Sunday, May 15, 2011

Sunday Salon- Back on Track

Well we all seem to have survived The Great Blogger Outage of 2011. I lost comments on my Thursday post, but that was about it. Today? Another lazy Sunday... yeah right! I've got the gym and my improv class this afternoon, so this Sunday will be anything but lazy! Saturday is my lazy day these days. This week has been another busy one, with some progress made on various projects as well as a full week of work. And it just keeps coming. But that's okay- that's the way it should be, right?

So if I get a chance to read today, I'll be reading A Storm at the Door, by Stefan Merrill Block, which I'm about a third of the way into. It's a fictionalized version of his grandparents' life story, particularly about his grandfather's struggle with mental illness and his stay at the Boston-area McLean Hospital. It's a very good book that reminds me of his debut, The Story of Forgetting, which I read about two years ago. Or was it three? I can't remember exactly when it came out but in any case it was excellent and so is this one.

Since my theme is 2011 releases I'm taking the time to read more review books since they're all 2011 releases, too.This way, I can stick to my plan for the month, check some obligations off the list and feel less guilty when I spend next month reading a bunch of deep-backlist "me" books I've been looking forward to, like Election, by Tom Perrotta and The Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken. I know Perrotta has a new one out soon and I hope to get a copy but in the mean time I really want to read Election. I follow McCracken on Twitter, reviewed one of her earlier books, saw her speak at a writing conference years ago and have just generally been curious about this book for years. So it's time.

I'm also doing some more weeding of the collection, which is difficult but necessary. It's particularly difficult to weed books I haven't read yet but at a certain point things get pushed so far to the back of the list that I really have to admit that unless I'm going to pick up a particular book next, I'm never going to pick it up. And some of the things I have lingering on the shelves, I can't even remember what about them interested me in the first place. Time to go!

Finally, I'm working on clearing out my manga collection and using the shelf space for my short story anthologies. I've been reading a story a day for a while now, in an attempt to work through that part of my library little by little. It's nice to unwind with a story at the end of the day; it's a limited commitment for a time of day when I'm not up for an engrossing novel. And I'm getting to actually read some of these books!

What are you up to today? Have a great Sunday whatever it is.

More Sunday Salon here.

10 comments:

Laura said...

I'm thinking I might need to do a little weeding, too. I have a list of books that have been on my tbr for more than a year, and I'm trying to read at least one a month from that list. I'm failing miserably (I think I've read 3 so far this year), and since the problem can't be ME, it must be THE LIST! Seriously, if some of the books no longer appeal I think I just need to deal with that.

Have a great week!

Sandy Nawrot said...

Well, I purged my closet this past week. Probably time for some purging of the shelves too, but I have this stupid fantasy that I'm going to read everything. Each one sitting there with the potential to blow my mind! You are so totally productive. I need to take lessons from you.

rhapsodyinbooks said...

Weeding is a great idea. I've been sort of taking the opposite approach, which is to clear out OTHER things to make room for more books! LOL I think it makes more sense to do it your way!

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

I also have A Storm at the Door;liked his last book as well. I also have the Giant's House which I've been staring at for a fewvyears now....enjoy

Suzanne said...

We're enjoying a lovely 48 degree day in Chicagoland so I'm taking the opportunity to catch up on writing some posts and curl up with a good book or two and a cup of tea.
I did some weeding of my shelf last week and it freed up some much needed space. I still have way too many books on the to-read pile, but I can think of worse problems to have.

Anonymous said...

Today I had planned on reading The Informationist by Taylor Stevens, but I'm getting caught up in a Harry Potter movie marathon after finishing reading the series.

I know what you mean about weeding. I have a pile of books in my office that are ready to go and that I know I'll never get to read either.

Zibilee said...

I am going to be reading A Storm at the Door soon, and I can't tell you how excited I am about it! I also need to do some book purging, but it's just so hard to give them away! I realistically know that I will never be able to read all that I've got, but knowing that in my mind is very different than actually getting rid of the books. I am glad you had some success with it. It inspires me!

bermudaonion said...

We've had company and they left today, so I've been washing linens, etc. I need to purge my books too.

Pam said...

I really love the idea of reading a short story each night before bed. I great way to solve the problem of having to reread those pages in morning because you can't quite remember exactly what your read. Not to mention a great way to fit short stories into the reading "schedule." Great idea.

Vasilly said...

I love your reading resolutions! You inspire me to try and set a goal each and every month. Do you have any tips in keeping your reading goals?