.
Yes, children’s picture books might be the way to sneak under the line. 8) I’ll chase up “Goodnight, mice”.
Ah, I knew I’d read it: it’s by oscar Wilde. Gorgeous illustrations in the new version, though.
Ah, yes, it’s the illustrator who is Australian! I should have remembered that title.
Well, Timothy, I have to agree that it’s a great idea to have a plan.
I am scared of my to-be-read list, though – it was less terrifying when it was all on assorted scraps of paper, but now I have typed it up in goodreads.com and it is still incomplete, but has over 50 titles on it. Sigh. And more and more books come out all the time. And they are so shiny and irresistible.
Anyway, the focus of my plan is this – I shall read at least one book by each of the authors who are coming to the Gold Coast Libraries’ Literati event in May (so, once we have determined who they are, that will be 20 – and at least half will be Australian women) and I will read the book of the month for each of the ABC Coast FM book clubs (so that’s another 10 – and 4 of the first 5 I have organised so far are Australian women writers, including Kylie Chan: the new graphic novel she has written, illustrated by Queenie Chan, will be one of them).
I also want ot read The Woman Who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde, and I hope he has the sequel to Shades of Grey, Painting by Numbers, out in 2013. (Nope, just checked, and I shouldn’t expect it anytime soon – rats!) I want to read the next of Patricia Brigg’s Mercedes Thompson books, the next October Daye story by Seanan McGuire, and I can’t wait for the next C.S. Harris. In fact, there’s quite a few series that I will be excited to get the next installment for.
By the way, The Night Circus is on my TBR list as well – I have reached critical mass of people telling me I have to read it because I will love it. So now it’s in the 2013 plan.
Adding to the plan for next year: “With the light: raising an autistic child”. It’s a Japanese graphic novel series about a family who notice their child doesn’t play the same way as other children, and how they work through their feelings as they come to terms with their baby’s disability. The series continues for eight or so volumes, which brings their child through school, adolesence and into adulthood, but I’ll start with one and see how it goes.