when the lights go down in the city

Still Feeling Guilty

nobody@vox.com(Krissy) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:26:43 -0700

Where you fall in poll of U.S. reading habits - CNN.com

http://www.cnn.co...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- There it sits on your nightstand, that book you've meant to read for who knows how long but haven't yet cracked open. Tonight, as you feel its stare from beneath that teetering pile of magazines, know one thing -- you are not alone.

My goal of reading 25 books this year has fallen short as I've just gotten through ten so far. I had wanted to surpass my pace of reading a book a month in 2006 so at least I'm on track to do that. But still, I'm feeling guilty. I don't even feel consoled by this article, which states:

"One in four adults say they read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday....The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year -- half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn't read any, the usual number read was seven."

I have a little over four months left. Maybe I can get to 15?

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QotD: Midway Through

nobody@vox.com(Krissy) — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 18:47:24 -0700

What's one thing that you hope to do or accomplish before the end of this year?

One thing I will definitely do is read at least one book each month in 2006. Considering how much I love to read, this goal kind of depresses me. Think about it: 12 books a year, and maybe I'll live another 50 years if I'm lucky. That's only 600 books left to read before I die! If I want to read all the good books ever written, I'd better pick up the pace.

So far the goal has served me well, probably because it's specific and attainable. I've read up to three books each month and tagged them all "bookamonth" in this here blog, if anyone wants to read along with me.

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May Books

nobody@vox.com(Krissy) — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 00:34:53 -0700

These are the books I read in May. I have to say my one-book-a-month goal has been one of the best New Year's resolutions I've ever made (and kept, of course).

The May Queen : Women on Life, Love, Work, and Pulling It All Together in Your 30s

How to Be Lost : A Novel

Prep : A Novel

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Book-a-month for March and April '06

nobody@vox.com(Krissy) — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 12:16:15 -0700

The Year of Magical Thinking

My April selection was Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking about the year following her husband's death. I read it because it's Didion, and it came highly recommended from my friend Laurie. I haven't read any books on grief, but I thought Didion did a great job of capturing how surreal it can be when you lose someone close to you. I had feelings of bewilderment and 'magical thinking' when my father died when I was 11 years old, so it was interesting and comforting to read a much older adult describing similar feelings and experiences.

Blink : The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

March's book was Blink which I found interesting and enjoyable but not as rattling and compelling as The Tipping Point. Now I just need John Gottman to be on-call to thin-slice all my potential romantic relationships. What a time-saver he is!

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Book-a-month for February '06

nobody@vox.com(Krissy) — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 09:28:50 -0800

The Shadow of the Wind

This past Thursday, March 23rd, I finished my book-a-month for February! Yayyyy!

OK I realize I'm over three weeks behind, but The Shadow of the Wind was 486 pages long so I don't feel too bad. About 300 pages in, I was wondering if I'd chosen the wrong book for me, because while I felt it was well-written and interesting, it just wasn't grabbing me. But several pages later, something happened and suddenly it was totally worth reading. I've never had to wait that long to get into a book before. Strange sensation.

Now if I'm really industrious and clever, I can choose a book for March that I can finish in the coming week. The problem is that starting this Monday, between friends' bands being in town and the Noise Pop festival, I have a show to go to every night through the start of April. Plus I have to write about some of them, so when am I going to have time to read?

I think I'm going to choose a short book for March.

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Book-a-Month 2006

nobody@vox.com(Krissy) — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 14:34:43 -0800

I made a really sad goal for this year -- to read one book a month. This depresses me, that I will only potentially read 12 books this year, considering there are hundreds I would like to get through before I croak. But, I'm busy, and if I didn't set this goal I'd probably only get through about five books before December.

Everything was A-OK for January. And I was on track for February. I actually read 300 pages in February, but I made the grave mistake of choosing a book that's 486 pages long. Plus, the book isn't knocking my socks off.

So now I'm all off track, with 186 pages to finish before I can even start my March selection (not sure what it will be yet) and I'm feeling very disappointed in myself.

Current mood: disappointed

January '06 Feb. - March '06

Miss Misery : A Novel

The Shadow of the Wind

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