I have officially hit my goal of 47 books this year (last year, plus one) and will give a few thoughts about the last few books I finished in 2012. Although I am pleased to have hit my goal, I think next year will feature a much lower goal, with the caveat that I plan to read bigger books.
2012
I really enjoyed my reading this year, but I was disappointed not to have read more big books (more on that below) and that I read so few nonfiction books. I will remedy that next year, but, that said, I did very much enjoy the books I read this year. I read many books I never would have read before and more fiction books in one year than I have read in several. That is all good and I am happy for it, but I do feel like I need to balance it more next year. So, to top off my 2012 reading list, these are the books I finished since my ranking rough draft post, followed by my amended top 5 (we have a new entrant or two!):
* The Half-Made World, by Felix Gilman. This was Dave's assignment to me and I liked it much more than I anticipated. It is my first venture into the "steampunk" genre, although I am told it is a bit of a hybrid. Having never read a "steampunk" book before, I have to take others at their word on that. But, I really enjoyed the Creedmoor character in this book. He was very "Han Solo" and kept the narrative hopping. I really enjoyed the conflict between the orderly "Line" and the chaotic "Gun" as they struggled for the pace of progress. Some very cool visuals remain with me from this book and I plan to read the second book by Gilman in this "world" and have already downloaded it onto my Kindle. This may be my surprise of the year.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling. I have been reading these to Jacob out loud and the boy just cannot get enough. We are already into the seventh and final book. He refused to wait until the New Year. I enjoy these books, but reading them to Jacob and Jen while doing voices and asking Jacob to recount the plot was the real joy. I can see Jacob become enthralled with reading and stories as I read these books to him. He asks questions and at times I have seen him staring at me with wonder as I read an exciting part. Just yesterday he moved to the edge of his seat and got right into my lap as we read a particularly tense scene. His face looked so focused and serious, yet concerned. He was really engaged in the story and always wants another chapter.
The Revolution was Televised, by Alan Sepinwall. This is a book about the 12 TV shows that the author believes to have revolutionized television storytelling. It was interesting to read about the shows I really like and had watched (Lost, The Wire, Mad Men, Battlestar Gallactica, etc.), but just boring to read about shows I have never seen and have no interest in seeing (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Oz, etc.).
The Book of Five Rings, by Miyomoto Musashi. I decided to read this book when I learned from Target Geronimo that this book has a strong following among Navy Seals. It is also short and allowed me to more calmly hit my goal. It was interesting as pearls of wisdom along the lines of The Art of War by Sun Tzu.
Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf. I had a bad experience reading Virginia Woolf in college so I was hesitant to read this one at first. It is a stream-of-conscience book, but very well written and enjoyable. I always like books with different paradigm focuses and I loved how each person in the background revealed a story. I particularly related to the story of a professional who attempts to help those in difficult positions and the complexity of assisting people who may not necessarily want help. It was really well told.
New top 5
5. The Half-Made World, by Felix Gilman.
4. As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner.
3. A Sense of An Ending, by Julian Barnes.
2. The Last Kind Words, by Tom Piccirilli.
1. A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin (I am combining the three books here because I said so).
2013: The Year of the Big Book
My goal for next year will be the minimum of 25. I found myself trying to pace myself with shorter books this year for the sake of my numerical goal. This led to more fiction books than usual, but I did find myself shying away from books I badly want to read so that I would not lose pace. To remedy that, I am simply setting a low annual number goal so that I can avoid pacing as a reason not to read long books.
I was granted a choice for one of my book clubs for February and chose The Pale King, by David Foster Wallace, which is one of the victims of my goal orientation (This book may also get me booted from book club... but, to be fair, injecting DFW into anyone's life can be a bastard thing to do to a person). I will start that book tonight. I also have designs on finishing the published books for the Song of Ice and Fire series. I hope to read the William Manchester series on Winston Churchill; Infinite Jest, by DFW; Washington, by Chernow; Thinking Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahnemann; and several other big books.
I propose we each pick at least one big book (1,000 pages, plus) to finish in 2013. I may even keep a page number count. I will certainly try to eclipse 25 books, but I want to take pacing out of the picture... and get back to my nonfiction roots once again.
Happy reading... and Happy New Year!
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