First of all, looking back, I see I have read about 32 books in 2009. This number isn't entirely accurate, as there are books that don't merit blogging, but close enough. This is a lower number than I would have liked, but decent enough considering the combination of school and work, and the big project that was Infinite Jest. And depending on how I spend the rest of today, I might get through Wolf Hall as well, another big book. Also worth noting, I actually made it through all my magazines for the year, New Yorkers included. (In 2007, when I finished those, I left a huge pile of other crap. No piles left this year.) I also set the goal of reading 10 books I already owned. Considering how much I love getting library books instead of reading what I already have, this is harder than it sounds. And looking back at my posts, I didn't do it, and hit what looks like 8 instead, although if you count books that were lent to me before the start of 2009, maybe I could give myself credit.
So for the year to come... I'm going to stick to my usual. I'm going to keep up with magazines, and again go for reading 10 books that I already own. This time, I'm going to identify 6 in advance, and leave the other 4 up to fate. So here goes. In 2010, I will read:
2666, by Roberto Bolano
Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz (why have I been putting this off???)
The Black Book, by Orhan Pamuk
Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver
And in deciding this list (all random except for 2666, which I thought would be part of Infinite Summer, but that appears uncertain, to say the least) I am noticing how many other fantastic books I have that I am really eager to read. Perhaps I need to lose my library card for a little while...
Happy New Year to you and yours.
Showing posts with label resolutions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resolutions. Show all posts
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Revisiting 2008
Running a program and being back in school don't exactly lend themselves to lots of reading and writing and thinking about reading and writing. Well, thinking some. I was constantly sad that I didn't have more time to read. Or didn't make more time to read. Probably both.
Anyway, I wanted to revisit a couple of the goals I had mentioned for the year. Last year I set the goal of finishing all of my 2007 New Yorkers before the end of the year. (And succeeded with 2 days to spare.) This year, I am still working on the November 17 issue. So I will finish this year 5 issues behind. (Also, it is dangerous to read coverage of Election Night, even now, while at the gym, b/c when you get all weepy and choked up, you then start worrying that people are thinking you are going to pass out b/c the elliptical machine is clearly just too much for you.)
I also joined the Russian Reading Challenge and made it through all 4 (plus one) of those books. In that post, I also claimed I would read another 5 books that I already owned. It appears that I read 7 (there were a couple more, but they were books I purchased this year, so don't count). In total, I read something more than 38 books. (There are some that don't get posts because they are texts for class or I am embarrassed about them. Plus I did a fair amount of re-reading of older books this year too. But anyway...)
Goals for next year? Honestly, I don't know what to expect. 2009 promises to bring a LOT of changes, and I don't know what that's going to mean for me and reading. I guess that I should commit to reading another 10 books that I already own. This would probably be easier if I selected them and listed them here, but that's just not going to happen. Not tonight.
Happy New Year to all! May 2009 bring a lot of happy change for us all.
Anyway, I wanted to revisit a couple of the goals I had mentioned for the year. Last year I set the goal of finishing all of my 2007 New Yorkers before the end of the year. (And succeeded with 2 days to spare.) This year, I am still working on the November 17 issue. So I will finish this year 5 issues behind. (Also, it is dangerous to read coverage of Election Night, even now, while at the gym, b/c when you get all weepy and choked up, you then start worrying that people are thinking you are going to pass out b/c the elliptical machine is clearly just too much for you.)
I also joined the Russian Reading Challenge and made it through all 4 (plus one) of those books. In that post, I also claimed I would read another 5 books that I already owned. It appears that I read 7 (there were a couple more, but they were books I purchased this year, so don't count). In total, I read something more than 38 books. (There are some that don't get posts because they are texts for class or I am embarrassed about them. Plus I did a fair amount of re-reading of older books this year too. But anyway...)
Goals for next year? Honestly, I don't know what to expect. 2009 promises to bring a LOT of changes, and I don't know what that's going to mean for me and reading. I guess that I should commit to reading another 10 books that I already own. This would probably be easier if I selected them and listed them here, but that's just not going to happen. Not tonight.
Happy New Year to all! May 2009 bring a lot of happy change for us all.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
SMART goal accomplished!
I don't know if it's officially a smart goal since I don't think I ever set a deadline or anything, but this evening I submitted my application for library school. Left to do: sending two transcripts and a one-page form. So maybe it's not entirely accomplished, but my credit card is being charged $64.75 (application fee plus Berkeley's fee to send my ONE CLASS transcript), so I'm not backing out.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
A Big Book of Russian Culture
Happy New Year!
I decided to start off 2008 with a tome - and one from the Russian Reading Challenge in order to get started on that list - and I'm while reading is harder now that work has begun again, I am making decent progress.
The book? Orlando Figes' Natasha's Dance. Figes became one of my favorite Russian historians when I was in grad school; he was so personable and witty and vast. There was plenty to quibble with in his scope and analysis, but that was part of the fun too. In Natasha's Dance, he takes on the oh-so-manageable task of writing "a cultural history of Russia."
One of my happy discoveries thus far is that I haven't forgotten all my history in the 3 years since leaving Georgetown. Several times I've wondered "will he talk about this?" a few pages before he does. (In particular: philanthropy among the merchant classes in late 19th century Moscow, which btw was the topic of the first scholarly book I read in full in Russian) Another surprise: the Natasha of the title is the imperious heroine of War and Peace. The passage Figes references - where Natasha instinctively performs a peasant dance - represents for him Russian cultural history, the interplay between Western aspirations and the "Russian soul."
A little lighter on the history than maybe I would like, but lots and lots of books and art and music. Hooray! Oh, and architecture. Plus, I loved this little ditty by Turgenev, about one of the foremost critics of the day:
I decided to start off 2008 with a tome - and one from the Russian Reading Challenge in order to get started on that list - and I'm while reading is harder now that work has begun again, I am making decent progress.
The book? Orlando Figes' Natasha's Dance. Figes became one of my favorite Russian historians when I was in grad school; he was so personable and witty and vast. There was plenty to quibble with in his scope and analysis, but that was part of the fun too. In Natasha's Dance, he takes on the oh-so-manageable task of writing "a cultural history of Russia."
One of my happy discoveries thus far is that I haven't forgotten all my history in the 3 years since leaving Georgetown. Several times I've wondered "will he talk about this?" a few pages before he does. (In particular: philanthropy among the merchant classes in late 19th century Moscow, which btw was the topic of the first scholarly book I read in full in Russian) Another surprise: the Natasha of the title is the imperious heroine of War and Peace. The passage Figes references - where Natasha instinctively performs a peasant dance - represents for him Russian cultural history, the interplay between Western aspirations and the "Russian soul."
A little lighter on the history than maybe I would like, but lots and lots of books and art and music. Hooray! Oh, and architecture. Plus, I loved this little ditty by Turgenev, about one of the foremost critics of the day:
Argue with someone more intelligent than you:
He will defeat you.
But from your defeat you will learn something useful.
Argue with someone of equal intelligence:
Neither will be victorious.
And in any case you will have the pleasure of the struggle.
Argue with someone less intelligent:
Not from a desire for victory
But because you may be of use to him.
Argue even with a fool:
You will not gain glory
But sometimes it is fun.
Only do not argue with Vladimir Stasov.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Sunday, December 09, 2007
My December resolution
I know there is no chance of my keeping up in the New Year, but I'd like to get off on the right foot, so I plan to catch up on all of my New Yorkers by December 31st. I'd say my odds are probably decent. It's not a sure thing, but I will try.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
