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[pshaw_raven]

I'm about halfway through reading The Dragonbone Chair, which I've had on my shelves for years and never actually got around to reading. So far I'm enjoying it, and I've found it's a trilogy, so that gives me something to look for. I'm still on this project of reading books I already own, and it's allowed me to further pare down my library as I start something, decide I don't like it and won't finish it, and it goes into the "donate" box for the Friends of the Library.

When people freaked out over Marie Kondo talking about only owning thirty books and said stuff like "this woman is a monster," I at first thought it was funny, because I thought the comments were hyperbolic for the sake of humor. Then I found out they were serious and was horrified both at the vitriol aimed at her for the supposed crime of only owning thirty books, and at how badly I miss social cues. Like that wasn't even a "whoooosh" because I was nowhere near close enough to even feel the breeze as it passed by.

I know typically reading more is good, but for the last five or six years I've been setting - and hitting - a fifty book per year reading goal. After ditching GoodReads I did not set a reading goal for 2021 and so far ... I kinda like it. I'm obviously not going to stop reading altogether, but the pressure is off for the next twelve months. I can just read what I want and enjoy it and if I don't feel like reading (too tired, too scatterbrained, etc) I don't need to force myself to knock out ten pages of some boring tome I picked up because it'll look good on my friends list.

I guess it's a little like having a refeed after you've been on a strict diet for a while. I needed a period to reset. Even if the only other things I read this year are manga it doesn't matter. Manga is still reading. And I don't need to defend my intellectual status or anything by spending more time deciphering marks on a piece of paper. After I got my degree, that summer I read one book. That book was Lonesome Dove which is not an inconsiderable novel. In fact it's a heckin' big chonker. But the point stands - I took a couple of months off and when I did read a book I read an adventurous Western story. And it's a hell of a good book, too, I'd highly recommend it, and I'm not even a particular fan of Western novels.

The Dragonbone Chair is a chonker, too, around 700 pages worth. But as I said, no timetable involved, no need to finish before January 31 or anything. And I'd probably be further along but some nights I'm up gaming a little later. I mean hey, I'm on the final boss in Hollow Knight, and yesterday I switched my charms up and found a pretty good combo that allowed me to get a lot further in that fight than I've been previously. I've got a couple of good games going right now but being on the last stage of a game is kind of exciting, ya know?

Comments

[draculard]

I feel this so hard. After tallying up my books for 2020, I ended up not reading *anything* for like, all of January so far. I'd pick up a book, listlessly read a few pages, and go "What's wrong with me? I know this is to my taste. I know I should be riveted right now." But I just kept thinking about how "behind" I was -- and I don't even set a yearly goal!! (Because I'm a technological illiterate who can't figure out the Goodreads app)

Last night I finally managed to break through that with ... yeah, manga XD I started reading Zipang online. It seems like whenever I'm really burnt out, reading comics/manga is always the way to jumpstart myself again, but I always forget that and wallow in my misery instead lmao

[pshaw_raven]

I'm reading a couple of books but I'm just not focused on finishing quickly to move on to the next one. I like not feeling rushed to get them knocked out. And to top it off I have a manga backlog, because I was reluctant to read them as "real" books. It felt like cheating so I skipped them and I feel a bit silly about it. On the other hand I now have a nice stack of manga I can go through!

[dorchadas]

After hitting my reading goal of 80 books every year from 2013-2019, I failed in 2020 (even at a lower goal of 40 books), and I think going forward I'm going to stick with a lower goal. I like having a goal so I have some pressure to read instead of just check internet forums all the time, but maybe I don't need it constantly breathing down my neck.

This also reminds me that I should reread The Dragonbone Chair--I loved that trilogy when I first read it and now there's a bunch of other books out in the same universe (including one with a Norn protagonist?!)

[pshaw_raven]

I made a stack of a dozen books to read this year and that'll be my goal. But after years of keeping that high volume up it's good to have a break and just read for fun, or not if I don't want to. I'm not even getting a free pizza for this!

I looked up Tad Williams and the rest of these books look tempting - there are seven so far and an eighth one forthcoming.

[cdayzee]

Yeah, I've never been into setting goals for reading. I think it stems from having a timeline in school we had to follow. It took away the enjoyment of reading for me & also created a ton of pressure which made me lose total sight of what I was actually reading, which is why during parent-teacher conferences the teacher would always tell my mom that I had poor reading comprehension lol! Sure, I could speed right through reading books but don't ask me anything about what I read. So that kinda set a bad example for me. When I'm not into a book, I'll simply read the words on the pages, & even start skimming if it's that bad, just to say I finished it.

It usually takes me forever to finish a book because I'm not consistent. I read only when I have time. Sometimes I'm not in the mood [which will cause me to start mindlessly reading words].

Which brings me to when I used to check out books from the library how there was so much pressure to finish the book within 3 wks or have to go to the trouble of going back in to extend the checkout time & hope that someone wasn't waiting for it. That's what happened when I read Bill Clinton's book. At first, I was reading it normally then as time drew near to having to return it, I was skimming so fast, I barely learned anything. Granted, he did fall down lots of dry, political rabbit holes that weren't interesting to me at all. I'm more of a person who enjoys personal stories vs technical jargon. Of course, I'm not too into politics though. Frankly, I didn't care too much about that angle [yet knowing there would be a lot of it in the book]; I was more interested in hearing his voice & learning more about him. I know he's not many people's cup of tea but there was something charismatic about him, thus I could see how Monica Lewinsky might have been drawn to him, not to mention his powerful position at the time. Did I mention that psychology & sociology intrigue me? lol

Wow, that got long, didn't it? I guess your entry triggered some things in my mind [not in a bad way]. That & I haven't written in a while. :)

[pshaw_raven]

I'm actually a pretty fast reader, and my strategy in school was to finish something quickly, then go back and read it a second time to "get it." Occasionally I'd read something side by side with the Cliff's Notes, but now I'm not sure if I really needed them or if I was doing it so I could show off on the exam.

I haven't read a lot of political or autobiographical stuff lately, though I do like a good biography. I know this is a real 180 from Bill Clinton but I'm curious about Elton John's book, so I might get that from the library.

[cdayzee]

I tend to be a quick reader also but then I find myself whizzing through & not paying attention to content again. Darn those stupid elementary school contests to see who could read the most books!

My go-to genres are memoirs & biographies. I love learning about people, I guess :shrug:

[8hyenas]

Tad Williams was one of my formative authors, I LOVED his books. He also wrote another long series about a virtual reality occupied by NPC who didn't know they weren't real. I just found all the worlds incredible and dreamlike. Or at least that's how I remember his books, not going to reread in case they were awful.

Anyway, I also feel the pressure of Goodreads and I'm glad you managed to escape.

[pshaw_raven]

The only other book I'd read by him was Tailchaser's Song, which I loved when I was a kid. I'm like you in that I'm leery of going back to it in case I don't like it as much now. I'm really getting into the current one, and there are seven other books set in the same world, so that ought to keep me busy for a while.

I don't know why Goodreads wore me down so badly but I just didn't feel like dealing with it any more. I still keep a physical reading journal and switched my digital one to Storygraph just to have an online backup in case something happens to my notebook.

[expandranon]

How odd! I know I read that trilogy, but don't remember anything about it anymore except that Binibik's name was short for a huge mouthful of syllables.