BiblioAddict The First Step on the Road to Recovery

On failed and successful New Year’s Resolutions, hitting 50, a year for young adults, and Austenmania:

I haven’t done Musing Monday in far, far too long.  Or, Short Story Mondays for that matter.  No matter how hard I try, schedules and routine are clearly not my bag.  But this week’s Musing Monday was too good to pass up:

Now that we’ve come to the middle of the year, what do you think of your 2009 reading so far? Read anything interesting that you’d like to share? Any outstanding favorites?

This is the middle of the year?  My god, where has the time gone?  I really can’t believe it, especially since I had so many books I wanted to read this year, several of which I haven’t begun to even think about reading yet.  There is, however, one bit of good news.

Earlier this year, I made a couple of reading resolutions.  The first one was to cut back on my book buying.  More specifically, I would either: a) only buy a book for every book that I finished, or b) allot myself only $50 a month for book purchasing.  Well, that lasted for about three months.  For the past three months I’ve been spending and spending and spending even when, like now, I don’t much money to spend.

The second resolution was to read 50 books this year.  Last year I completed a mesely 37, so this year I wanted to up the ante.  I am proud to say that I have completed 27 books so I’m just about on schedule.  The second half of this year is going to be much busier than the first: I’m moving to New York in two months, starting graduate school, and getting a new job, which is, as yet, unfound.  So whether or not I’ll actually be able to read 50 books is still very much in the air, but we shall see.  And I’m optimistic!

As far as what I’ve read thus far, I am quite pleased.  I haven’t read many books that touched me as deeply as some of things I read last year, but almost everything I’ve completed has been very enjoyable.  And 2009 will be distinguishable for two reasons:

1.  2009 is my official Year of the Young Adult Novel.  It all started with a little trilology called His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.  The trilogy blew every proconceived notion I had about YA literature – that it’s too immature, it’s too simple, it doesn’t tackle complex and important subjects – out of the water.  All of it was untrue!  YA is a wonderful genre in which authors are penning some beautifully written novels.

Since His Dark Materials, I’ve read three other YA novels:  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (awesome), The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (wonderful), and Graceling by Kristin Cashore (amazing).  I highly recommend all of these books.  At the moment, I’m (supposed to be) reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  And when I ever stop lugging it around in my bag but not reading it, I’m sure that I will love it just as much as every one else.  I’m fairly certain I’ve got to be the only person under the sun who hasn’t read it yet.

2.  This is also the year that I discovered the pure joy of reading Jane Austen.  I honestly didn’t think I would like reading Austen, which is why I put off reading her for so long.  Lo and behold!  I read Pride and Prejudice and loved it!  And then I read Emma and loved that too!  And then I read an Austen spin-off (The Darcy Connection by Elizabeth Aston) and liked that too!  I think at this point, it’s safe to say that I’m an Austen convert.

Speaking of Austen, I’ve been toying with the idea of joining the Everything Austen Challenge being hosted by Stephanie at Stephanie’s Written Word.  If I didn’t think I already have too much on my plate I would have signed up already.  But my life is about to be an unsettled mess in a couple of months so I’d better hold off.  Next year, though!

If I had to pick the three books which I’ve enjoyed the most so far this year they would be:

1. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman (bk. 2 of the His Dark Materials trilogy)

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

3. The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science by Natalie Angier

And to think, I have a five whole months in which to possibly read something better! I can’t wait.

Happy reading!

Musing Monday is hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page.

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