It’s been a long time since I’ve posted to the Sunday Salon but I’m going to use it to keep track of my reading on a weekly basis. This won’t be a replacement for formal reviews, but sort of a reading diary for the unfinished, the abandoned, the reading in progress, how I’m getting on with challenges and other bookish stuff.
As this is the first post of the New Year and I did a round up of my reading year (which you can find here) I won’t repeat myself – this is all stuff that’s been happening int he last few days.
Challenges:
I”m currently involved in three challenges:
- the Sci-Fi experience which started in December and runs until the end of January
- the Clear Your Reader challenge which runs throughout January
- the TBR Double Dog dare which runs until 31 March
I’m doing pretty well, reading things for each of them but not finished anything just yet
In progress
My main read at the moment is The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. I’m about a fifth of the way through and enjoying it very much (though at the moment I’m not sure I understand what it’s all about, but that’s always the pleasure with Mitchell I find).
Abandoned
I went through my pile of books and took decisions on the ones I knew I wasn’t going to finish. Some have been totally abandoned including Vernor Vinge’s A Fire Upon the Deep which I was reading for the Sci-fi Experience at the behest of the Book God but stalled at roughly the same spot I failed at the last time I tried to read it, which I took to be an omen. Also gave up on The Forgotten Beasts of Eld (just too fey for me), The Dark Lord of Derkholm (though I’m not convinced I won’t try it again in the future), The Talented Mr Ripley (which I just didn’t take to at all though I got over halfway because I thought I should, given it’s a classic of its type) and Catching Fire (because I’d rather watch the movie).
Other bookish stuff
I have put in place a book buying embargo to run in parallel with the Double Dog Dare. No books to be purchased between 1 January and 31 March 2015, the only exceptions being books pre-ordered last year for delivery in 2015 (not a vast number of those I think) and gifts (my birthday is at the end of January). Apart from that things of interest go on a wish list for later.
Bride of the Book God 
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January 4, 2015 at 3:29 pm
Bryan G. Robinson
I’ve seen that Vinge book on our shelves at the library where I work a few times and thought about it but then never have gotten to it. I don’t know if I will…and doubt now that you’ve mentioned giving up on it that I will. I read The Talented Mr. Ripley. I don’t know if I really enjoyed it, because I haven’t continued to read the rest of the series, even though initially I thought I might do that. That said, I’ve tried Cloud Atlas by Mitchell and couldn’t make it so I applaud you for continuing to read Mitchell and The Bone Clocks.
January 4, 2015 at 4:25 pm
brideofthebookgod
Cloud Atlas definitely seems to be one of those love it or don’t finish it books, doesn’t it? The Vinge is just not to my taste, I couldn’t engage with it. My husband loves it so what can I say 🙂
January 4, 2015 at 6:02 pm
joyweesemoll
I abandon books in favor of movies, too. It seems unlibrarianly of me, but there are so many books! Happy New Year! It looks like you’re off to a great start.
January 4, 2015 at 10:17 pm
brideofthebookgod
I don’t do it very often 😀 Happy New Year to you too!
January 5, 2015 at 1:00 am
Susan
Ooh, this isn’t good, I just added Vernor Vinge to my classic Sci-fi reading challenge! lol I’m sorry Forgotten Beasts of Eld didn’t do it for you. It was 30 years ago when I read it, I remember loving it, though every time I read a description of the book it doesn’t match what I remember of it! lol I just got The Dark Lord of Derkholm for Xmas also.
Other than the sci-fi challenge, and Carl’s other ones this year, I haven’t decided if I will join other challenges. I made my own classics challenge since I picked them from all different genres 🙂 I’m not sure I could do a buying embargo on books (though my husband Mr You Can Have Too Many Books thinks I ought to). lol