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A picture of cake for the second post in a row, but as it says in the header, it’s my birthday today. I have turned 50 and am theoretically a grown-up (but don’t think that’s going to happen in reality to be honest).
I haven’t finished any books so far this year, although I have been reading quite a lot, so I see tomorrow as a bit of a fresh start in that respect and I hope to get to the end of a couple of my current reads soon.
Interestingly enough I used a widget that I got from someone else’s blog (sorry, can’t remember where) and discovered that the NY Times bestseller the week I was born was Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger – I have to confess that I haven’t read any Salinger but perhaps I should do so now. I haven’t been able to find out what was the best seller in the UK at the end of January 1962 but I didn’t try very hard (and if anyone knows I’d love you to tell me).
I have been giving some thought to a little project for this year where I re-read some of the books that have been important to me over the past five decades but am still finalising my list and will post separately when I’ve worked it all out.
I have also been given some books as birthday presents and will post on those once I’ve finished dipping in.
This has been a bit of a rambling post but when you get to my age I think that should be allowed! Normal servcie will resume shortly, I’m sure.
Not sure how that happened, but I managed to miss my fifth blogiversary on 20 January, so no cake for me! Possibly distracted by the plans around a real party for my significant birthday at the end of the month, when I turn fifty (I may possibly have mentioned this before *ahem*); also haven’t been on the blog as haven’t been reading much this month and certainly haven’t finished anything in 2012 so far. Have a little birthday book project which I’m still thinking through, so watch this space.
So 2011 ended much as it began, with not a lot of reading getting done, though the holidays were still great fun and of course Santa brought a large number of new books into the house; I wrote about that here.
I failed singularly with the readalong of Wolf Hall, but have enjoyed what I have read so far and fully intend to finish it. I have also made a start on the following, all of which I am reading in fits and starts:
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – feel I should read this series as everyone else has and of course there is a major film version coming out this year
- On Monsters by Stephen T Asma – one of my Xmas presents and a fascinating look at our worst fears
- The Great Year by Nicholas Campion – I have had this for absolutely ages, I think I got it as part of a binge on books to do with the end of the world the last time that was a big topic (around Y2K) and having watched an interesting documentary on the alleged Mayan prophesy about the world ending this year last night, thought I would finally pick this up
I also have plans to read some science fiction as part of Carl’s Science Fiction Experience.
And finally two additional books made it chez Bride after the holidays:
- Hell Train by Christopher Fowler – one of my favourite authors and a stand-alone Hammer-themed novel which I have already started
- Spectrum 18 – a collection of the best fantasy and sci-fi art of 2011, a beautiful thing in its own right.
Just need to get cracking with a couple of these to get the year off to a good start!
You know a new year has started when Carl’s Science Fiction Experience is announced! As carl himself says this isn’t a challenege, more of a window in which we all get to share our experiences of science fiction in books, TV, films and so on.
As always I’m going to try to read as much sci-fi as I can between 1 January and 29 February, but also thought I would do something a little different this year. I asked the Book God, an afficionado of sci-fi since the year dot, to pick two books from his collection that he thought I should read and he came up with the following:
- A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge – “a space saga of awesome conception, and a rivetting novel of conflict, love, loss and survival“
- The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester – “in a world in which the police have telepathic powers, how do you get away with murder?”
That looks like a pretty good start to me.
Bride of the Book God 