Sunday Salon #33 - 9 November

Only the 9th November and yet this is my 16th post for the month. Posting count for the year will be 390 with this one.

The other milepost passed this weekend is that my blog, begun on January 2, as a result of a New Year's resolution, has passed the 20,000 visitor mark - one that I didn't expect to get to until the end of the year.

I haven't read so many books this week.
I'm currently about 100 pages from the end of WHAT THE DEAD KNOW by Laura Lippman. It's a winner of multiple awards as I mentioned in my progress report and one of those books that you feel you have to read carefully so that you don't miss a seemingly innocent line. I've already had a couple of instances when the significance of what I'd just read almost went un-noticed, but luckily I went back and re-read the last page or so. I hope I haven't missed anything that was important.

My library tells me THE MAN IN THE BROWN SUIT, that I'm waiting for to read for my Agatha Christie Reading Challenge, is "in transit" - with luck it will arrive soon. I'm ready for another!

I'll be going to Singapore for a few days on Thursday this week and so will probably miss making a Sunday Salon posting. I've been thinking I will take only smaller books with me, that is, until a friend arrived this morning with THE 19TH WIFE by David Ebershoff which I need to have read in 2 weeks' time for my face to face group.

This week's postings:

• Australian Made, Born, Bred, and Written
  Tips on how to find some Australian crime fiction to read.
• The Wave that failed
  An attempt to break a world record for the Mexican wave fizzled.
• Santa's in Town, All's Well
  We're on the home straight. 45 days of frantic preparations to go. The Adelaide Christmas pageant heralded the arrival of Father Christmas to our town, and I added a countdown gadget to my blog.
• Crime Fiction books listed on PW's Best Books of the Year
  I have read only one of the crime fiction titles that Publishers Weekly have listed so there's plenty for me to look out for.
• Progress report: WHAT THE DEAD KNOW, Laura Lippman
  Information about the awards this book has won, and those it has been shortlisted for.
• Review: THE LORDS' DAY, Michael Dobbs
  I've been listening to this for a few weeks now to and from wprk. Well worth your attention either as an audio or reading book.
• How many books do you hope to read this year?
  Do you set yourself a target each year? How do you do it? Do you join challenges? Do you keep records?
• What does Kurt Wallander look like?
  Kenneth Branagh is the "new" TV Kurt Wallander? Does he fit the picture you have?
• Read an Agatha Christie in under an hour
  In my opinion, those who read "Agatha Christie" comics are not reading Agatha Christie.
  

The poll this week was: How many books do you hope to read this year?
17 people voted

>250
200 to 249 - 0
150 to 199 - 3
100 to 149 - 5
50 to 99 - 8
<50>I'm not sure what conclusions to draw from these results
I think it says that the majority of us read 2 to 3 books a week.

The poll for next week: Do you keep records of your reading?
How do you do it? A notebook, a spreadsheet, a database, my blog, Library Thing, Shelfari, other online utility, other means.
I'll be away next weekend so this poll will run for 2 weeks.
So do pop in and vote.
I've set it up so you can choose more than one option.

Currently reading:

• now - WHAT THE DEAD KNOW, Laura Lippman
• next - A MAN LAY DEAD, Ngaio Marsh
• also listening to - CORDUROY MANSIONS, Alexander McCall Smith, uwaiting for ch. 41