My (Reading) Year in Review


It's mid-December already - can you believe it?!

According to Goodreads, I read 36 books this year.  (A couple of those were "did not finish"s, but apparently those count, too.)  It was twice as much as I committed to, and I don't say that to brag; it was more of an accident than anything.

You see, I started out the the year intending to read very specifically: learn to read French, read through the whole Bible, read longer books, read challenges, etc.  I've mentioned earlier this year some lessons learned in this area, which pretty much explain my "reading schedule" (or lack thereof, as it turned out).

2017 was a year of learning for me, nonetheless:
  • Though I didn't stick with French, I did read several UX books for work, which made a life-changing impact on my day job.
  • I read four plays (three by Arthur Miller) and discovered the literary greatness of that genre.
  • My coworker lent me a 699 page biography of T. E. Lawrence.  Not only do I now know T. E. better than most real-life acquaintances, I actually finished the book in a reasonable amount of time (double win!).
  • C. S. Lewis melted my heart with Till We Have Faces, then broke my new podcast with That Hideous Strength, a book too tough to talk about.  (Actually, I'm releasing my podcast review of "that hideous book" early next year.  So it's not 100% broken...just delayed.)
  • I've been working seriously on one of my own novels this year, the longest yet.  It's my take on the Victorian Gothic, and I'm excited to finish it in the next month or two.  ^_^
So, the mistake with starting out the year with Till We Have Faces is that all the subsequent fiction I read pales by comparison. I've also been shy of my physical TBR shelf, which contains some randomness like The Prisoner of Zenda and the Lucia & Mapp stories, as well as the ever-agonizing Nostromo by Joseph Conrad, a book I have started some three or four times... 

Basically, I'm ending the year in a reading rut, and I probably won't do much reading over Christmas break because I'll be writing and podcasting.  But that is ok.  As someone with far too many hobbies, I am trying to accept the fact I cannot do everything at once, and these pursuits are still fulfilling even when taken in small sprints.

Comments

Ruth said…
I look forward to your review of That Hideous Strength. I guess I need to come out of my usual place where I get book reviews on the blogosphere, and check out your podcast, which actually sounds like a lot of fun.
December 15, 2017 at 7:56 AM
Marian H said…
Thanks, Ruth! My goal with the podcast is you can listen to it while doing other things. It's also spoiler-free! :)
December 16, 2017 at 9:40 AM
Stephen said…
I've overlooked your podcast! I'll have to give it a listen. :)
December 30, 2017 at 9:59 PM
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