Wednesday 5 January 2011

Fun book meme

I haven't done a wrap-up post for what I read in 2010... mostly because I'm trying to be a bit more casual about my reading and not put pressure on myself to achieve a certain number of books read. Nor am I doing a plan for 2011. Same reason really although I do have a few vagues ideas, one of which is to try to get my tbr pile down a fair bit and maybe not borrow so many books from the library. I will still go of course, but, instead of bringing back 9 or 10, I need to restrict myself to 3 -5 books which I actually *read* rather than take most of them back unread.

I could also say that I want to read more Victorian lit, non-fiction (I did actually do better with that this year - 9 rather than 1), especially biographies, food books and travel books, and crack on with some of the series I have on the go. But I say all of that every year and I just end up reading what I fancy... so I'm not going to say it and just enjoy what I read instead and not stress about whether it's in the plan or not. What I foresee is a lot of crime stories devoured because that is clearly my new 'thing' and certain blogs - you know who you are - are very sneaky about pimping new authors and I simply can't resist. And whatever comes inbetween the crime books, well so be it, I enjoyed most of what I read last year and that, after all, is the aim is it not? Or should be.



I saw this 'My life in Books' meme over on GeraniunCat's blog so thought I'd give it a go. I thought, with a choice of 60 books - which is my book total for last year - that it would be easy. Then I remembered doing something similar the year before and that it was quite tricky... and so it turned out to be. But - great fun.

"Using only books you have read this year (2010), cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. It's much, much harder than you think!"

* Describe Yourself: I am What I am - John Barrowman

* How do you feel: Anything Goes - John Barrowman

* Describe where you currently live: Lord Valentine's Castle - Robert Silverberg

* If you could go anywhere, where would you go: In the Shadow of the Glacier - Vicki Delany

* Your favorite form of transportation: Temeraire - Naomi Novik

* Your best friend is: Farther Afield - Miss Read

* You and your friends are: People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks

* What's the weather like: The Dead of Winter - Chris Priestley

* Favorite time of day: White Nights - Anne Cleeves

* If your life was a: Chain of Curiosity - Sandi Toksvig

* What is life to you: Friends, Lovers, Chocolate - Alexander McCall Smith

* Your fear: Footsteps in the Dark - Georgette Heyer

* What is the best advice you have to give: The Careful Use of Compliments - Alexander McCall Smith

* Thought for the Day: Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

* How I would like to die: Death at Wentwater Court - Carola Dunn

* My soul's present condition: The Colour of Magic - Terry Pratchett

~~~oOo~~~

7 comments:

Val said...

Relaxing enjoyable reading as you wish sounds just the way to go!

You were very clever to complete that meme... I haven't read enough books and I think my brain would fail that test if I had ...or a least get four faults and a refusal lol
A toast to reading for fun in 2011!

DesLily said...

ok but what was your favorite book (or books?)

I have no plans for this year in reading either..I know I will read more gothic mysteries and I have some biographies I want to get to . I will join Carls Once Upon a Time and RIP but I join to read only one so I have no pressure, but of course read more heh..

Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews said...

Hi Cath,

I completed the same meme as yourself, only I had not read half as many books as you, so it was a bit more of a challenge.

I had fun completing it, although it was quite tricky in places. I certainly had a good laugh when I read it back, I sound like a complete nutcase!!!

http://www.fiction-books.biz/my-latest-news-and-musings/my-life-in-books-2010-happy-new-year/

Yvonne

Margaret @ BooksPlease said...

I always end up reading what I fancy too! I don't like to have a target of reading a certain number of books because that then becomes a bit of a race to read rather than reading for pleasure. Anyway what does the number matter when all books are such different lengths? If I only read short books I could read many more than if I read long books ...

I've ended up last year reading far more crime fiction than ever before and I think that will continue this year - apart from that - who knows what I'll read.

Those memes are hard!You have some great answers.

Cath said...

Val: My brain nearly failed the test too, it being addled and past its sell by date. LOL.

Yes, here's to casual reading in 2011. And other interests. :-)

Pat: My favourite book of 2011 was Moab is my Washpot by Stephen Fry. A non-fiction! What a shocker!! I might do a quick post next week about my favourite books of 2010, we'll see.

Oh yes... I too will definitely be doing Carl's challenges. Those are always a good way to get the tbr pile down. Except... well you know what I need to add. lol

Yvonne: I'll check your answers out in a moment.

Margaret: You have a very good point about the lengths of books. And I think it was Susan Hill in her book about reading who questioned the point of rabid counting of books read. She said that surely the joy of reading is in the content of the book, not in the number read. To me, it's like the difference between bird watchers and twitchers.

I have to say - the meme you did was even harder than this one. I thought I would do both but yours defeated me.

DesLily said...

you're incorrigible! lol lol

Cath said...

Pat: I try. ;-)))))