Monday Discussion: Reading Resolutions 2012

Again the Monday Discussion is surfacing a day late. Such is life when major holidays fall on a Sunday; we all get Monday off.  So after a joyous 4 day New Year's weekend, life returns to normal.

Today's Monday Discussion is becoming an annual event.  I want to know what your reading related New Year's resolution are.  Come on, I know you made some resolutions.  For example, one of my non-reading related resolutions is to get my photos of the kids organized better.

On the reading front though, I know I have a lot to work on; and if I have a lot to work on, you must too.  Here are three of my reading resolutions for 2012:

• I did not actually read a romance from cover to cover last year.  I speed read a few, but actually read...no, that didn't happen.  Even worse, the romances I speed read were by authors I already knew about.  Shame on me.  But in my defense, I was finishing a book for the first half of the year and then catching up on everything in my life for the second half.  So in 2012, I resolve to read the works of at least 2 new (to me) romance authors AND review them here on RA for All. That should be interesting and entertaining.
• I got very lazy about posting my reviews this year, and as a result, did not review every book I read and spent the entire month of December frantically trying to get the most important books written up.  So in 2012, while I may not be able to review every book I read, I will be better about keeping up with the ones I am choosing to post about.
• I will try to delve further into the backlist on a more regular basis this year.  I had such a great experience finally getting to The Known World this year that it reminded me of all of the great books I have missed.  I am going to resolve to seek out 4-6 titles from more than 5 years ago in 2012.

So what about you?  If you read this blog, you care enough about helping leisure readers that you should be seriously considering creating some reading resolutions of your own.

Now is your chance to proclaim your reading resolutions.

To follow past Monday Discussions, click here.

What I'm Reading: Becky's Favorite Books I Read This Year

Here are my Top 10 Favorite Books I Read in 2011, in no particular order. Please use the links provided for my full reviews.

• Swamplandia! by Karen Russell: the descriptions of the Everglades alone makes it hands down my favorite book this year
• The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta: a favorite author who keeps surprising me by getting better with each book
• The Known World by Edward P. Jones: again, I am sorry it took me so long to read this masterpiece.
• Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson: a better suspense story I did not read this year.

 

• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: a better pure story I was not told this year.
• Chew  by John Layman: I read some very good dark graphic novels this year (click here and here), but nothing surprised me as much as this original new series.
• The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt: how can I not love a book that I can describe to patrons as a cross between the Cohen Brothers movies O Brother, Where Art Thou and  No Country for Old Men?

 

• The Caretaker of Lorne Field by Dave Zeltserman: I read some great horror this year (click here to see more) but nothing stayed with me more than this one.
• Centuries of June by Keith Donohue: for its ability to be original AND entertaining
• Full Dark No Stars by Stephen King: not horror, but these four psychological suspense novellas were riveting and frightening, especially in the excellent audio version I listened to.

I have a few overall comments and observations to make about my reading also:

• There was no nonfiction on my final top 10. I tried to go back and find something I enjoyed enough to bump one of these novels off, but I could not. I really liked both In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson and At Home by Bill Bryson, but I enjoy both authors and expected to enjoy these books.  As a result, my enjoyment did not surprise me as much as it did with the 10 books in the list above.
• For similar reasoning 2 other novels just missed the cut, Faithful Place by Tana French and Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson.

Finally, I always save at least one title from one of the year's best lists to start the next year off with. Example from year's past in this tradition  Await Your Reply (on most of 2009's Best Lists, made mine in 2010), Olive Kitteridge (on most of 2008's Best Lists, made mine in 2009), The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (on most of 2007's Best Lists, made mine in 2008).  That is a good track record for this year's selection, The Art of Fielding,  to have to live up to.  I will have a report on it sometime in January, but it will be an entire year before I will know how it pans out in comparison to everything else I read in 2012.
Thank for following me on yet another year of reading.