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Progress report for September and tentative reading plan for October

In September, I didn't read the travelogue I mentioned in the last tentative reading plan, and in fact I didn't read a single non-fiction book for the whole month. I also didn't read We have always lived in the castle by Shirley Jackson, but want to finish it this month.

I finished the Global Reading Challenge by reading Red Sorghum and Oscar and Lucinda, and the latter was also the first book in a new challenge, the Chunkster Challenge. Additionally, I finished A Coffin for Dimitrios in the Top Mystery Challenge, as planned, but instead of Our Man in Havana I read The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers, bringing the year‘s total for that challenge up to 9 books.

In I September made the acquaintance of two writers I wish I had come to know much sooner: Kenneth Grahame and M.R. James, both masters storytellers, albeit in different genres. I will definitely be reading more of M.R. James' ghost stories, and also books by Peter Carey, probably Parrot and Olivier in America, possibly True History of the Kelly Gang and definitely Wrong about Japan. But that‘s for later.

In October, I want to finish the second Chunkster Challenge book, and have chosen and started reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. At 846 pages, I need all the time I can find to finish it. It helps that I stopped reading it on page 125 when I attempted to read it several months ago, so I was able to skim up to that page. There was a time when I would have thought nothing of reading a book that long in a couple of reading sessions, but as I have gotten older, I find I read more slowly. The advantage is that I absorb more of each book, but it also means it takes me longer to read a book, so overall I read fewer of them.

In October I would again like to finish at least 5 TBR books, of which Jonathan Strange... is one. Another book, which I took a break from several months ago but would now like to finish, is Simon Winchester‘s Calcutta, a collection of fiction, non-fiction and poetry pieces about that sprawling metropolis, chosen and edited by Winchester. It remains to be seen whether I finish it this month or in November. I will also choose one or two Top Mysteries Challenge books to read, maybe more. I have mentioned a specific book by Graham Greene a bit too often in these reading plans, so this time I am not putting down any specific titles.

Additionally, I am in the middle of two re-reading projects. One is the Harry Potter books, of which I have reached book 5, and the other is the Discworld Watch sub-series, of which I have just finished Men at Arms and may finish Feet of Clay in October. The plan is to finish ´Project Potter‘ by the time the film based on the last book (part 1) hits the cinemas, so I have some time to spare. The other is a slow-going project that will be done when it‘s done, whenever that will be.

Finally there are three brand-new, recently published books I am itching to read, but I will probably spread them over a period of 2-3 months.  They are Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie (which my mother gave me), I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett (which I ordered from Amazon), and Bespelling Jane Austen by Mary Balogh, Colleen Gleason, Susan Krinard, and Janet Mullany (which I won in a giveaway).

Comments

Anonymous said…
I also signed up for the Chunkster challenge and have just finished my second chunkster. good luck with your reading.
Bibliophile said…
And good luck to you too.

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