My nightstand is actually kind of tame right now! I had to clear it mostly off as one of my cats has declared it a sleeping zone (I think she likes the heat from the lamp). Rather than constantly fighting with her over not knocking things off, I gave in and cleared it for her. A good lamp and my pile of books is all I require, so a happy compromise.
Three of my books are carryovers from last year, two are for dipping into and the four in front are my new reads for a new year. I want to finish Valerie Perrin's Fresh Water for Flowers, D.E. Stevenson's Mrs. Tim of the Regiment and Ruth Rendell's King Solomon's Carpet. Two books perfect for just dipping into now and again are the two standing upright--in the back is the Second Persephone Book of Short Stories and At the Pond, which is a book of essays.
My newest reads: Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb (kindly sent by Smithereens), The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell, Spring by Ali Smith and my nonfiction read (which I have had a hard time deciding on and have not yet started this) Elisabeth's Lists by Lulah Ellender. I am pleased with all my newest (and carryover) reads.
Now I just need to decide what to do about monthly prompts. Rather than themes I have a list of places (settings?) that might be an inspiring way to choose a new story each month. Rather than setting a specific place for each month I have a list I will draw from:
Plane/Train/ or Automobile
Ship or Sea
Hospital
Courtoom/Police Station (January prompt)
Mountains/Beach
Garden/Country House
Bookstore/Library
Museum
Gardens/Maze (February Prompt)
Haunted House
Island/Desert
Movie Theater
Bus/Subway
Stage/Screen
Great Plains
I'll cross off as I go along and there are a few extra in case something just does not pan out.
I don't really have any other plans, though I did set a reading goal at Goodreads and I hope that from the books I choose over the course of the year I can also use for my public Library's reading challenge (just twelve books with easy themes). I just want to find some good stories to lose myself in this year!