He was dressed to minimize the physical signs of age....
- S M Reine, The Darkest Gate
What? I can't picture what that means. Wearing what?
The Neverending TBR Pile
Slowly working my way through all the classic literature that exists out there in the world, with occasional breaks for fantasy and/or anything else that catches my attention.
2
When death, the great Reconciler, has come, it is never our tenderness that we repent of, but our severity.
- George Eliot; Adam Bede
Her noble elephants had strayed
Through Vindhyan and Himálayan shade,
Gigantic in their bulk and height,
Yet gentle in their matchless might.
- The Rámáyan of Válmíki
Reading progress update: I've read Book 1 of 3
Death's Hand, the first book in the series gets 4 stars. Good characters and decently paced.
Now on to book 2...
Reading progress update: I've read 100% (Finished!)
After feeling the starting chapters were a little slow (more interesting educationally than enjoyable entertainment) I found this adventure story quite enjoyable. This second book serves my introduction to the Kitty Hawk series, a character I find I like, although I suspect it might have been more useful to begin at the beginning.
Lots of interesting information is embedded in the story which is courageous as that can very easily weigh a story down and reduce the fun. I think the scales tip just in the right direction. Pleasing characters and the pacing of the adventure keeps the reader's attention enough.
Reading progress update: I've read 3%
Starting on The Ramayan (The Ramayana?) today. Not technically 2014 yet but I consider this Week 1 of the New Year. I don't want to get to Wednesday without starting.
I don't know whether I have the best translation or not. Reading via ebook and so will note progress in percentages. Aiming for 20% each day this week (Monday-Friday), but we'll see how well that works out. It depends on how my free time works out. I can use the weekend for catchup too.
Reading progress update: I've read 22.
Started slowly, but getting more interested in the story now.
Author in Focus for 2014: George Eliot
I'm going to try and read George Eliot's novels throughout the year. I have read some before, perhaps only one I can remember (Silas Marner), and I keep planning on getting around to the rest someday.
So "someday" is happening in 2014.
Here's the reading list:
- Adam Bede
- The Mill on the Floss
- Silas Marner
- Romola
- Felix Holt, The Radical
- Middlemarch
- Daniel Deronda
- Poetry
I have had Middlemarch sitting patiently in my TBR pile for the past year or so but I'm not sure whether I will start with that one, or start with Adam Bede at the top of the list. My inner list-making monster wants to follow the list.
1
2
Reading Plans
I don't really participate in any of the reading challenges found around the internet simply because I can easily feel overwhelmed by all the rules and any deadlines for participation. I'm funny that way.
In saying that I have my own ongoing personal areas of focus for selecting books to be read and I will be using them again in 2014:
NLRP = Books listed in The New Lifetime Reading Plan (just because I read the book years ago and thought "hey, I wonder how long it would take me to read all of these"...
Classics = Any title that can be considered a "classic"... in terms of age at least. (Not deliberately limiting to Western canon titles. They are just usually easier for me to get my hands on.). Also, generally anything not already covered by the NLRP.
Reread = As well as fresh reads I like to revisit past reads. See if my thoughts about them change.
TBR Catchup = Anything else that finds itself on my TBR pile.
What I tend to do is cycle through each category unless something specific has caught my attention, then I read that.
Currently reading
Adam Bede by George Eliot
Progress:
40%
The Jacobite Rebellions (1689-1746) - (Bell's Scottish History Source Books.) by James Pringle Thomson
Progress:
32%
Royal Edinburgh Her Saints, Kings, Prophets and Poets by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant, George Reid
Progress:
35%
The Rámáyan of Válmíki by Válmíki
Progress:
4%
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan
Progress:
195/1011pages
