Flights of Fantasy discussion

Nienna gave me this idea from the challenge thread -

For those of us who may have some loose book goals for the new year, but don't tend to follow through on challenges.

Feel free to list/keep track of 'em here!

Well. Mine is to overcome my ADD reading habits and finish as many fantasy series as I can. The holy grail being the Wheel of Time books. I *will* finish it this year.

My goal for next year will be to be more consistent. I feel like I read and finish a lot of books at once and then don't read for a few months. It's frustrating. I had a ton of slumps this year.

Felina wrote: "My goal for next year will be to be more consistent. I feel like I read and finish a lot of books at once and then don't read for a few months. It's frustrating. I had a ton of slumps this year."

This is what my year's been like as well. I'd definitely like to eliminate those lulls in 2014. And get back to reviewing each book I read.

Felina wrote: "My goal for next year will be to be more consistent. I feel like I read and finish a lot of books at once and then don't read for a few months. It's frustrating. I had a ton of slumps this year."

Same here.

My goal is to read a minimum of 52 books - One book a week. The closest I've come of late was last year when I read 51 (but I was aiming for 100).

I'd like to write better reviews as well, but since I have no realistic way to gauge that, its really more of a wish than a goal.

I suck at reviews and I always have. I can't put my finger on the elements that I like in reviews I like so I've given up trying. Now I basically only write reviews for books I didn't like. And I will normally drop a book if I don't like it so I never get far enough to review the bad ones.

I just can't figure out how to be more consistent in my reading except to try to carve out a habit in when and where I read. I just started a relationship so that definitely lends a hand to an irregular schedule though. Luckily the boy is a big reader so he gets it. :)

I'm trying to review more but it comes and goes. Sometimes I can't write reviews for books I like...only ones I have issues with.

Felina wrote: "I suck at reviews and I always have. I can't put my finger on the elements that I like in reviews I like so I've given up trying. Now I basically only write reviews for books I didn't like. And I w..."

Normally, I have to really dislike a book to put it down permanently. Lately, however, my reading groove has been so out of whack I've put books down that I even like (for instance The Parasol Protectorate Boxed Set: Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless and Timeless).

I find reviewing lackluster books to be much more difficult than reviewing awful ones, because I don't want to come across as being too critical if it was obvious that the effort was there.

The issue I have with reviewing books I really like is that I feel like I come off very fangirl-ish, which may take away from the "seriousness" of the review... as you can see, I also I tend to overthink things. LOL!

Finally, Congratulations on your budding relationship! I hope the two of you are very happy reading time together. :)

Yay, Felina! You're lucky to share reading with your partner. :D That's awesome.

I find critical reviews easier to write than positive ones, as well. When I'm writing criticism, it just flows. When I liked a book, I find myself second-guessing what I'm writing a lot of the time... 'Am I being too positive? Surely there must have been something I disliked.' So then I talk about what didn't work for me, and feel 'Now I'm being too critical for a book I rated 4 stars (or whatever).'

I think I just need to overthink it less. I'm not writing for the Grauniad, I don't need to justify my opinions. The review space should be our space to fangirl as much as we want... or to rant. ;)

I can't review. My mind totally blanks out if I even try. But yeah. I'm usually more vocal on books I hate or have issue with. Otherwise its like... yeah... I liked it. I'm getting a little better at it though.

Thanks! He's very into Sci-fi so I've gotten some good recs from him.

I feel the exact same way. When I try to review books I like it turns in to a dribbling fan girl bleating. See my review for The Twelve. *sigh* I feel like my fan girl reviews aren't smart or objective and my critical reviews are mean. So now I don't try. If I have something to say I will but I usually just star it and move on.

I review everything I start. If I drop it, I review it and say why, in varying degrees of rant depending on whether I was just bored or if the book was too terrible to exist.

My initial goal for 2013 was to rad 160 books, and I'm struggling to hit 100. I've rediscovered knitting as a hobby, and I've been trying to be more social and active with my friends (in recent years I've turned rather hermit-like, which I'm trying to change, and soon I'll be starting a 100% work from home job, so I will need social interaction or I'll go crazy).

So, I think next year, I'm going to stick to my goal of reading 100 books. I don't think I'm going to accept any books for review though, because I am really growing to hate the feeling of obligation I have when I need to read them.

And I'm going to try to get to some of the series that I want to start:
Wheel of Time
First Law
Belgariad
etc...

The Belgariad! That's another one I've never read. Man, I skipped over so many of the classic fantasy series that fantasy fans are 'supposed' to start with (Belgariad, Shannara, Riftwar, Wheel of Time, etc.). I went straight for stuff like Robin Hobb and George R. R. Martin as a kid.

I just need an empty cottage in the middle of nowhere. No phone, no internet. Just an outlet to charge my Kindle.

...And a 2nd room for me. I'll split the rent. ;)

Maybe a room for me, too. I've quite a bit to catch up on...

I want to read those series as well, Becky.

I would so gladly join you guys in that cabin. We'd just meet up at meals and discuss our books then go back to our corners to read.

I'm two or three books behind on my reviews, which sucks 'cause I have a harder time the more time that goes by.

Titania wrote: "The Belgariad! That's another one I've never read. Man, I skipped over so many of the classic fantasy series that fantasy fans are 'supposed' to start with (Belgariad, Shannara, Riftwar, Wheel of Time, etc.). [SNIP]

I just need an empty cottage in the middle of nowhere. No phone, no internet. Just an outlet to charge my Kindle. "

:Ditto:

Looks like we need a bigger cabin!

You guys book the flights, I'll book the cottage... ;)

Colleen wrote: "I'm two or three books behind on my reviews, which sucks 'cause I have a harder time the more time that goes by."

This kept happening to me. I'm trying to make a rule for myself that I don't start my next book until I've reviewed the one that I just finished, but that's hard when I'm in a reading mood, not a writing mood, and the next one is right there...

I write most of my reviews at work, so that wouldn't work for me.

Colleen wrote: "I write most of my reviews at work, so that wouldn't work for me."

^this

That's actually been one of my issues. Since we 'transitioned' back to our old company, work's been pretty hectic. And since we have half-walls, now, I get more paranoid about being caught doing not-work stuff.

So, less downtime at work mixed with finishing three books in short order, and I'm all discombobulated.

I want to start doing better reviews of the books I read and perhaps pick up that abandoned blog again. I started my blog just before I started a new job and it quickly fell by the wayside. I have read over 120 books so far this year but would be happy with just 75 in the next year if I could focus a bit more on that as well.

Can I come to the cottage, too???? lol

When I was growing up, my grandfather owned this house in Rocky Point that had no phone, power, running water, bathroom...it was very "outdated and untouched." There was an outhouse outside that freaked me out! As kids we would pile our toys into the car and my family would spend a week there on vacation. My parents read, did puzzles, etc. Well, we lost the house when my grandfather forgot to leave it to my dad in the will, which is so sad! But my brother and I always talk about how great having that house would be now! To be able to go there and disconnect from the world with a pile of books!!!! I would so love that!

I guess my biggest resolutions would be finishing series and reading more on my TBR list. I literally have over a thousand books at home....and that number is growing!

I think I'll up my goal to 75 books next year. I'd love to read more but with grad school I want to be realistic. Other goals are to finish the million different series I'm reading, read more books that I already own instead of buying more, read more classics, and reading more books written by authors of different cultures and ethnicity than my own.

Kathy wrote: "Can I come to the cottage, too???? lol

When I was growing up, my grandfather owned this house in Rocky Point that had no phone, power, running water, bathroom...it was very "outdated and untouche..."

That sounds so gorgeous, Kathy. I'm so sorry you lost it! What a great place to have spent your childhood though. I used to spend part of my summers in a cottage in the middle of the New Forest that had an enormous loft conversion, which my parents let me use as my makeshift library. Even though I was generally an outdoorsy kid, there were days when they had to battle to get me out of that library and into the forest.

Felina wrote: "My goal for next year will be to be more consistent. I feel like I read and finish a lot of books at once and then don't read for a few months. It's frustrating. I had a ton of slumps this year."

I do the same thing! My New Years Resolution is to read one book a week.

So, some of my goals for this year:

I think I'm going to lower my reading goal to 115, and raise it if I have to. I reached the 125 this year, but it gave me agita at times.


Here are some books I'd like to get to:
*The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia, which I got last year for Xmas and haven't read yet
*Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, because I've never read any Vonnegut and I feel like I ought
*Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, 'cause I feel like I should just read it and decide, once and for all, if I think Sanderson is worth all the fuss


There was another I'd thought of before, but I can't remember now. Ah well, I'm sure I'll add more at some point.

Colleen wrote: "*Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, 'cause I feel like I should just read it and decide, once and for all, if I think Sanderson is worth all the fuss
"

Maybe we can have this as a second Buddy Read next year. I enjoyed what I read of it, but set it down (for no particular reason). I do want to read the full trilogy at some point.

I'm not committing myself to the full trilogy until I see how the first book goes. ;)

I do think reading it with someone might help me finally get around to it, though.

I'm a big Mistborn fan. I'd be up for reading the first book again for a buddy read. :)

I'd also be down for a re-read of Mistborn. Like Nyssa I stalled on the series. I don't like one of main characters but I was still into the story. I'd like to get back to it.

Well, for those of us doing the Narnia Buddy Read, we should be finished with it around the first week of April. So, assuming we want to take a break in between, we could schedule a Mistborn Buddy Read for late April, early May....

That would work for me. :)

Sounds good.

So maybe I'm just a scrub but...I've never heard of Mistborn...

That made me laugh. Why would that make you a scrub? It just makes you very lucky...cause you still get to experience it.

Felina wrote: "That made me laugh. Why would that make you a scrub? It just makes you very lucky...cause you still get to experience it."

I guess its because I haven't read anything besides classics and horror since high school, so I get antsy listening to people talk about fantasy books and I have nothing to add xD

I think I want to try to read more classics in 2014.

A Tale of Two Cities has been simmering in my brain since I finished it.

I want to do that too, Chris. I read a lot of classics when I was 18-19 (I was broke, they were cheap) and they're fading from my memory, plus I would like to read more American classics. Pretty much everything I read was European or Russian.

Cool. We might have to buddy something...

My goal is to read less classics. ;)

Haha!

I want to read more classics, too! :)

Felina wrote: "My goal is to read less classics. ;)"

Is there a number below 0?

I really want to read The Divine Comedy with this class I found on iTunes U. There are two of them: One's a full standard class and the other is a sorta of experimental reading where you read each of the cantos of the same number across all three canticles.

Colleen wrote: "Felina wrote: "My goal is to read less classics. ;)"

Is there a number below 0?"

Yes! I'm going to be working with a hypnotherapist to actively forget every classic I've ever read. Except for The Count of Monte Cristo. That ones mine. *snuggles The Count*

Felina wrote: "Yes! I'm going to be working with a hypnotherapist to actively forget every classic I've ever read. Except for The Count of Monte Cristo. That ones mine. *snuggles The Count* "

*Snort*

I read The Inferno in college and liked it.