Do you have a reading strategy for 2011, or are you a free spirit, floating where the breeze takes you?I'm afraid I'm in grave danger of becoming far too organised - but I find it is a matter of juggling the books on hand, and those I want to read.
One of my serious New Year plans is to deal somehow with the piles of unread books both of the made-from-paper kind and the e-books lurking on my Kindle.
I want these piles reduced, but the Kindle makes it so easy to buy more, the library to borrow more, and still more come through the post.
In reality I read about 3, maybe 4, books a week in a good week. So far I've managed 10 for 2011 but that is a pace I am unlikely to be able to maintain, despite the fact that I have some extended travel coming up later in the year (14 hour flights to and from Abu Dhabi are good for reading!).
Hence the lists. You'll see them everywhere on this blog (look for TBRN in the column to the right), and then there are the printed ones around the house, with the library books etc so I can read things in order. I have spreadsheets too that help me keep track of reading challenges I've committed to. Part of the reason for the commitment though is to try to "use up" some of the TBR.
This week on MiP will see Crime Fiction Alphabet - the letter B, and the first 2011 edition of the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge Blog Carnival
Featured posts:
- How to join the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge
- Crime Fiction Alphabet 2011 is launched
- Our best crime fiction reads in 2010
- Weekly Geeks: 2011-2: Crime Fiction awards that matter to me
- Review: OUR LADY OF PAIN, Elena Forbes - audio
- Review: BAD INTENTIONS, Karin Fossum
- Forgotten Book: FOUND IN THE STREET, Patricia High...
- Best Crime Fiction Reads in 2010 - listed by author
- Creating P.C. reading by whitewashing the classics...
- Review: OF WILD DOGS, Jane Taylor
- Best Crime Fiction Reads in 2010 - listed by title...
- Crime Fiction Alphabet 2011 - Letter A - A BEAUTIFUL WAY TO DIE
- Review: THE SOUNDS OF CRIME, Maxim Jakubowski (edi...
- Crime Fiction Alphabet 2011 - Letter A
- Blogoversary giveway - the winner is..
- The Mystery Book Consumer in the Digital Age
- What were the New York Times best sellers the year you were born in?
- Book Review Blog Carnival #60
- Book Giveaway to celebrate Oz release of THE PERICLES COMMISSION
- THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST - Best GoodRead's Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller 2010
- now - THE PERICLES COMMISSION, Gary Corby
- then - BURY YOUR DEAD, Louise Penny
- now on Kindle - PRIME CUT, Alan Carter
- next on Kindle - OPERATION NAPOLEON, Arnaldur Indridason
- next on audio STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG , Kate Atkinson
- then on audio - DIED IN THE WOOL, Ngaio Marsh
- next Agatha Christie - DEATH ON THE NILE
7 comments:
Kerrie - I admire your level of orghanisation. I have to confess to being much more of a free spirit and I'm sure that if I were a little more organised, I'd get more read. I would say that's a new year's resolution of mine, but I know I won't keep it ;-).
Totally a free spirit!!! I don't decide what I'm going to read until it's right in front of me. I have those same stacks, especially on Kindle, but when I'm ready to read, I just pick whatever suits at that moment.
I am trying to be more organised this year in an effort to reduce my TBR - along with my spreadsheet I have a notebook that I 'plan' what books I'm going to read each month - this is to stop me accepting too many ARCs and borrowing too many library books. So far this year I have kept pace with my TBR (for every book read I have added a new one). This doesn't sound good until you realise that last year I was adding 2 books for every book read. Now that I have spent nearly all my birthday and Christmas vouchers and have stopped visiting Net Galley my ratio should get even better.
One thing I'm trying hard to do is read books from my TBR where I have somehow acquired multiple books by a new-to-me author. I figure it's a good thing to know if I like the author or not - in the case of Sophie Hannah I realised she is not for me so I am not even going to attempt the second book I have from her - a good way to reduce the TBR
I try to be somewhat organized, but when I come right down to it, I am much more of a free spirit when it comes to choosing what I want to read.
I just pick up whatever takes my fancy. Never could organise my reading.
As I had mentioned last week, I have started a weekly feature on Sunday, Sharing Poetry With You, where I would be sharing any poem that has made an impact on me. It could be a classic one or a contemporary one, and anything in between. Do check out what poem I share today by clicking on Sunday Salon: Sharing Poetry With You. You are invited to convey your thoughts on the poem posted. In one word or many words..your choice!
I plan a bit, so that I can figure out what to put on reserve at the library and what to purchase and which seller is less expensive.
Then if the library doesn't have the book(s) I want, I keep checking as books do come into the system.
But when I read a good review here or at a few other wonderful websites, I scrap the plan and try to obtain the good book, as with Teresa Solana, Elly Griffiths, Claudia Piniero, Malla Nunn, and others.
I do keep several TBR lists in different locations, and keep adding to them and bookmarking reviews and lists. I have in mind several books that I want to read this year, but not yet an organized plan, with the order. It's a bit more "c'est la vie," at this point.
Some weeks I plan a lot, read frantically and write up 3-4 blog posts in a few hours; other weeks I do what I really want: read & blog less & write more fiction.
But as neither is my job, I suppose I can be as (un)organized as I want. So though I do like blogging most days & getting some comments, I try to remember blogging should be for fun, not a chore.
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