1. I will reduce stress.
Is reading stressful, you ask? Yes, if I do more than read for pleasure and get involved in book Challenges and setting goals.
For the last two years, I have participated in the 50 Book Challenge on LibraryThing. It’s no big thing to read 50 in a year when I have little else to do, but I still ask myself the nagging question, “Will I make it to 50 by December 31? Will I, huh, will I?” Stupid, I know, but I cause me stress. So, for 2010, I am not going to participate in any annual-number-of-books-read Challenges.
It’s amazing how many different Challenges there are in book-blogging land, and I’m going to do three easy ones—two of which I committed to in 2009.
This Challenge is sponsored by Jennie at Biblio File, and I have to read ONE book about China by September 1, 2010. Very doable since I have the ONE book waiting to be read.
This is a great Challenge from my friend Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea. This isn't a reading Challenge, but rather a give-away Challenge. That is, I've committed to passing on twenty books that I'll read in 2010 to other people—family, friends, library sales, women's shelters, nursing homes—even previously-owned bookstores.
This Challenge is fairly self-explanatory [cough, cough]. I'm signing up for the "Inquisitive" level, which means I commit to reading THREE books during 2010 over a wide range of genres. Too bad I just finished Cormac McCarthy's The Road, but I have more in my reading pile.
If you're interested in any of these Challenges, click on the picture for more information and sign-up. The links will then be moved to the sidebar.
So, for 2010, I'll reduce some stress by reading the l-o-n-g books I'm anxious to dig into. The Sound and the Fury is my next Faulkner, and I have several Library of America books to read—the latter of which are 800 to 1,100 pages each. I'll pepper them, of course, with mysteries and anything I find interesting in the book blogs (which is usually quite a few).
I'll tackle the rest of my resolutions in a couple days, so feel free to amuse yourselves until then.
15 comments:
No, I can only read for pleasure.
Some books take only a day or two.
Others, depending on me mood, months!
I resolve to continue as I have started!
:¬)
Ooooh, a spec fic challenge! That would be fun! I recommend Guy Gavriel Kay!
Hi Charlie, welcome to the Speculative Fiction Challenge, I'm glad you signed up, and that you like my pink hair - all natural you know :) Have fun!
It takes me about a year to read a single book. There are books I have gotten from the library that I haven't even cracked open before they are due back.
I pick up a book and start reading from the bookmark and can't remember what the part before was about. I look up the synopsis on Amazon.Com to jog my memory. I'm a sad case.
Charlie, I think that's a good approach to the challenge aspect of reading. However, I hope you continue to poke your nose into what lw3, moi and others you have befriended at LT are reading.
I used to average about 200 a year but it has dropped a lot as I've got older...I will make 75 by the end of the year but next year I'm just going to read what I darn well feel like, numbers be hanged.
Tui
I belong to a couple of book challenges that I will continue with, but I find it takes me forever to read a book anymore. So I understand what you are saying about the stress involved.
I do like the giveaway idea and I think I may just look into something like that.
Very Cool!
You must be feeling sparky. Three challenges... Ye Ha!
Counting caused distress.
Much wiser to have a doable target. Just now I seem to be re- reading a couple of books and marvel at how little I retained of them - but am enjoying them nonetheless.
Hi Charlie,
I LOVE Faulkner. I think it's good your deluving into deeper books. I like books that make us think. Great New Year's resolution to reduce stress. I would go nuts trying to read fifty books in a year. I wouldn't enjoy them at all. I would just be thinking about the next one.
Well, you have a Merry Christmas,
Amanda
Now I've gone and done it again: diddled around until it takes too much energy to reply to all the comments individually.
I want you all to know, though, how much your thoughts mean to me.
And whether or not you like it, I plan on sticking around Blogger and LibraryThing. I do not, however, Book Face or tweet.
Whoa, hang on there -- you're reading FAULKNER? That IS a challenge!
Is the book about China you're going to read 'Wild Swans'? If it isn't, it ought to be. It's just fantastic.
I just finished The Road too! Last weekend B woke up at 3 AM to find me standing in the corner of the bedroom (sound asleep) insisting that there were people in the house. Night terrors. Incredible book but I must admit, I'm glad that journey has ended.
Can't remember your reading lists, Charlie, but have you read much Bill Bryson? He'd have been a great blogger if he hadn't got famous with being a real author.
Very funny - great stress reducer :)
I resolve not to make any resolutions
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