Unbelievably enough (no, seriously, I really don't believe it), I am caught up! I am ahead! I've read more than 50 list books this year so far and June is NOT YET OVER! Let's all pause for a moment and let that sink in.
I don't really know how I turned this around; I got more organized which made things easier (reading is almost easier than dealing with getting the books, so streamlining things helps a lot). I also read some really, really short books. Still, given how far behind I was, it's kind of amazing.
I suppose one key point that I should acknowledge is that I'm counting two books that I had read a long time ago (like, 1984, which I read ages ago) and had failed to log. So one could argue that I didn't actually catch up; additionally, many, many of my milestones have been noted incorrectly (e.g. the book I thought was the 500th was actually the 501st, so go figure).
Fortunately, since I make the rules for this little project, I get to not really care at all. I am incredibly untroubled by the incorrectness of those milestone celebrations and I am more than happy to count those two books for this year.
At a more macro scale, I'm at 689 books for the project. I really, really want to cross that 700 threshold. I'm most excited for crossing 750 and being in that final 25% of the project, but I feel like 700 will also feel like a tipping point.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
I guess I can't believe you really came/ And that we're sitting on this pier/ See, I'm smiling/ That means I'm happy that you're here
Recently I did the conditioning test at the rig (still conflicted about things, but doing that test on that particular day made me feel strong and triumphant, so I'll take it). I wouldn't say that it was anti-climatic exactly, but at the same time as I've written before, getting to pull-ups felt like something that just suddenly happened.
In some ways, getting stronger is very nice. I like feeling strong. I like doing pull-ups. I like being able to do pull-ups. I like being able (well, less unable) to base someone doing back balance in static trapeze. I like feeling strong and brave and being able to cradle in the ropes up high (for me) and being able to finally, finally fly shoulder stand and feel calm and controlled and strong (hahaha, it doesn't really take strength). I like the confidence that comes with being stronger than I need to be for things that used to be hard. I like how I feel safer attempting static now.
And yet.....
I also recently went to the doctor; I make it a point to never weigh myself. It's not good for my mental health, and I really try to just focus on having a healthy relationship with food and exercise and my body, and that's enough, thank you very much. So I hadn't known my weight in a year. And I weigh about 3lbs more than last year.
Optimally, it would be great for that to not matter. Objectively, it shouldn't. Knowing what I know about muscle density versus fat and how much muscle I likely gained given the training regime I've been doing for the past five months and the strength gains I've seen, I know that I've likely lost around 5-7lbs of fat and weighing more is actually progress to being fitter.
And yet.....
I'll probably never feel that way about weighing more. I was going to write "and maybe that's okay," but I don't know, I guess maybe it is and maybe it isn't, and meanwhile I'm just trying to focus on the positive. I am stronger and braver and maybe for now that's enough.
In some ways, getting stronger is very nice. I like feeling strong. I like doing pull-ups. I like being able to do pull-ups. I like being able (well, less unable) to base someone doing back balance in static trapeze. I like feeling strong and brave and being able to cradle in the ropes up high (for me) and being able to finally, finally fly shoulder stand and feel calm and controlled and strong (hahaha, it doesn't really take strength). I like the confidence that comes with being stronger than I need to be for things that used to be hard. I like how I feel safer attempting static now.
And yet.....
I also recently went to the doctor; I make it a point to never weigh myself. It's not good for my mental health, and I really try to just focus on having a healthy relationship with food and exercise and my body, and that's enough, thank you very much. So I hadn't known my weight in a year. And I weigh about 3lbs more than last year.
Optimally, it would be great for that to not matter. Objectively, it shouldn't. Knowing what I know about muscle density versus fat and how much muscle I likely gained given the training regime I've been doing for the past five months and the strength gains I've seen, I know that I've likely lost around 5-7lbs of fat and weighing more is actually progress to being fitter.
And yet.....
I'll probably never feel that way about weighing more. I was going to write "and maybe that's okay," but I don't know, I guess maybe it is and maybe it isn't, and meanwhile I'm just trying to focus on the positive. I am stronger and braver and maybe for now that's enough.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
I could never rescue you/ All you ever wanted/ But I could never rescue you/ No matter how I tried
Since I've not been reading as much as I should lately (#storyof2015 #failingatlife), here's a some random thoughts on another topic.
First, I should preface this story by explaining that my brother Josh and I are not time travelers from the future post-zombie apocalypse world, nor did we grow up in a survivalist cult. I really can't explain why we both have this same quirk.
But, for whatever reason, Josh and I both take an oddly post-apocalyptic/under siege approach to our daily lives (Josh collects machetes). This worked well when we lived together, since my apartment is made for this kind of thing. My father describes it as favela chic, and passersby tend to assume the place is abandoned (it's also dirt cheap, huge, and in an amazing DC neighborhood that lets me walk to work).
While living together, Josh put up tinfoil covered cardboard pieces to block out the sun using dowels, we made a similar contraption to block an odd crawl space off, cut up old shirts to use as dishrags (and stock-piled these shirts, I know other people do this but we took it to a new level), attempted to use only the clean trashbags that our laundry came back in and not buy any, had minimal furniture, and made makeshift plumbing fixtures to address some (serious?) issues there. Duct tape is our friend.
Now, I live with Drew, and I'm coming to realize that Josh and I may not be normal. Whenever Drew wants to call a plumber (for chronic issues I barely notice anymore), my first reaction is to see what Josh thinks. This is because I know he'll back me up. Our motto was "never let a stranger or casual acquaintance or friend in the apartment." Drew, being less off kilter, has probably stopped trusting either of us on this sort of thing.
Part of it, for me, is that I'm fascinated by how we adapt and can come to see anything as normal. For example, after one year with my iPhone the internet stopped working unless I was on wifi, though I have a data plan. However, if I make a call out it will briefly let me access the internet. So, I just make calls out all the time (to 611, not to real people), and I've been doing that for a year and a half, the majority of the time I've owned the phone. I've stopped noticing that I do that. Isn't that amazing? At first it was so annoying! Now it's still annoying, but I've come to almost believe that's what it takes to get online with your phone. Whenever I get a new phone, I'll spend the first few months making unnecessary calls out and feeling amazed. Then, I'll get totally used to it. Brains are so weird
Now, Josh and I aren't exactly the same. He would not put up with this phone thing for this long, I don't think, and I'm not living in a supply closet on a futon on the ground. However, a similar instinct/preference runs through us. Combined with my affinity for art deco, this led to a really odd apartment when we lived together.
First, I should preface this story by explaining that my brother Josh and I are not time travelers from the future post-zombie apocalypse world, nor did we grow up in a survivalist cult. I really can't explain why we both have this same quirk.
But, for whatever reason, Josh and I both take an oddly post-apocalyptic/under siege approach to our daily lives (Josh collects machetes). This worked well when we lived together, since my apartment is made for this kind of thing. My father describes it as favela chic, and passersby tend to assume the place is abandoned (it's also dirt cheap, huge, and in an amazing DC neighborhood that lets me walk to work).
While living together, Josh put up tinfoil covered cardboard pieces to block out the sun using dowels, we made a similar contraption to block an odd crawl space off, cut up old shirts to use as dishrags (and stock-piled these shirts, I know other people do this but we took it to a new level), attempted to use only the clean trashbags that our laundry came back in and not buy any, had minimal furniture, and made makeshift plumbing fixtures to address some (serious?) issues there. Duct tape is our friend.
Now, I live with Drew, and I'm coming to realize that Josh and I may not be normal. Whenever Drew wants to call a plumber (for chronic issues I barely notice anymore), my first reaction is to see what Josh thinks. This is because I know he'll back me up. Our motto was "never let a stranger or casual acquaintance or friend in the apartment." Drew, being less off kilter, has probably stopped trusting either of us on this sort of thing.
Part of it, for me, is that I'm fascinated by how we adapt and can come to see anything as normal. For example, after one year with my iPhone the internet stopped working unless I was on wifi, though I have a data plan. However, if I make a call out it will briefly let me access the internet. So, I just make calls out all the time (to 611, not to real people), and I've been doing that for a year and a half, the majority of the time I've owned the phone. I've stopped noticing that I do that. Isn't that amazing? At first it was so annoying! Now it's still annoying, but I've come to almost believe that's what it takes to get online with your phone. Whenever I get a new phone, I'll spend the first few months making unnecessary calls out and feeling amazed. Then, I'll get totally used to it. Brains are so weird
Now, Josh and I aren't exactly the same. He would not put up with this phone thing for this long, I don't think, and I'm not living in a supply closet on a futon on the ground. However, a similar instinct/preference runs through us. Combined with my affinity for art deco, this led to a really odd apartment when we lived together.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
No one can give you courage/ No one can thicken your skin
Some mistakes are more forgivable than others, I suppose, and in the scheme of things, this is a minor one. But, anyway, I read my 666th list book. I was planning to be deliberate and intentional with this one, to pick something befitting of being the book of the beast, as it were.
But, instead, I just forgot all about that and read Diary of a Nobody for it, which in no way fits with book of the beast. It's also pretty boring, not really all that fun, and I'd say largely skip-able, unless you're into satirical novels of the late 19th century.
It's particularly irritating to me that I did this, since I'd actually been on a cult kick lately, similar to that one time where I read about 10 books about murder all in a row, except this time it's randomly a whole bunch of books about cults in various forms (Drop City, She, Super-Cannes, The Plumed Serpent, among others; it actually started to get weird, since I didn't set out to do this as a theme or anything; of these, I highly recommend Super-Cannes). Really, any of those would have been a better choice than Diary of a Nobody.
In other news, I've read 31 books this year and I AM FREAKING OUT. I mean, it's not totally and completely impossible that I'd get to 50 in the next seven weeks, but I think that we can all agree that it's pretty unlikely. GAH.
But, instead, I just forgot all about that and read Diary of a Nobody for it, which in no way fits with book of the beast. It's also pretty boring, not really all that fun, and I'd say largely skip-able, unless you're into satirical novels of the late 19th century.
It's particularly irritating to me that I did this, since I'd actually been on a cult kick lately, similar to that one time where I read about 10 books about murder all in a row, except this time it's randomly a whole bunch of books about cults in various forms (Drop City, She, Super-Cannes, The Plumed Serpent, among others; it actually started to get weird, since I didn't set out to do this as a theme or anything; of these, I highly recommend Super-Cannes). Really, any of those would have been a better choice than Diary of a Nobody.
In other news, I've read 31 books this year and I AM FREAKING OUT. I mean, it's not totally and completely impossible that I'd get to 50 in the next seven weeks, but I think that we can all agree that it's pretty unlikely. GAH.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
So goodbye until tomorrow/ Goodbye until my feet touch the floor/ And I will be waiting/ I will be waiting
DCPL Card Privilege Expires in 30 Days
Thus, ominously, read the email subject line. My first reaction, quite naturally, was to sort of panic a bit. What could I have possibly done to lose DCPL library privileges? Was this about the time I took advantage of their new "we don't fine you till your books are 30 days overdue" policy and kept a book nearly three weeks late? Surely not, though. That's their own policy after all. Or about the various times where I put a book on hold but just failed to make it to the library on time for it? Yes, that's obnoxious of me, but this, without warning, seems too extreme.
Eventually, I worked up the nerve to open it. "Our records indicate that your DC library card will expire in 30 days. Library card accounts expire every three years. To re-activate or renew your account simply visit any of the library's 26 locations and present picture ID and an official document with your current address such as a bill, lease, bank statement, or a driver's license (which would cover both picture and address requirements)."
All right, fine, that's not so bad. Still, it's annoying. Still, let's put it off for several weeks.
Over the course of those weeks, I began to dread the encounter. Of course my ID doesn't have my current address, so I had to find a utilities bill. But what if they reject it? To be safe, I brought a utilities bill, bank statement, and letter from my landlord with my address (rent adjustment notification).
As Drew can attest, I whined the whole walk to the library. Why? Why must I go through this? What if they reject all of my forms of ID? What will I do then???
And then, I'll have to deal with the librarian! I always use the self-checkout. What if they yell at me for not updating my address in their system (which means that every time I put books on hold I have to change the default library to the one closer to my current location, yes I know that I could have changed it JUST ONCE rather than dealing with this hassle on the regular, no, I don't know what's wrong with me).
Finally, I go into the library, hand the librarian my card, ID, and utility bill, takes less than 5min. So anti-climatic.
ALSO! I definitely have had the library card for more than three years; nearly six, in fact, but not exactly, so what gives, DCPL?
Thus, ominously, read the email subject line. My first reaction, quite naturally, was to sort of panic a bit. What could I have possibly done to lose DCPL library privileges? Was this about the time I took advantage of their new "we don't fine you till your books are 30 days overdue" policy and kept a book nearly three weeks late? Surely not, though. That's their own policy after all. Or about the various times where I put a book on hold but just failed to make it to the library on time for it? Yes, that's obnoxious of me, but this, without warning, seems too extreme.
Eventually, I worked up the nerve to open it. "Our records indicate that your DC library card will expire in 30 days. Library card accounts expire every three years. To re-activate or renew your account simply visit any of the library's 26 locations and present picture ID and an official document with your current address such as a bill, lease, bank statement, or a driver's license (which would cover both picture and address requirements)."
All right, fine, that's not so bad. Still, it's annoying. Still, let's put it off for several weeks.
Over the course of those weeks, I began to dread the encounter. Of course my ID doesn't have my current address, so I had to find a utilities bill. But what if they reject it? To be safe, I brought a utilities bill, bank statement, and letter from my landlord with my address (rent adjustment notification).
As Drew can attest, I whined the whole walk to the library. Why? Why must I go through this? What if they reject all of my forms of ID? What will I do then???
And then, I'll have to deal with the librarian! I always use the self-checkout. What if they yell at me for not updating my address in their system (which means that every time I put books on hold I have to change the default library to the one closer to my current location, yes I know that I could have changed it JUST ONCE rather than dealing with this hassle on the regular, no, I don't know what's wrong with me).
Finally, I go into the library, hand the librarian my card, ID, and utility bill, takes less than 5min. So anti-climatic.
ALSO! I definitely have had the library card for more than three years; nearly six, in fact, but not exactly, so what gives, DCPL?
Friday, May 1, 2015
All I could do was love you hard/ And let you go
It's time to celebrate! I finished Dance to the Music of Time. That's a very, very long book. The second longest on the list, in fact, clocking in at some 2944 pages. Google helpfully told me that the average book has ~250-300 words per page. Low-balling, that means I read about 736,000 words. Yowza. What strikes me as grossly unfair is that this tome is really 12 novels, or at the very least four (12 novellas clumped together in four novels). But does the list count it that way? Oh, no. Of course not. It counts it as just one.
So, how was it? Long, that's really the first word that comes to mind. Fortunately, it is highly readable and quite enjoyable. I wouldn't recommend binge reading it like I did, but I would recommend reading it, maybe slowly as you would a series of four novels and not as one novel that you just have to get through so your stats don't suffer anymore, dammit. If I have one critique, it's the absence of any really interesting female characters (yes, there is Pamela and yes, she is fun in a Carmen Sternwood way, but it take her forever to appear). However, if I were to make that a disqualifier I wouldn't read the majority of these books, so.....
Unlike In Search of Lost Time, I don't feel a strong need for a reward here (I'd link to my pieces on that tome, but I'm waaaaaay too lazy for that kind of digging), perhaps because it was a fun one. Though, I may be in Georgetown soon and I am a sucker for Baked and Wired cupcakes, and I say this as someone who isn't really a fan of cake. I want to marry these cupcakes and have their babies.
So, how was it? Long, that's really the first word that comes to mind. Fortunately, it is highly readable and quite enjoyable. I wouldn't recommend binge reading it like I did, but I would recommend reading it, maybe slowly as you would a series of four novels and not as one novel that you just have to get through so your stats don't suffer anymore, dammit. If I have one critique, it's the absence of any really interesting female characters (yes, there is Pamela and yes, she is fun in a Carmen Sternwood way, but it take her forever to appear). However, if I were to make that a disqualifier I wouldn't read the majority of these books, so.....
Unlike In Search of Lost Time, I don't feel a strong need for a reward here (I'd link to my pieces on that tome, but I'm waaaaaay too lazy for that kind of digging), perhaps because it was a fun one. Though, I may be in Georgetown soon and I am a sucker for Baked and Wired cupcakes, and I say this as someone who isn't really a fan of cake. I want to marry these cupcakes and have their babies.
Friday, April 24, 2015
I swear to God I'll never understand/ How you can stand there straight and tall/ And see I'm crying/ And not do anything at all
The other day Drew and I were talking about what attracts us to static, and I mentioned that one aspect that I enjoy is working through really painful moves, gradually killing nerve endings, gradually building up the tolerance, etc. Apparently, Drew not only doesn't feel the same way, he also thinks that this may make me qualify as a masochist.
It's sort of similar to what I love about flying; I'm pretty sure that I don't love flying trapeze in spite of my serious fear of heights. I'm pretty sure that I love it, at least in part, because of my fear and the high I get from working on that fear (and the lows that I get, let's not kid ourselves). I realize this isn't normal, and maybe I am a masochist.
I've since been trying to think through what I do get out of these two sides of the same coin, playing with fear and playing with pain. I think it's several things:
First, fear and pain are limiting factors. Working this way helps me expand the world that feels safe. I have many irrational, childish fears (fire, I'm looking at you; also, phone calls). If I didn't work on them, the world would actually be scarier. I get to be in control when I make it intentional, and if there's one thing I love in life, it's control.
Second, I get to seem totally crazy. I'm not sure why I like giving the impression to folks that I have a weird relationship with fear and pain, but if I'm being honest, I do like watching people's reactions.
Third, when your hobbies are this scary and this painful, it really does make regular life seem great. You don't know how amazing your feet feel by default until you stop trying to do a toe hang, you really don't. There is just a pure endorphin factor here.
Fourth, I have a greater fear than heights, and that is stasis. I'm terrified to stop learning, growing, striving, trying. Life has to be a constant challenge, even to the point where I have to be constantly in battle with myself.
It's sort of similar to what I love about flying; I'm pretty sure that I don't love flying trapeze in spite of my serious fear of heights. I'm pretty sure that I love it, at least in part, because of my fear and the high I get from working on that fear (and the lows that I get, let's not kid ourselves). I realize this isn't normal, and maybe I am a masochist.
I've since been trying to think through what I do get out of these two sides of the same coin, playing with fear and playing with pain. I think it's several things:
First, fear and pain are limiting factors. Working this way helps me expand the world that feels safe. I have many irrational, childish fears (fire, I'm looking at you; also, phone calls). If I didn't work on them, the world would actually be scarier. I get to be in control when I make it intentional, and if there's one thing I love in life, it's control.
Second, I get to seem totally crazy. I'm not sure why I like giving the impression to folks that I have a weird relationship with fear and pain, but if I'm being honest, I do like watching people's reactions.
Third, when your hobbies are this scary and this painful, it really does make regular life seem great. You don't know how amazing your feet feel by default until you stop trying to do a toe hang, you really don't. There is just a pure endorphin factor here.
Fourth, I have a greater fear than heights, and that is stasis. I'm terrified to stop learning, growing, striving, trying. Life has to be a constant challenge, even to the point where I have to be constantly in battle with myself.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Make up your mind there are moments of light/ The one thing that's sure/ Is that there is no cure/ But that doesn't mean we don't fight
So, what are the longest books, you ask? Here are the top 15 with the ones I've read bolded.
3424 Marcel Proust Remembrance of Things Past
2944 Anthony Powell A Dance to the Music of Time
1824 Robert Musil The Man Without Qualities
1703 Uwe Johnson Jahrestage
1533 Samuel Richardson Clarissa
1474 Vikram Seth A Suitable Boy
1440 Yukio Mishima The Sea of Fertility
1436 Herman Melville Moby-Dick
1386 Leo Tolstoy War and Peace
1330 Victor Hugo Les Misérables
1288 John Dos Passos U.S.A.
1280 Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Don Quixote
1240 Alexandre Dumas The Count of Monte-Cristo
1216 J.R.R. Tolkien The Lord of the Rings
1079 David Foster Wallace Infinite Jest
Of the 23,445 pages that make up the longest 15 on the list, I've read 15,624 or so (I'm in the middle of A Dance to the Music of Time, so it's a bit hard to say exactly). That's about 67%, which I guess isn't terrible but also isn't that great. Though I guess I'm about 66% done with the list, too, so it's about right. I feel like I need to invest in these longest ones. Maybe I can also get to The Man Without Qualities this year as well; I can try really hard to be at 100 in early December and read it then (hahahah, I'm still behind on books, this is a terrible plan).
3424 Marcel Proust Remembrance of Things Past
2944 Anthony Powell A Dance to the Music of Time
1824 Robert Musil The Man Without Qualities
1703 Uwe Johnson Jahrestage
1533 Samuel Richardson Clarissa
1474 Vikram Seth A Suitable Boy
1440 Yukio Mishima The Sea of Fertility
1436 Herman Melville Moby-Dick
1386 Leo Tolstoy War and Peace
1330 Victor Hugo Les Misérables
1288 John Dos Passos U.S.A.
1280 Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Don Quixote
1240 Alexandre Dumas The Count of Monte-Cristo
1216 J.R.R. Tolkien The Lord of the Rings
1079 David Foster Wallace Infinite Jest
Of the 23,445 pages that make up the longest 15 on the list, I've read 15,624 or so (I'm in the middle of A Dance to the Music of Time, so it's a bit hard to say exactly). That's about 67%, which I guess isn't terrible but also isn't that great. Though I guess I'm about 66% done with the list, too, so it's about right. I feel like I need to invest in these longest ones. Maybe I can also get to The Man Without Qualities this year as well; I can try really hard to be at 100 in early December and read it then (hahahah, I'm still behind on books, this is a terrible plan).
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
An updated FAQ
I wrote a couple of FAQs at the start of the project, but I think that I may need to do a new one. I've gotten some different questions over the years (years! gah), and some things have changed. Here goes:
Who created the list? (unstated but implied follow up: why trust them):
So, confession time. Like the question about whether I read the list in order, this one really took me by surprise the first time someone asked it. It never occurred to me to care. I use this list which is based on a book. The recommendations were compiled from several editors/lit professors, I believe (I read about it right after this first was asked, but it didn't fully lodge in the brain). I guess I don't really care because I'm not reading the books to read the "best books" or the books I'd most enjoy or whatever. It's about broadening reading horizons. Any list will always be arbitrary, and that's fine.
How far are you?
This one changes all the time, but I'm at 662. Next big milestone is 750 (taking celebration suggestions), probably will hit that in Q1 2016 or so. Still aiming for completion by about age 32, but looking chancier than ever.
How do you find time?
I've written about that piece before, but here's a mini-answer. My strategies have varied over the years. I think one trick is being adaptive. The main piece is to prioritize this as much as possible. One thing that excites me and has been quite motivating lately is getting more organized. I've started systematically finding Online Archive and Project Gutenberg links for all the public domain options for older books. Oddly enough I'm going to run out of those soon, maybe in the next year. The slight issue is books in the German and the French; le sigh. I'll have to try harder with those. In addition to making it easier, at least for now, to read between library trips, it's just gotten me fired up to read more again. I read a lot online (just random articles), and this is helping to replace that in a way that helps the goal.
Do you buy all the books?
Good lord no. Way too expensive. I'm going to have to start buying some, but I'm going to try to minimize.
Who created the list? (unstated but implied follow up: why trust them):
So, confession time. Like the question about whether I read the list in order, this one really took me by surprise the first time someone asked it. It never occurred to me to care. I use this list which is based on a book. The recommendations were compiled from several editors/lit professors, I believe (I read about it right after this first was asked, but it didn't fully lodge in the brain). I guess I don't really care because I'm not reading the books to read the "best books" or the books I'd most enjoy or whatever. It's about broadening reading horizons. Any list will always be arbitrary, and that's fine.
How far are you?
This one changes all the time, but I'm at 662. Next big milestone is 750 (taking celebration suggestions), probably will hit that in Q1 2016 or so. Still aiming for completion by about age 32, but looking chancier than ever.
How do you find time?
I've written about that piece before, but here's a mini-answer. My strategies have varied over the years. I think one trick is being adaptive. The main piece is to prioritize this as much as possible. One thing that excites me and has been quite motivating lately is getting more organized. I've started systematically finding Online Archive and Project Gutenberg links for all the public domain options for older books. Oddly enough I'm going to run out of those soon, maybe in the next year. The slight issue is books in the German and the French; le sigh. I'll have to try harder with those. In addition to making it easier, at least for now, to read between library trips, it's just gotten me fired up to read more again. I read a lot online (just random articles), and this is helping to replace that in a way that helps the goal.
Do you buy all the books?
Good lord no. Way too expensive. I'm going to have to start buying some, but I'm going to try to minimize.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
"If today were the day you had to stop dancing, how would you feel.....?"
Hahahaha. Oh, Q1 2015, you have not gone well list-wise. Not even remotely. I'm starting to realize that this year may be the first year since 2009 where I fail to read at least 100 books. Ouch. It's early days and it's not too late to get back on track, but we are seriously off track. We are hiking in the wilderness; we, like, got a training from those "leave no trace" people because we are sooooooooooo far off any recognizable path.
Now, then, where exactly do we stand? Aside from at the foot of the "now you have to read so many more books each quarter if you want to catch up" mountain, I mean. As should be pretty obvious, each quarter I aim to read 25 books. This quarter I squeaked in at 20. Like, seriously under the wire with 20. I realized on Sunday that I was at 17, flipped out, and read like a fiend, and I still am failing. Le sigh.
This makes it a particularly poor time to decide to read A Dance to the Music of Time, but I found a cheap set in a used bookstore recently, and, what can I say, I'm nothing if not insane and self-defeating. I'm aiming to read them during our up coming trip to AZ.
If, like me, you are struggling to fit in reading this year, may I recommend this helpful summary of 12 novels? I think, though I'm not totally sure, that my favorite is:
Now, then, where exactly do we stand? Aside from at the foot of the "now you have to read so many more books each quarter if you want to catch up" mountain, I mean. As should be pretty obvious, each quarter I aim to read 25 books. This quarter I squeaked in at 20. Like, seriously under the wire with 20. I realized on Sunday that I was at 17, flipped out, and read like a fiend, and I still am failing. Le sigh.
This makes it a particularly poor time to decide to read A Dance to the Music of Time, but I found a cheap set in a used bookstore recently, and, what can I say, I'm nothing if not insane and self-defeating. I'm aiming to read them during our up coming trip to AZ.
If, like me, you are struggling to fit in reading this year, may I recommend this helpful summary of 12 novels? I think, though I'm not totally sure, that my favorite is:
“Let’s go back to Brideshead,” she said.
“Oh, what a good idea.”
It really was a good idea. They had a wonderful time revisiting Brideshead.
– Brideshead Revisited
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