ABAW: Reading, Accomplished and Projected

Back in January, my hyper-listing tendencies led to a bizarre (even to me) plan for almost everything I would read for the next year. The full, freakish list is on the wall here next to my computer. I shared the first quarter plan back in January.

What is the point of all this categorization and planning? There are so many books in the world that I want to read. I think if I plan ahead, I can make thoughtful choices that both appeal to my tastes and push me into new territory. Non-fiction in particular is something I don’t always enjoy, so pushing myself to read more non-fiction is healthy. Making a point to balance old and new, familiar and unfamiliar is about making sure that I’m still learning things about literature and maintaining my literary chops. That’s also why I write about the books here on the blog. Most important though, is books are my best writing teachers. The more broadly I read, the more I learn about the art and craft of writing.

Using four categories as guideposts, I planned once again to finish at least one book each week this year. I read all of the projected January books (though not all of them in January), half of the February books, and none of the March books (though I am reading one of them now). Toss in the unplanned books and I’ve finished sixteen books so far this year. But I did stick with the categories.

What I’ve Read So Far This Year:

Something I’ve missed

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Lolita, Daisy Miller

Something I’ve read before

The Great Gatsby, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Pride and Prejudice

Something Recent

Super Sad True Love Story (F), Reading Lolita in Tehran (NF), The Fall (F), The Red Pyramid (F), The Expert’s Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do (NF), Decoded (NF), Alice I Have Been (Hist F)

Recommended or Banned

Leviathan, The Chocolate War, Gossamer

My failure to maintain my plan exactly as planned does not deter me. Here are my second quarter goals.

April

Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

The Next Decade: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going by George Friedman

May

On The Road by Jack Kerouac

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hossein

June

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Skeleton Crew by Stephen King

The Art of British Rock: 50 years of rock posters, flyers, and handbills by Mike Evans and Paul Palmer-Edwards

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

I also hope to pick up some of the books I missed in the first quarter. What are you reading?