It's been a while, hasn't it? I am not sure where the time has gone, but I seem to move at a slower pace these days than before? I am not sure how I used to be so industrious, but maybe with the nicer weather and the promise of spring on the horizon, I will find a new burst of energy. I have some catching up to do, so today will be a bit of mish mash of things as they come to mind.
After struggling last year with reading goals and keeping up with that elusive number I set on Goodreads, I am feeling much better this year as I have at least stayed on track thus far. I know meeting goals are not really important. Maybe I have simply been reading some very satisfying books and the mix has had a little bit of the variety I have been aiming for. I think I am never really happy with my reading--in the sense of having so many good books to read and not reading them as quickly as I would like or as much time in which to to read them. This year has been one where I am acquiring books in a rate that is greatly outpacing my finishes. There is just more to look forward to, I guess.
I am hoping this year will see more reading of books in translation. If I can read one a month, I will be very happy indeed. So far so good. One graphic novel translated from the Hebrew, a novel from the Spanish and one vintage French mystery with an ironic twist at the end! My next pick is a book I have heard rave reviews from a number of readers whose opinions I respect, Claudia Pineiro's Elena Knows. It also happens to have made the International Booker Prize Longlist, though it was already on my reading pile. I have read Pineiro in the past--she is known for her novels of suspense and is a very talented storyteller. There are a few other books on that list that I might take a look at as well.
I find that reading a book alongside another reader often helps me stay on task and connected with a book that I might otherwise let fall by the wayside or let languish too long if I was just reading it on my own. I'm not sure why that is. I have started converting my online books read lists from online to, once again, a happy journal format. For many years I had a spiral bound book that I filled with the books read each year. Nothing fancy--just title and author and the date. There are advantages to having the lists online--being able to sort and search easily. But I like having a paper copy to peruse as well. So I have been slowly re-creating the lists into a new journal and it is interesting revisiting my reading years (going all the way back to 2005)!
My how tastes change (in some cases not very much, too). It was thereabouts that I began tackling the classics (as in the Canon of Western European/American). Of course I realize how very narrow that is and am happy I have broadened my horizons (and need to continue to do so), but I read massive chunksters and translated works and lesser known books. I am a little amazed by what I accomplished. It was not just one book every so often, but often one book after another. Maybe I should not admit this--for some readers they did this when they were in middle school and have not slowed down since. Alas, that was not (not really anyway) me. And then my reading went off to another path.
I have wanted to get back to reading "the classics"--of whatever stripe. I have not done a very good job for years now. However, I just finished Jezebel's Daughter by Wilkie Collins. I read this along with Smithereens, who very kindly joined me in this Victorian journey. As much as I love Wilkie Collins, this was definitely one of his minor (and later) works. Entertaining, though curious, too. A novel of a mother's love gone awry as she poisons those people who stand in her way of marrying off her daughter to a suitable (and rich) young man, and thus getting out of financial straits. I'm not sure how on task I would have been had a not had a reading friend to get through this short novel. It went off so well that we plan on reading another (though vintage classic of the mystery kind) book together.
I want to pick up another classic, but I think I will move on to more modern ground. I plan on watching the film adaptation of Passing by Nella Larsen sometime soon, so it is waiting for me now. Another slim novel that I think will be a another good choice to help me get my feet wet again.
Just a few more mentions before this post gets too unwieldy. I am reading a couple of titles from the Women's Prize Longlist (by Elif Shafak and Meg Mason). Although I let my subscription for NYRB Classics go, I have decided to try the Community Bookstore in Brooklyn's subscription service. I found them during lockdown and attended some of their virtual events that were lifesavers during lockdown. I get their newsletter and saw the ad for the subscriptions they offer. I a waiting for my first month's selection, When I Sing Mountains Dance by Irene Sola, and translated from the Catalan by Mara Faye Lethem. I think it will be a good fit for me as a number of their recent selections have been on my own wishlist and I see a lot of international fiction--right up my alley.
Although I will save this for another day, I have been working very, very part time, and only occasionally at a local indie bookstore that opened just as the pandemic hit. The owner runs several bookclubs. Since the store is literally just a quick walk from where I live and I am trying to read more outside my comfort zone I have been joining in when I can. One of them is a romance club, which is not my normal genre. While those books have been hit or miss, some of the books we have read in her other clubs have been really good.
Thank you for the comments and I am sorry I have been so absent. I am afraid to make any promises, but my intentions are always to share updates a bit more regularly. Of course, I am always happy to hear what you have been reading or watching--I always appreciate bookish chat!