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Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Caught Up

I have caught up with my reviews. Yes!

I have several non-fiction books in progress and am still trying to formulate my reading plan for next year. Fiction will still probably be the largest part of it with healthy doses of mystery, science fiction, and fantasy. It is the nonfiction that I'm contemplating right now and with the goal of pursuing some interests with more organization than previously.

Lately, I've had a run of very poor mystery choices, but I will continue to pursue new authors to accompany my old favorites: Reginald Hill, Peter Robinson, Carol O'Connell's Mallory novels, Deborah Crombie, Jacqueline Winspear, James Lee Burke (haven't read one of his in a long time), Jan Burke, Laurie King, Colin Dexter, Minnette Walters, P.D. James, Elizabeth George, P.J. Tracy, and Charles Todd.

New discoveries this year have been Tana French and Robert Barnard. Winners, both!

Oh, yeah, the nonfiction...I've ordered several books about yoga and checked out some at the library. The goal is to study this a little more thoroughly--adding the intellect to the physical.

Biographies -- there was some serious slacking in this category in 2008 which definitely needs to be remedied. I think I'll look for a biography of Richard Feynman first.

Because I enjoyed The Terror, a novel about the real Franklin Expedition, I'm going to look for nonfiction on the subjects of Arctic exploration and the search for the Northwest Passage widening perhaps to other adventurous exploration. I've no problem with mixing fiction with the nonfiction, either, as fiction often leads to other digressive topics. :)

Stefanie at So Many Books (who instigated my reading of The Terror) mentioned that she might order the Nova documentary about the Franklin Expedition. I put it in my que yesterday. :) Another "reading itenerary" in the works!

10 comments:

  1. I'm 6 reviews behind. That's what I get for taking off to enjoy the family, but I'm not worried. Most have been library check-outs because I needed a break from the ARCs, so I can do mini-reviews and not feel guilty.

    Happy New Year, Jenclair!!

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  2. I'm glad you are all caught up, Jenclair. I pretty much am too in regards to my reviews. I finished one book today, but the post probably won't go up until Friday or Saturday. Now to catch up on my reading . . .

    Tonight's project is figuring out which reading challenges I'm taking on for the new year. I think I've finally settled a list. It's more than I had initially wanted to join, but I've already narrowed it down quite a bit.

    I hope you have a Happy New Year. Just a few more hours left. :-)

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  3. I'm so many reviews behind, I'm ashamed to say the number. Maybe I'll catch up during vacation.

    Note to myself: Must read The Terror.

    You sound like you've made good plans!

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  4. I am always behind in reviews! Here's to happy reading in 2009, though! Happy New Year!

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  5. bookfool - Family does tend to interfere! Not too much with reading, but with the more onerous task of reviewing. :)

    LF - I love reading about reading challenges, but have not been to successful with completing them, since I keep veering off into unplanned books.

    Reading challenges inspire me to new areas, though, and I look forward to seeing what you decide to undertake!

    Bybee - Reviews are so anticlimactic, aren't they? Dilemma: read or review the last book? :/ Read!

    Kailana - The reading is definitely the fun part, but reviewing does help the assimilation and evaluation. Maybe I'll be better about keeping up this year... Ha!

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  6. I finished a review today, Jenclair, but still have two to go before I can close 2008 for good. The last two are for books I didn't particularly enjoy or admire and sometimes those are the toughest for me to write, so I'm sort of dreading them.

    Congrats on being done so early in the new year.

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  7. I discovered Tana French too. I loved In The Woods and I am looking forward to reading the likeness.

    Happy New Year!

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  8. Sam - That is one of the reasons I sometimes delay as well--when you don't care for the book, you don't want to struggle with writing about it.

    Nicole - I'm really looking forward to her next book! You'll enjoy The Likeness!

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  9. I won The Terror from Hachette books- I gave it to my husband to read because he loves exploration stuff. He hasn't gotten around to it, but I'll tell him that it's good!

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  10. Lisa- My husband is reading it, but he isn't able to spend as much time as I can. I had to order a copy for him because the library book wouldn't renew again. The fine isn't much, and the new copy should be available soon.

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