January 06, 2013

Reading recap.

2012 was the year I did something I'd never done before. How often can we say that, eh? Anyway, 2012 was the year I kept track of the books I read. As I write this, I haven't, as of yet, looked over that list. So, for giggles, I'm going to make a couple predictions. First of all, I think I read... 20 books? I also listened to 7 3/4 audiobooks. Growing up that number would have been ridiculously small (the reading, as audiobooks are still relatively new to me), but since I think my chick-lit books were at a minimum this year I think that's going to lower my number. You know, since chick-lit is like... one a day.

Before I go into the list, I'm going to update a few of my 2012/2013 crossovers, and put it out there what books I'd like to read for 2013. 

First, let's talk about what bridged the 2012/2013 gap. Well, I started listening to an audiobook shortly after I started my fabulous new job and finished it Thursday evening. It's a book I read as a pre-teen and absolutely adored. Seriously, it was a big influence on whatever creative ideas spring into my head now as a grown up. Except my writing is simply terrible (unless it's blog writing, which is clearly literary genius) so I have never written more than a couple pages. When I'm (someday) a stay-at-home-Anna (God willing) I'm going to write the best freaking book you ever did read. Or possibly just watch a lot of movies. 

I digress.

The book is The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron. It's a multi-book series that, like I said, I adored as a pre-teen/tween (whatever the heck that is). Adored. I've always wanted to revisit it and decided that my daily walks to and from work were kind of ideal. Well, it turns out, it lost something in translation. I'm not sure if that translation was the terrible person they had reading it or the 10+ years that have passed since I last enjoyed it. Either way, I did not get the second book. I would, however, still like to give the series a re-read. I mean, it was probably the most influential book series in my life until the Princess Diaries came around, and that was an entirely different kind of influence. And when I say influence, really I'm just talking about books I recommend to anyone that'll listen to me and read enough times that I've thought about buying replacement copies.

I have also been reading Welcome to Bordertown. I guess since we're on the theme of books that changed my life (read: I simply adored) this needs to be mentioned. I haven't finished it yet, being rather unmotivated to read other than while eating breakfast, so I'm not going to bore you with a review. Curious as to what the significance of this book is and  how I basically lost my mind with joy when I discovered its existence? Go here.

I am now listening to another audiobook, I will Fear no Evil by Robert Heinlein. It's my first grown up science fiction book. I love science fiction movies, but have never made a real effort to get into the books, so I'm starting with an audiobook. It's like the happy middle place. I have to say, as I took down the Christmas decorations tonight, I was getting into it. Even though it was written in the 70s (pretty sure, anyway) and isn't written in a way I would traditionally have a lot of patience for.

Today is Michael Moscovitz's birthday. If you don't know who that is you clearly don't follow Meg Cabot on the twitter, like me. (That's the only reason I know it's his birthday, FYI. I'm not insane.) Well, I checked my Twitter before jumping in the shower this morning and Meg Cabot had posted about that. (Naturally I follow Meg Cabot. Teenage me, okay, grown up me, too, would never forgive me if I didn't. Sidenote: Meg Cabot followed me almost as soon as I got Twitter. As a result, I love Twitter and I love Meg Cabot. I mean, she follows me, so does Blood:Water and Jars of Clay. Seriously, how could I not love the Twitter? Social media is a device for teenage me to live vicariously through adult me. They're pretty much the same person anyway, except adult me has a polka dot shower curtain and actually cleans toilets a week or two after it's necessary.) While I was in the shower I had some deep thoughts, as I generally do. I was thinking that I had probably passed the point in my life where I would re-read The Princess Diaries. I mean, it's not like something I can read at work.

Well, I decided, about ten minutes ago, that I would, in fact, re-read The Princess Diaries this year. I'm not ready to give up on it. It's actually something I'll probably do sooner than later, too. I haven't been feeling entirely optimistic about 2013 (job uncertainty, life changes, beautiful friends taunting us by visiting and then leaving again, having to work instead of sleep, etc, etc...) and I think this will help. After all, starting tomorrow I'm going to get back into the running game if it kills me (prediction: it will), and I have big dreams of finally getting organized. Ish. I think revisiting an old friend (fictional, so sue me) is going to motivate me. I keep hearing people say that 2013 is going to be the best year yet but so far I feel like it's just going to be another year in the increasingly shorter years that are being a grown up. Basically I need an attitude adjustment and if getting in touch with something that helped me cope with being an incredibly awkward youth doesn't help, nothing will. 

Can I make a suggestion? We should book club that bad boy. The whole series. I'm not even joking. Who's with me? You could read the entire series in a month. Still not joking.
I think I may have had half a glass too much of Disarrono, but that still sounds like a brilliant idea to me. (A whole paragraph later.) I've also never been in a book club. Um, how fun would that be? I'm a ridiculously busy person and I know I'll have time for it. Just saying.

It's probably time to get to the meat and potatoes of it all so, without further ado (and with links to the original posts), here we go.

What I read in 2012:

Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich

So? In 2012 I finished 28 books, 7 audiobooks, and managed to get halfway through another book and another audiobook. Not bad, if I do say so myself. 2013 will probably be quite similar, unless I have a period of unemployment, which will probably result in me reading many more books. Or just knitting like a crazy fiend. 

I'm thinking in 2013 I might keep a record of what movies I watched, too. If I do that you might think I really don't have any life, though. We'll see. 

For the record? So far it's been Looper, Bernie, and fifteen minutes of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Two of those were awesome, and one confused the heck out of me so it go abandoned. I'll let you draw your own conclusions. Looper was all post-apocalyptic and amazing (plus it had Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Bernie was so weird, but so good. Out of the two, I'd recommend Bernie the most.

And, on that note, I'm going to bed. I need to stop blogging half an hour before bedtime and then putting in a ton of links or pictures. Silly, Anna.

Seriously, though. Book club. Think about it.

4 comments:

  1. New follower! Love your blog! I definitely will refer to this list of books when I need a new one:)

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  2. That's a lot of books! Good job, I have already finished 3 books this year. :)

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  3. Nice list! I started to keep a list, but I detinitely forgot to keep track after awhile. Maybe I'll try and do it this year. I do like your idea of a movie list! Looper was awesome. Ang JGL is such good eye-candy - I think that's what makes it that much better.

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