Check out episode 56 of The Readers:
You don’t have to listen to the show if you don’t want you (though it’s quite good) as my Top 5 are in the show notes.
A slight caveat: This has not been my biggest year in terms of books read so you might think there are some notable omissions. That doesn’t make my choices any less worthy 
Happy Christmas!
Whilst I’ve been elsewhere – eg. traveling without internet access – it seems my host has made some alterations to how much memory WordPress has access to taking the site off-line. I’ve stripped the site of some bells and whistles until I can move hosts. Enough is enough!
On the good side I’m reading Cold Days by Harry Dresden and I’m again hooked!
They are here! Am actually quite excited to get going. I have until some point this month to read one and write my first review. I’m not putting it off on purpose but after I finish The Technician I’m reading Cold Days and I have to fit in The Last Ritual as Yrsa Sigurdardottir is January’s Book Club Choice on The Readers.
Also, now I have 8 to choose from I’m a little unsure where to stat but I’m 99% sure it’s going to be The Body Snatchers.
But reading challenge is go! go! go!
I have a confession to make I put down Consider Phlebas, my first Culture novel, without finishing it. But you must admit that that a series that has been going for 25 years must have something to it. So a long while later I heard an adaption by Paul Cornell of The State of the Art on Radio 4 when it was repeated in April last year. And I was enchanted by the story being told. But it took me until April this year to do something about it. I bought The Player of Games on audiobook. Then it took my until last month to get around to listening to it.
I’m greatly enjoying it. It’s a new trick of mine to listen to books that I really want to read but don’t click with. So after not finishing my first try I’m really enjoying being told the second in the series. I had another go as so many of my reader friends like and enjoy the Culture and sometimes it’s about finding your way into an author. I hope this is my way in as Use of Weapons has already had a credit spent on it.
The other thing is that I’m in SF mood in my reading at the minute so it might explain why it’s now clicked? Anyway, are you a fan of the Culture? Where did you start? What’s your favourite?
I was recording today’s episode of The Readers and Simon and I talked about challenges. I don’t really do challenges. There are so many out there that I could join in but it’s not really my thing. Simon though was talking about his Persephone Project and something clicked. Why not have a personal, self-directed reading project of my own?
Since I’ve not been accepting review copies on mass (a few sneak in the house but I’m OK with that) I’ve had a chance to really tackle the shelves and one thing I’ve been doing is organising. Simple things like putting all the books by the same author together unless they are Vintage Classics or SF Masterworks whose spines make a great sight.
And one thing I’ve noticed is that I’ve got a small batch of SF Masterworks (The Body Snatchers, Gateway, Roadside Picnic and The Forever War) that are currently unread and I’ve not really read that many more books in that cannon. Strangely, after I had this moment I saw on Graeme’s blog that he has near enough a shelf to tackle of his own.
Now, part of my anxious state is that I’m feeling a little lacking in older works as well as being behind on what’s current. So what better solution than giving myself the challenge of reading at least one SF Masterworks a month?
I asked twitter what they’d choose so I’ve selected another four to those above:
They are already on their way.
I think that these eight are a good mix to get me started but I wonder what the others will be? I’ve got a minimum of four to find. Any suggestions?
I’d set my current level of reader to anxious. If there was a progress bar for this year I’d say I was 50% or less as I just don’t think I’ve read enough.
Of course there is always more to read. It’s impossible to read everything I know but you should be able to look back and go my 33 year-old self and not think I should have read more.
Not that I haven’t read some great books; Ready Player One, Hollow Pike, Whispers Underground (audiobook), A Place of Execution, The Song of Achilles, The Case of the Missing Servant, This Night’s Foul Work, The Long Earth, Redemption in Indigo, Now You See Me, The Apocalypse Codex, The City’s Son, Orbus (audiobook), A Death in Valencia, The Steel Remains, The Snow Child, Or The Bull Kills You, The Somnambulist to name a good chunk.
I’ve been reading through short story collections too but I’ve probably read under a book a week, which is still pretty good in this age of distraction, but still leaves a huge list of books I haven’t yet read and would love too. Don’t worry I’m not going to list them.
The only thing to do is see what my 34 year-old self can do to catch up!
So what state are you? Excited, Satisfied, Eager…?
I do have this thing for amazing cover design and this week I seem to have come across an explosion.
Look at these:
From top to bottom they are:
Sourcery by Terry Pratchett
Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
The High House by James Stoddard
Sabriel by Garth Nix
Stone by Adam Roberts
I’ve read Sourcery about 7 times, Dolores at least 3, High House and Sabriel twice and Stone just the once.
What books have stuck with you?
Joe Hill’s third book isn’t out until next year but I thought that seeing as the cover is being shown off now is a good time to mention it. I wish we had a blurb but as we don’t let’s see what I said about his earlier books:
I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do when he goes from apprentice to master.
and more hauntingly:
Joe Hill has humanity nailed. I wonder whose skin he is going to peel away next?
We’ll have to wait until April?!
Lots of time for speculation I guess 
Come on the 27th November 2012!!
I’m not including the spoiler-filled blurb. It’s book 14. Not a place you want to start with anyway but definitely a series you want to read if you like urban fantasy.