Happy New Year everyone! Every year I seem to say this, but I am ready for a fresh start and a new year. Last year was difficult and I hope this year will be less stressful. That said, I am very lucky as I have a roof over my head and it is warm inside (and bitterly cold outside) and most importantly I have my health, so I cannot really complain too much, so I optimistically turn to a sunny start to 2018. I hope it is the same for you!
I don't really have any particular plans for the coming year. I would like to read more classics and more books in translation. I hope I can make a better showing when it comes to keeping up with my NYRB subscription, as last year was very hit or miss--maybe this year will see fewer war stories and not so many especially challenging reads, but I am still open to whatever they send my way.
Other than that Stefanie and I are going to read John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids together. I really like his writing and every year I try and read a couple of his books (and it seems as though at least one always ends up on my best of the year list). I am sure at some point, maybe closer to summer, I will pick a theme or country to focus on, but I will see where my mood takes me later on.
That is my night table above. I sort of cleared the decks, but the small pile in the back are the books that have been carried over from last year. I had fun thinking about which books I wanted to start the new year off with. I have a couple of short non-fictions (one is even a Persephone Books title!) and a couple of new novels (including a ARC from Europa Editions--thanks to them!). All told there are four books translated from other languages and two classics, so I am at least starting the new year with a little thought to my loose reading plans. We'll see if I can keep it up.
Oh, and that bottom photo which shows the shelf under my night table has the books that I started but can't quite give up on so am always hopeful that I might get back to and finished. Small miracles might happen . . .
And I still have my January prompt to think about. Speaking of which, I have my list all ready. I was struggling with it at first but after a little brainstorming I ended up with more than I could use and had to decide which to keep and which to pass on. I tried to keep the prompts fairly random. And they are:
January: The Spy Who Loved Me
February: Long Ago and Far Away
March: From Book to Film
April: Don't Bother Me I'm Reading
May: House and Garden
June: Planes, Trains and Automobiles
July: Sailing the Seven Seas
August: A Month in the Country
September: Dear Diary, Dear Friend
October: Exit Stage Left
November: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night
December: Beam Me Up Scotty
I'm pretty excited about my prompts. I had a lot of fun with them last year.
This is my last day of winter break and tomorrow it is back to work. It is going to be a very cold walk to the bus stop at the crack of dawn. Although I am looking forward to getting back into a normal routine, I am not looking forward to going out in the cold and dark so very early. But there is still the rest of today and these are what I am spending my time with--a little hardboiled American crime, a short play, and my first 2018 New Yorker. One habit I am trying to get back into is my short story reading--every week a New Yorker story and whatever else catches my attention in between.
If you have plans or are starting out the new year with a special book, do share. If I do have a 'goal' for this year it is to get back into virtual book community--I have really missed keeping up with my online friends. And thank you to those who have stopped by over the course of last year (even with my own absence) as I have really appreciated it.
Happy 2018 :-)
Your plans sound marvelous. And who cares that we tend to repeat some version of these plans every year, I am still glad to find you here, reading and writing.
Posted by: Irisonbooks | January 01, 2018 at 03:21 PM
Happy new year! Oh, I love Europa Editions. Enjoy.
I have no firm reading plans—just being open to whatever may come along.
Posted by: Isabella | January 01, 2018 at 04:33 PM
I am hoping to have a fresh start this year, too. I had a terrible reading year in 2017.
Posted by: Kailana | January 01, 2018 at 05:16 PM
Hi Iris, Happy New Year to you as well! I guess by now I know what I like and what works best for my reading style, right? I am still doing the same things--so nice to hear from you, too!
Posted by: Danielle | January 01, 2018 at 05:58 PM
Happy New Year Isabella--so nice to hear from you. Europa Editions is one of my favorite publishers and I will try just about any of their books. I was really looking forward to The Athenian Women and can't wait to start reading. I pretty much end up just reading at whim, too, but it is fun to think about what I might choose. Thinking about that next book is often half the fun for me.
Posted by: Danielle | January 01, 2018 at 06:00 PM
Hey Kailana--Happy New Year! So nice to hear from you. Isn't it nice to start from scratch each January?!
Posted by: Danielle | January 01, 2018 at 06:01 PM
I love your prompts, and look forward to seeing which books you choose to fulfill them. I wrote a blog post titled Planes, Trains and Automobiles once: http://www.catchinghappiness.com/2014/06/planes-trains-and-automobiles.html Just in case you're short on titles (ha).
I don't envy you those cold, dark morning walks. I complain about the heat, but I don't think I'd fare very well in bitter cold, either. I'm a weather wimp! We're having a true cold snap (for Florida) this week, with highs only in the 50s, lows in the 30s. More comfortable than much of the US and delightful for those of us who do complain about the constant heat.
Posted by: Kathy | January 01, 2018 at 08:05 PM
Here's to a lovely 2018! I hope you find it less stressful and filled with a lot more joy! Can't wait to see what book discoveries you find this year.
Posted by: iliana | January 02, 2018 at 11:46 AM
It is so satisfying to begin a fresh reading year isn't it! I hope you find many new favourites in 2018. Would you believe that I am still on hold for the copy of Family Lexicon at the public library? You probably could have hand-copied a version of it for me in that time (but, of course, that would have interfered dreadfully with precious reading time)!
Posted by: Buried In Print | January 02, 2018 at 04:31 PM
I gave in and bought a copy of Family Lexicon after you made it one of your books of the year. I have also bought some books Susan Hill recommends in Jacob's Room is Full of Books which I have just finished and absolutely loved.
I have been following her recommendations since I first started reading her books in the late 70's and never regretted any of the choices. Neither of the books I wanted to read are in the library catalogue so I decided that I would have to buy myself a Christmas present!
Posted by: LizF | January 02, 2018 at 05:22 PM
If I don't manage to achieve any other reading goal, I must say that the prompts have been fun and I do get those books read! Thanks for the link and I have noted titles from it! Yesterday was truly awful in the morning as my bus did not show up so it was a long wait and a very uncomfortable one. It will improve by the weekend, so I just have to get through it. I am a weather wimp, too, but I must say 50s sounds quite blissful in comparison to what we have now! :)
Posted by: Danielle | January 03, 2018 at 07:23 AM
I feel bad as I think I must say good riddance to each year (the last few years) and that isn't good either. I always just hope for the best and surely this year will be good--I know I am excited about all my new reads. Happy 2018, too, Iliana!
Posted by: Danielle | January 03, 2018 at 07:24 AM
It is indeed. I wonder at what point the reading year starts to feel lacklaster? And what can we do to keep it this fresh and exciting all year? Hmm... Wow, that must be quite a line for the Ginzburg. Last night I was looking for another book and found one by her that I had not read so pulled it out and took it upstairs to my bedroom, now contemplating when I might insert it into my reading. No worries, as I am going to finish some other books first. Yeah, a page a day and you would have finished reading, too. Now if it meant copying out a book I *hadn't* read, then that might be time well spent, though it is a book worth a reread, too.
Posted by: Danielle | January 03, 2018 at 07:27 AM
I like Natalia Ginzburg and I think she is a very under-rated, or deserves to be better known writer! I hope you like the book as much as I did. Oh yeah, I need to look up Susan Hill's new book, though I guess I should start by reading the first one that I have owned for (years now?) that is still Unread! By the way, have you read Laura Powell's The Unforgotten? I ordered it before the holiday as it sounded so good and finally arrived yesterday--can't wait to start reading!
Posted by: Danielle | January 03, 2018 at 07:32 AM
Love your prompts! I am, however, sad to see Orlando on that bottom shelf. Though I do know it is also a book that if you aren't in the right frame of mind it will just drag.
Posted by: Stefanie | January 05, 2018 at 01:10 PM
Howard's End is on the Landing is a really easy and enjoyable read and a book which can be dipped into if you just want to read a little although I always find these books hard to put down! Well worth searching out your copy.
I hadn't actually heard of the Laura Powell but I thought it sounded really interesting so it is now on request from the library - I'm trying not to do that too often this year and make some inroads on my own shelves, but when it comes to thrillers and crime novels, I think I'm going to keep with it, just do it sparingly. That's the theory anyway!
Posted by: LizF | January 07, 2018 at 01:00 PM
Well, for once I at least know where my copy is! It would be easy enough to read an essay every other day or so, too1 I have only barely dipped into the Powell--it seem the the sort of book you would like as well.
Posted by: Danielle | January 07, 2018 at 08:23 PM
I know--I actually pilled the book off the shelf (well, momentarily only...) just today. I just lost the thread and got bogged down but I need to get back to it--it camr along at a very busy time. I do plan on finishing it.
Posted by: Danielle | January 07, 2018 at 08:24 PM
Belated best wishes! I love your prompts, they are so diverse!
Posted by: Smithereens | January 11, 2018 at 02:56 AM
Belated Happy New Year! My first book of the year was Rock Crystal by Adalbert Stifter, a short novella, which let me read a classic (NYRB books pretty much count as classics to me ;) and a book in translation. What a great list of prompts! April’s made me laugh. I’m still thinking about my reading plans, but finally came up with an appropriate prompt for January: Getting Organized :). Onward!
Posted by: Readerlane | January 11, 2018 at 08:13 AM
And Best wishes to you, too! I was not feeling very inspired at first, but then my list ended up being too long and I had to pick and choose. I am already thinking (a little anyway) about my Feb prompt, so it is fun choosing.
Posted by: Danielle | January 14, 2018 at 09:16 PM
Happy 2018 Readerlane! I read the Stifter novel, though I must admit the story has faded from my mind a bit. Isn't it nice to start the new year out with a book in translation?! You'll have to share your prompts as you go! April will be fun to choose a book for. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to come up with good prompts for the whole year, but then I ended up with more than I could use! Which book did you choose for your Jan prompt?
Posted by: Danielle | January 14, 2018 at 09:19 PM
Yes, ITA about starting the year with a book in translation — a taste of something different to start with. Your prompts are great! And I look forward to seeing what you read for them, too. I’m going to try Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin. I loved her book, The Happiness Project.
Posted by: Readerlane | January 15, 2018 at 04:07 PM