A Long Overdue Book Post

With a goal of 104 books to read this year, I'm sure the whole world is wondering why I haven't been updating about books like crazy.  *listens to crickets* Ok, so maybe the fact that it's mid-February and I haven't been posting about books is just making ME feel a little guilty, but I have been reading, I promise!

Unfortunately, I have mostly been REreading.  One of the very reasons I set this goal for myself was because of my proclivity towards re-reading.  I love cuddling up with a comfortable book and losing myself in the familiar story.  However, I also find that my reading stagnates, I don't push myself, and, although I am reading constantly, the number of books I move through dwindles.

In addition, publicly posting the books I read makes me want them all to be "good" books, not guilty pleasure reads.  But, books are books, and if guilty pleasures are what it takes to get this party started, then so be it.

Without further ado, the book to date list:

1) Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
I read this to fulfill January's Victorian Challenge, since I had read everything written by Charlotte and Emily and nothing written by Anne.  I have a feeling that my free Kindle version might have been the warned-about version edited by Charlotte, rather than Anne's presumably more radical version, but I still enjoyed this in a predictable governess-meets-a-nice-man way.

2) Outlander by Diana Gaboldon (627 pages)
This qualifies for my chunkster challenge and also makes me happy to have a long-stored book off my "to read" shelf.  Although the Outlander series comes highly recommended - and I will probably finish several more books since I own them (thanks, Borders going out of business sales) - all historical fiction set in Scotland pales in comparison to the Grand Dame, Dorothy Dunnett.

3) On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
4) Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews
Written by a recently discovered author, I found myself turning to these quick reads on recent plane rides (yay, Kindle!).  In the questionable "urban fantasy" genre, they were predictable but enjoyable reads.  They certainly did nothing to add to my intellectual development, but my 5 hour plane ride passed quickly!

5) The Magicians by Lev Grossman
I'm a completionist, so I will most likely read the sequel to this one, but overall, my impression was "eh".  Other than the discovery of the existence of magic (hello, Harry Potter), I found the narrator to be a badly-written Emma Bovary.  Obsessed with a fantasy world similar to Narnia (and who didn't want to go to Narnia when they were 10), this college-age young man moves through the book longing to go to the happier world of his childhood stories.  He's never happy.  Never.  And he knows he's not happy, but he seems to be incapable of doing anything about it, except comment on the fact that he acknowledges his unhappiness and wishes it otherwise.  Potentially interesting fantasy elements were overwhelmed by my desire to point the author in the direction of C. S. Lewis and Flaubert and say "They did it better."

Reading Challenges Galore!

Since I'm planning on reading 100+ books anyway... I might as well join a few challenges to keep me on my toes.

#1 : The Pulitzer 2's

I really wanted to join this challenge last year (when it was The Pulitzer 1's!), but between wrapping up a school year, planning a wedding, and executing a move, I wisely decided to refrain.  This year I'm all in, and I'm looking forward to acquainting myself with a variety of Pulitzer Prize winners (Although I am grateful to have already read The Good Earth, because I have no need to revisit that one!).

#2 : The Chunkster Challenge

Reading "big books" is not intimidating to me, but I want to ensure that I don't fill up my list with lightening quick reads starting in November.  I will be participating at the "Do These Books Make My Butt Look Big" level (six books, 2 at 450+, 2 at 550+, and 2 at 750+).

#3: The Victorian Challenge

I'm modifying this one a bit.  I will try to read one novel by each of the highlighted author's per month, for a total of 12 books.  Many of the authors I have read before, so I will enjoy exploring new works.  A few are on my "should read" or "why the heck haven't I read" list, and it's always nice to check those off!

There are several more tempting challenges, but I think three is enough to get started!  Happy reading, 2012!