Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Resolutions, Part 1

I have decided, in my finite wisdom, to do my New Year's resolutions in two parts. This first part is about books and my top-priority resolution:

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:

mapstew said...

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!

:¬)

Wandering Coyote said...

Ooooh, a spec fic challenge! That would be fun! I recommend Guy Gavriel Kay!

Unknown said...

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!

Robert the Skeptic said...

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.

Tiffin said...

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

Barbara Bruederlin said...

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.

Unknown said...

Very Cool!

You must be feeling sparky. Three challenges... Ye Ha!

Fay Campbell said...

Counting caused distress.

Pat said...

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.

Manda said...

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

Charlie said...

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.

Mary Witzl said...

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.

kara said...

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.

Kim Ayres said...

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 :)

Stella said...

I resolve not to make any resolutions