Abandoned books

Shelfari tells me I've read 32 books this year, and that I'm currently reading another 7. This is exactly the kind of thing I use Shelfari for. There are lots of book-related social networking sites. Too many, in fact, because there isn't yet a standard- the site that 'everyone' uses. (Monopolies aren't nice, but for social networking they're kind of necessary. Who wants to use a social networking site unless their friends are using it too?) I joined Shelfari for two reasons: it's an easy way to keep track of what I've read and am reading, and it allows me to put a lovely bookshelf on my blog.

The fact that I've read 32 books this year is good. I have a vague goal this year to read an average of a book a week, so 32 means I'm on track. (I'm slightly behind if you count the number of weeks exactly, but don't forget I have a thesis due at the end of October and will have lots of time for reading in November and December!)

The fact that I'm 'currently reading' 7 books is not so good. I've never been the kind of reader who worries about abandoning a book halfway through. If it's not interesting enough to keep me reading, then I'm quite happy to move on to something else and forget I ever started it. What's concerning is that these 7 books don't fit that description. They're all good books, and I intended to finish them.

Here they are:

• Magician by Raymond Feist- I. will. read. this. I've been meaning to get round to it for years. I've only just started, so there's hope yet.
• Would You Eat Your Cat by Jeremy Stangroom- a great intro to philosophy ethics. This one I'm reading section by section.
• 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction by Rebecca Goldstein- an engaging novel involving the world of academia I hope to get myself into. It just doesn't have the "What happens next??" factor.
• The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud- I loved the first book in the series, The Amulet of Samarkand, but I should have taken the hint when it took me over a year to get onto the second book. I'm just not interested enough.
• Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Finn Garner- I adore this book! Why on Earth haven't I finished it!?
• Do Travel Writers Go To Hell? by Thomas B. Khonstamm- the premise of the book is engaging, but the prose is about as sparkling as you might expect from a travel writer (i.e. not at all), so I may give up on this one.
• The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell- This book is brilliant! I will get on to 20th Century philosophy one day, I swear!

So, the boiled-down analysis of what makes me stop reading a book? Either it's divided into sections, in which case I've read whole sections and simply failed to read others, or the plot simply hasn't captured enough interest. I just don't feel the need to discover what is on the next page.

Highlights '09

I'm subscribed to quite a few book blogs and book news feeds. At this time of year, a lot of 'best of ' and 'highlights' lists start coming through, pointing readers to the best books of the year. But the problem with book news is that it's all about new realeases. I started reading books towards the end of the 20th Century- I have the whole history of print to catch up on!

So these are (some of) the highlights of my '09 reading:

January - four weeks off in Toowoomba and Brisbane
   -The History of Western Philosophy, Bertrand Russell (1946)
     A fascinating look at a fascinating topic
  -The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, Terry Pratchett (2001)
     A magically intelligent cat and clan of rats figure there's always money to be made in faking rat plagues.

March-April - Semester 1
   -Beginning Logic, E. J. Lemmon (1965)
     An excellent guide to formal logic. I read it for uni, and it rocked my socks!

March 31- I meet Shaun Tan and a friend leaves the country
   -The Arrival, Shaun Tan (2006)
     A gorgeous graphic novel about the strangeness and beauty of immigration. I cried.

June - cruising on the Nile in Egypt
   -I was reading, but I don't quite remember what. The view was distracting me. =P

June/July - London & Oxford, England; and Wicklow, Ireland
   -The Inkworld trilogy, Cornelia Funke (2003, 2005, 2007)
     Because you have to read fantasy in Oxford.

July - a very long flight home
   -The Ghost, Robert Harris (2007)
     A surprisingly engaging modern thriller from a historical novelist.

August-October - Semester 2
   -The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman (2008)
     Brilliant. =)
   -The Magicians, Lev Grossman (2009)
     Equally brilliant. =)

mid-September - an awful sickness strikes
   -Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen (1811)
     Thus completing my aim to read all of Austen's novels.

November-December - mixing up my reading habits
   -Preludes and Nocturnes, Neil Gaiman (1988/1989)
     The first installment of the classic Sandman comics. An excellent read.
   -Good Omens, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (1990)
     Read it.

(As always, I've posted links to authors' sites where possible. It's not my fault if their sites aren't helpful. Where these weren't available, I've posted links to the best information I can find about the book. Sometimes this means Amazon.)