Inspired by today's post over at Pages Turned, and for lack of anything else exciting to talk about, I will give my own little "look back and look forward" as Susan did. She also linked to other blogs who have done the same, so pop on over to take a peek! I jumped the gun a bit and already gave my favorite reads of the year, but I can give my "final stats" (working in a library we keep lots of statistics so this comes rather naturally!). I read a total of 50 books this year--not too shabby--though I always hope to read more (last year I finished 53--I must have been a bit of a slacker this year). I had wanted to get through a total of 52 so I could at least say I read a book a week, but I just don't think I will be able to finish off two more books today. Of that total 28 were novels (most likely contemporary), 10 were classics, 6 were nonfiction, and 6 were mysteries. I love reading lit blogs, but I tend to feel in awe of most of them. Sometimes I feel like a little kid trying to sit at the "big people's table". After working ten years in a bookstore, and now a library, I thought I read relatively decent stuff. Of course everyone's tastes are different, and I do admit to reading a fair amount of "mind candy". Certainly there is always room for improvement, and I always hope to "better myself" or perhaps a better way of saying that is I want to challenge myself in my reading choices.
That said here are my goals for next year: I want to read more classics (as there are simply too many things I have not read, and I really should have read!). I am contemplating using the Modern Library 100 best Novels as my template. I need to read more nonfiction! I want to read at least one play by Shakespeare. I know there are those of you out there that will be shocked when I say I have only read one play (King Lear in high school), and assorted sonnets by Shakespeare. What can I say? How did this happen? I have a college degree, I even have graduate coursework, but I managed to sidestep the whole Shakespeare oeuvre (and just think--you Shakespearean devotees--I have all that wonderful work that I just now get to discover--okay that sounds good anyway!). If I only set a small goal of one play, I can probably manage that. If I said I would read all his work--I probably wouldn't read any! As a matter of fact, I need to read more plays in general. I also need to read more poetry. I never read poetry--it scares me, as I am sure I won't understand it and then will feel defeated. I do like Robert Frost, though, so maybe I will start there. I like how Susan said she wanted to read 365 stories. Now that would be a major goal for me! She made it to 200 this year, which I think is pretty impressive in itself. I won't even try to name a number, but I need to read some short stories and essays (did I read any this year?--I can't think of any specifically!). I don't really have any particular titles that I plan on reading--other than I would like to re-read Byatt's Posession, and I am looking forward to reading The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton and maybe Defoe's Moll Flanders, and I have my name on the waiting list at the library for the new Didion book. I may re-read Chocolat as that is my favorite February book. I tend to pick books depending on my mood, so we'll see what jumps out at me. And now the fine print--this is of course all subject to change. Unapologetically I have every intention of continuing to read my mysteries as I love them (and I only read 6 this year!), and I don't care if they are genre fiction, and looked down upon by the literary world. I also am sure I will continue to read plenty of contemporary fiction as well. What can I say, the mind is willing but the flesh is weak!