As the year draws to a close, I find myself trying to wrap up the reading I've done for the year too. I am one of those people who reads several books at once. Sometimes I have them going at roughly equal speeds. Sometimes one takes precedence over the others. And sometimes I start a book and set it aside for months at a time (luckily my memory is decent enough that a quick skim of one of these brings it back to me and I can pick up where I left off). Because I am just as likely to have a bookmark in five books as one at any given moment, I often have unfinished books piling up on my bedside table. And every year as we get closer and closer to a new calendar year, I try to clean up and finish as many of the unfinished as I can. It may not be a New Year, New Me but it is a New Year, New Read thing. (Well, because I rarely conveniently finish a book at 11:59 pm on Dec. 31, I try to go into the New Year with only one in progress book. As of right now I have winnowed my stack to only three in progress books, one of which I am reading slowly on purpose with a group discussing it by chapter chunks, one of which I abandoned this summer, and one I started but set aside last month as other more pressing review books took precedence. Will any of these three be the one carry-over to next year? I wouldn't bet on it but then again, knowing my reading whims, I wouldn't bet against it either. Do you try to finish the year by clearing off the bedside table? Or do you have any other strange end of the year reading habits (that maybe I should adopt too)?
My reading adventures this past week were interrupted by a lot of Christmas shopping. But needing to recover from the mall, I did travel to the cranberry bogs in West Virginia with two sisters as they processed their mother's death in different ways and I watched three cousins renovate a spite house in Memphis as each of them faced her own troubles. Where did your reading take you this past week?
I love this idea. I tend to stop reading real stories at this time of year and coast until the new year starts.
ReplyDeleteHere's my Sunday Salon. I'd love to have you stop by!
I have hit my reading goal for the year, so am looking forward to not pressurising myself in what I read between now and the new year.
ReplyDeleteLike you I do try to not have an "In flight" book on the go up to NYE - sometimes I achieve it, often by not starting a new book in the last 2 days or so!
I really like the idea of "starting fresh" with reading for the new year... I'm still seven books short of my 2014 goal (eek), so I'm anticipating a TON of reading over the holiday. Hopefully, none of these will carry over and I can meet my goal!
ReplyDeleteThis week, I visited Indian Island with ten strangers, the Middle Ages with some knights, a jester and a swineherd, as well as death row in the '80s. Any ideas what I'm reading? (As for yours, no clue!)
My goal is to be reading less than ten books at the New Year. I'm not likely to achieve it.
ReplyDeleteI used to be a one book at a time person but this year I seem to now have a few books going. I am also trying to finish them up before the New Year - wish me luck!!
ReplyDeleteI tend to have only one book on the go at a time but my TBR list is so long! Maybe my resolution this year should be to NOT add to my pile??? *laughs hysterically*
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of a "Spite house." Thanks for sharing.
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