I am so sorry to hear about your mother, I hope she has improved. I often plan out my year, knowing that it will change a million times by the end of the year. I find that going in knowing that it’s a rough outline helps me not get too upset if I don’t read them all.
Good for you on letting yourself slow down - at the beginning, I did think that a list that included Dostoevsky, Cervantes, and Tolstoy, plus 9 other long classics, would be a bit much for one year. I can never keep a steady pace at reading through the year: some months, I devour words, others I hardly touch a book, and sickness really interferes with my ability to concentrate on reading.
Yikes! I hope your mother is doing better. My mom has been dealing with some serious health problems so I can certainly relate.
And that's an impressive list you've got. Still planning to get to my "Liaisons Dangereueses" translation? ;) That's another big-ass classic, you know, even if shorter than some.
It's hard to put one past Harry Callahan. I tend to read rather quickly and since I'd finished my book I figured I'd have the bandwidth to absorb a bigger reading project. Did I get that wrong or what? I'm pretty sure I've got my hook for Moby-Dick. Review should come along in a couple of weeks.
I'm not very good about goals--something new always comes along to distract me before I get finished.
I think much of what you're describing is just life, which has a way of sneaking up and humbling us every time we begin to think we're too much in control. Reminding us that we aren't the ones calling the shots.
I have been setting a Goodreads challenge for many years now since a friend first urged me to join so we could share what we were reading. I like the challenges but realized as life got more and more complicated for me that I had to keep decreasing my goals. After some HUGE life transitions and changes the number of books I have read so far this year has increased 3 fold. So life does get in the way. This picture into an important part of my life (reviewing my years of reading drying up year after year on Goodreads) helped me to understand I needed to make some Big Life Changes. So goals are good in that way as well- they help you understand what really is important in your life.
Having said that, I was also thinking maybe we should be able to set our goals as a bell-shaped curve to accurately reflect what is happening in our lives outside of our goal. I have never ended a Goodreads challenge directly on the goal. I usually hit a little above or below- ergo our goals should reflect life and the beauty of the bell shaped curve.
Also War and Peace is a good one- I really enjoyed my time spent reading it.
I like that idea. The point of a goal should be to help bring about a change you otherwise wouldn't have made. It doesn't have to be exact to be helpful.
You had me at Reading Goals, You lost me at revisiting 12 classics in one year! That is a goal I would never have imagined, so kudos to you for even trying! My goal for the year was to write 150 4 & 5 star Goodreads reviews for books from picture books - adult and share about them monthly on my blog and other social media. I’ve actually already written over 150 reviews (about 90 are picture books which is what I write) and I only write reviews if I really like a book and can write a glowing detailed description. I’m going to keep going and see what number I end up with but I’m not changing my ‘goal’ because why would I?
Joel, you make me feel out of breath just reading this! Goodness me, there's so much on your plate and slowing down and resetting your goals is the only thing to do. War and Peace should definitely not be hurried through and you'll enjoy it much more when you take your time. Glad your moving Daniel Deronda to 2027 as I'm still in the middle of it as well. Take care and slow down! :)
Usually, I don't do this kind of reading unless I have fully committed myself to writing a full historical or biographical text. And, for a variety of reasons, I have not been able to choose amongst the many ones I have wanted to do yet for several years, so my reading has been minimal during that time.
After reading Joseph Bottom's The Decline of the Novel, I put David Copperfield on my "reading" shelf so that it will tempt me, but other books keep claiming my time.
I am so sorry to hear about your mother, I hope she has improved. I often plan out my year, knowing that it will change a million times by the end of the year. I find that going in knowing that it’s a rough outline helps me not get too upset if I don’t read them all.
Yes, thank God, she’s better now. It was pretty iffy for a while there.
Good for you on letting yourself slow down - at the beginning, I did think that a list that included Dostoevsky, Cervantes, and Tolstoy, plus 9 other long classics, would be a bit much for one year. I can never keep a steady pace at reading through the year: some months, I devour words, others I hardly touch a book, and sickness really interferes with my ability to concentrate on reading.
Illness throws the whole thing off kilter. I'm sorry to hear that for you.
Yikes! I hope your mother is doing better. My mom has been dealing with some serious health problems so I can certainly relate.
And that's an impressive list you've got. Still planning to get to my "Liaisons Dangereueses" translation? ;) That's another big-ass classic, you know, even if shorter than some.
Yep! I've printed it out, and I'm ready to jump in.
I look forward to The Whale. I read the Confidence Man by Melville. It was a slog but I liked it! Also, have read Moby Dick. It's rad.
Moby-Dick is a fantastic book. Far easier sledding than I assumed--and by turns fascinating, hilarious, and riveting.
I enjoyed this. I’ve been a glacial reader since childhood, so setting reading goals would be about as realistic as achieving world peace.
I also appreciated the Yiddish and the proper recognition of Harry Callahan as the wise philosopher he was.
I’m especially looking forward to your review of Moby-Dick.
It's hard to put one past Harry Callahan. I tend to read rather quickly and since I'd finished my book I figured I'd have the bandwidth to absorb a bigger reading project. Did I get that wrong or what? I'm pretty sure I've got my hook for Moby-Dick. Review should come along in a couple of weeks.
I'm not very good about goals--something new always comes along to distract me before I get finished.
I think much of what you're describing is just life, which has a way of sneaking up and humbling us every time we begin to think we're too much in control. Reminding us that we aren't the ones calling the shots.
Very sorry to read about your mother's illness.
Yes, thank God, she's doing better.
Very glad to hear it!
I have been setting a Goodreads challenge for many years now since a friend first urged me to join so we could share what we were reading. I like the challenges but realized as life got more and more complicated for me that I had to keep decreasing my goals. After some HUGE life transitions and changes the number of books I have read so far this year has increased 3 fold. So life does get in the way. This picture into an important part of my life (reviewing my years of reading drying up year after year on Goodreads) helped me to understand I needed to make some Big Life Changes. So goals are good in that way as well- they help you understand what really is important in your life.
Having said that, I was also thinking maybe we should be able to set our goals as a bell-shaped curve to accurately reflect what is happening in our lives outside of our goal. I have never ended a Goodreads challenge directly on the goal. I usually hit a little above or below- ergo our goals should reflect life and the beauty of the bell shaped curve.
Also War and Peace is a good one- I really enjoyed my time spent reading it.
I like that idea. The point of a goal should be to help bring about a change you otherwise wouldn't have made. It doesn't have to be exact to be helpful.
You had me at Reading Goals, You lost me at revisiting 12 classics in one year! That is a goal I would never have imagined, so kudos to you for even trying! My goal for the year was to write 150 4 & 5 star Goodreads reviews for books from picture books - adult and share about them monthly on my blog and other social media. I’ve actually already written over 150 reviews (about 90 are picture books which is what I write) and I only write reviews if I really like a book and can write a glowing detailed description. I’m going to keep going and see what number I end up with but I’m not changing my ‘goal’ because why would I?
That's great. Keep it rolling!
Joel, you make me feel out of breath just reading this! Goodness me, there's so much on your plate and slowing down and resetting your goals is the only thing to do. War and Peace should definitely not be hurried through and you'll enjoy it much more when you take your time. Glad your moving Daniel Deronda to 2027 as I'm still in the middle of it as well. Take care and slow down! :)
That is definitely the plan. I'm hoping to read some mysteries and sci-fi while I'm away and get some writing done, then jump back (slowly) into W&P.
Usually, I don't do this kind of reading unless I have fully committed myself to writing a full historical or biographical text. And, for a variety of reasons, I have not been able to choose amongst the many ones I have wanted to do yet for several years, so my reading has been minimal during that time.
Why not just choose one at random and start? You might find it doesn't work but it points you to the one you do want to work on?
Okay, I just might.
After reading Joseph Bottom's The Decline of the Novel, I put David Copperfield on my "reading" shelf so that it will tempt me, but other books keep claiming my time.