From One Book Lover

I have shelves and shelves of books. Nearly two dozen shelves alone are dedicated to fiction. A couple of these books already have been read, but most are waiting for the tender caress of this reader's eyes. The same holds true for my bursting-at-the-seams Kindle. Many of these books are ones I have been promising myself to read. These were lovingly snatched out of the bookstore on Publishing Day or pre-ordered online. I couldn't wait to read them. So, what happened? Time. Energy. A massive, towering, intimidating to-read stack on my nightstand and desk. Life. You name it, that pushes it down the to-read list. From time to time, I jump the line (John Connolly and Night Music: Nocturnes 2 , I am looking at you!) but certainly not often enough if The Map of the Sky is not yet read (let alone The Map of Chaos ) and Beastly Bones remained "new" on my Kindle for months. What is the answer to reading what I want when my sole task is to read what I want...

Book Riot blogger Rachel came up with a great way to plow through her To Be Read book stack: the Jar . In this jar are the titles of all of the books you wish to read. When the time comes to start a new book, you reach into the Jar and voilá! Your choice is made for you. I like to think I can meet my book choosing needs, but I suspect that's not the case. I have an autographed copy of The Poisoner's Handbook that I've been meaning to read, and now PBS American Experience is featuring the book. I also have the same plan for Wild and The End of Your Life Book Club , whose authors I met last year and whose books I am ready to read. And yet none of those books are on my nightstand yet this month. Will a jar help me get to all of the books I want to read, or am I just kidding myself? Would a jar help you? Will a jar help anyone with a serious book addiction? Do I need to stop asking questions and start reading? I think we have a winner....

I read a lot this year, more than I realized: nearly six dozen tomes in all. Now, to be fair, a few were books for younger readers — but that means they were shorter, or more carefully illustrated, as opposed to being less robust and complex.  Good authors write to the story and trust their audience. Good readers read the story and trust their authors. That perfect match makes for heavenly reading, and I made quite a few good matches this calendar year. What was my favorite book? As if I could choose one! Well, here are a few (in no particular order) that stayed with me long after I turned the last page: Life After Life — what if you could take nearly every path life could offer ? ( review ) Dr. Sleep — Finished it in the waning hours of 2013, so right now all I can say is, "Wow." If I can manage more of a response than that, there may be a review. Behind the Beautiful Forevers — examine Indian "slums" and poverty through the eyes of the resi...

This year, I changed a few ways I do things: a new house, new technology — why not? But now I haven't the foggiest what I have read this year. It's true: I used to record them in the monthly pages of my organizer, which I affectionately called "my brick." (It was that heavy.) Then I got a Kindle Fire and started using Google Calendar (which, I realize, in the end will lack the permanence and reference of my Franklin Covey pages). This streamlining encouraged me to stop recording my books as I finished them. Now I have multiple sources, none of them easily organized and quick to provide information. Sigh. I thought I was being so clever. Now, I shall record on this page, in no particular order, all of the books I have read this year. That I can remember. Feel free to let me know how wrong I am, for that is the only thing of which I am certain. My 2012 Reading List (I think; subject to change when I remember another one or realize I read it last year ins...