Goal for the rest of the year

My goal is to try to read 100 books by midnight on Dec 31 of this year.  Or at least 50.  The Library Book Bingo has begun, and that's 25, so we'll see.  All but one of the books I have right now are 3-400 pages (except "Vanity Fair" which is 800+, I think.)  Or maybe I'll aim for the "big" books: "Moby Dick," "The Divine Comedy,"-which I did get 1/2 way through last summer, "Don Quixote," "Paradise Lost."  None of which are in the current queue...or maybe 50 + one of those.

I think I might renew my lease, which frees up some time.  Technically, it's not over until late August, but they contacted me yesterday, because they want to pre-lease to students returning to in-person learning this fall if I'm not planning on staying.  No increase in rent, which is good.  I was thinking of moving, but this year has been in flux, and I feel like I never got to fully live, unpack, enjoy the space.  Been feeling somewhat unsettled, due both to pandemic, and all the construction/repairs going on since I moved in.  Plus, I hate moving. 

Next up

13 - Year of Yes - Shonda Rhimes

Did boys hear "You're acting big" the ways girls did (do?) growing up?  Were they taught to take up less space, to not claim their accomplishments that they worked for and earned?  I began reading this before I got on my Jane Austen kick, so I was half-way through, took a break, and then finished the rest in a day.  So, what ended up being meaningful to me were the chapters on taking up space, and saying "yes" to saying no.  This book is her sharing of a year (+) to begin to say "yes" to fully being alive and owning her space in the world.

14 - White Magic - Elissa Washuta

One woman's search for answers for personal pain, to fill a hole. Using whatever means (stories, history, sex, drugs, magic - stolen and reclaimed, or otherwise, mystery, video games, Twin Peaks, etc.) to get there.  And if stories can act as a type of mirror to the reader/receiver, I also found parts of myself healed (or shrugged off my back) in the process of witnessing her struggles.

So much of this was heartbreaking, both the personal and historical information.  And I do remember the Artist-in-Residence in the bridge tower, which I thought was a great idea (and still do.)  And was happy she won it.  It's set aside money, and money well spent.  Art matters to me, enriches all of our lives, and should be nurtured.  And as with Jessica Simpson's memoir, I'm rooting for Washuta.

Number 12

 12. - Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen

I like this one the least; while I like the story itself, I find the writing hard to follow and stay engaged.  It meanders quite a bit.  I know it was her response to the criticism of novel reading, particularly as done by girls, and how that was considered to be frivolous and dangerous, to weaken the female mind.  Catherine Morland (and Eleanor Tilney) defend novels, having also read serious works such as history (written by men), much of which must have been created by the authors, since there isn't really any way of being certain what was said by historical figures at all times.  There must have been creative license taken with what was said, even in "serious" history, and this is generally accepted as being known.  And why are wars and politics more important to know than human behavior, which affects our lives more intimately, and regularly?  (Which also brings to mind the scene in "Persuasion" in the conversation between Captain Harville and Miss Elliot, where he argues that all literature, histories, poems, etc, are against women in terms of who feels the most, the most pain in parting.  To which Miss Elliot replies, "But they were all written by men.")  And a woman's reference to the wider world was always through the interpretation of men: their feelings, and what they believe is important to know.

And in spite of Catherine Morland being referred to as "scatter-brained" by others, she's a strong character, (her refusal to give into the persuasion, badgering, demanding, guilt-tripping, flattery, etc, by the Isabella and John, and even her own brother James, on the plan to go to Blaize Castle when she had already promised to spend the day with Eleanor and Henry Tilney.  Even reversing the underhanded maneuvering of John Thorpe telling Eleanor that Catherine needed to change plans, even though it wasn't true.) And mostly solid in her reading of others: her dislike of John Thorpe, her seeing through Isabella Thorpe's false affection (and affectations), her wariness of Captain Tilney's attentions of Isabella, her trust of Eleanor.  She was only mistaken briefly in her feelings toward General Tilney's attention toward her because of her attraction to Henry, and wishing to be liked and accepted by his family.

If I get around to reading "Sense and Sensibility," I might talk about Isabella Thorpe more, as well as Lucy Steele.  And the thing is, Mrs. Thorpe is no more maneuvering than Mrs. Bennet (in "Pride and Prejudice") in the attempts to marry her daughters off to wealthy men in order to save them from a life of poverty.  We just identify positively with the Bennets because they are the protagonists, and the Thorpes are not.  And in "Sense and Sensibility" Eleanor Dashwood is as much as a villain as Lucy Steele, after all, who's stealing from whom?  If anything, society as a whole is the villain for putting women in a desperate situation of scarcity with no other remedy.  (And Edward Ferras for being so spineless.  Which does make one wonder about Jane Austen's view of men in general. Mr. Knightley in "Emma" and kinda' Henry Tilney in "Northanger Abbey" being the notable exceptions.)

What to Read

 How I'm deciding what to read this year.  

Well, before I was comfortable with using the library again (and it's been open for curbside pick-up for months) I was reading books I had sitting around that I'd never gotten to.  I got comfortable taking books from the curbside "Little Free Libraries" earlier than actual libraries, so got books from those, and contributed to them, too.

I got to watching a lot of "booktube" videos where people talk about what they are reading, and how well they liked them.  I watch lectures on literature, and especially on pre-1900 literature, I find it helpful to understanding better both the language and societal conditions of the time.

I look at booklists on the library website, things recommended by librarians.  And I read the recommendation blurbs in Bookbub.

And then there is the random grab bag from the actual library, where you could choose a genre and they would hand you three random books to read.  Every time I go to the library to pick up something I reserved, I ask for random books.  I've started most of them.  I think they've gone to random books that were popular last year.

I can't read as much as I'd like.  I'm having trouble with my eyesight.  I need to wear glasses most of the time now, and if I wear them too long, I can't focus when I take them off.  I think I need a new prescription, but I'm waiting until I get my second vaccination before I go to the eye doctor since that's very face-to-face.  Maybe I should switch to audio books for a while.