Hahahaha, how is it already MAY?! Oh man, I’m so behind, or I feel so behind, or I just feel like time started accelerating at a hundred miles an hour this past month, and I’m holding on for dear life, trying to figure out why all my plans keep flying off behind me.
One of the things that I’ve struggled with this year is reading time. I need to make more of an effort. I know I’ve devolved back into just watching TV in the evenings rather than reading. I could blame a thousand things, but really, in the evenings, I’ve just been tired. I have started reading right before bed, which is a good place to start, so I’m hoping to hold onto that, at least, moving forward. I’ve read some amazing books this year, so I may just be a bit tapped out, or book-hangover-ing, or just being lazy. It’s hard to tell sometimes.
But that hasn’t stopped me from having a ridiculous number of books I’m simultaneously reading, because…well, that’s what I do. And the more books I have on my list, the more likely it is that I’m just not super into most of them at the moment. Not because there’s anything wrong with them, they’re just not scratching that itch I’m apparently looking for (yet, may have no idea what it is…)
Notes:
Clockwork Angel – I’m just being super lazy about reading this book. I picked it up initially as a pseudo-research book regarding clockwork, fantasy, and steampunk sensibilities and how it differed or was similar to my own work in progress. It’s a fine book, but at times it feels a bit overwrought, and I’m getting a little sick of the wide-eyed “but what’s happening?!” of the main character, and the helpful inserts of explanation by other characters who should probably already know most of what they’re telling each other. It’s okay.
Bored and Brilliant – Still need to pick this one up again. It’s fine, but I just haven’t been as interested in the core idea it postulates lately, and I probably need to revisit it, now that I’ve had some time away from it.
Worlds of Wonder – I forget what it was that turned me onto this particular book, but it’s been very interesting and informative so far on approaching fantasy/SF writing.
The Year’s Best DF & H 2014 – I haven’t made any progress on this one in a while. And I really just need to make an effort to read a little bit every week. If I did that, I could make pretty good progress through this thing. Really, though, I think I need to commit a month or something to STRICTLY short fiction reading to re-familiarize myself with the length and form.
A Rage in Harlem – I should really be able to finish this book this month. It’s super short, it’s action-packed, it’s a fast read, and it’s Chester Himes, so it’s amazingly emotive. Not quite as much of a rollercoaster as If He Hollers, Let Him Go, but still a fantastic read. I could learn so much from him in terms of brevity with depth. You get this rich world with very quick sketches.
The Everyday Parenting Toolkit – I need to make an effort on this one again, too. It’s been very interesting so far, and I think there are a lot of tools included that would be perfect for working with an independent, oft-defiant almost-four-year-old to minimize frustrating clashes and make life smoother and simpler for all of us.
Damn Fine Story – I *am* going to read this one sooner or later. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve encountered of it so far, and I just need to spend some time with it.
The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony – With this one, I think I need to set a page requirement per day. It’s a wonderful read, it’s so fascinating and makes me think so much, that I really need to get back to it. It’s just so chewy, it’s challenging to mainline it without risking losing hold of a lot of the thinks it makes me feel. Two pages a day would be perfect, actually. Will try this, and see if we can make some decided progress.
I haven’t been listening to anything lately, which may impact my overall reading progress, too, though I haven’t been doing much in the evenings at all. Maybe I should get back into doing kitchen chores after Bug goes down, and I can force myself to listen to words, at least, which is better than nothing…
Maggie Slater 