Mid-2020 Reading Check In

[forestofglory]

For 2020 I decided not to make any reading goals except to reevaluate my lack of goals once a quarter and see if I wanted to add some goals. Given how intense this year has turned out to be, having no reading goals has been great. I didn't do a first quarter check in but now that its almost the middle of the year I thought a check in would nice.

So here are some numbers for how my reading has been going so far in 2020

Books Read:38
Nonfiction: 7
Oldest book: Authentic Indians: Episodes of Encounter from the Late-Nineteenth-Century Northwest Coast by Paige Raibmon (2005)
Most recent book: Network Effect by Martha Wells (May 2020)
Books by non-white authors: 17
Graphic stories:15
Novellas: 10

Given everything I feel pretty good about those numbers. I have certainly read more books in other years but that's ok. Recently I've been into Chinese history and I'm not on my third book about the history of food an drink in China (the 1st two where about tea, and this one is about chiles)

Also my library is just now starting to be open for curbside pick up and I'm hoping that access to more books will make me want to read more.

Things I'd love recs for: Chinese history, Cute graphic novels, slice of life manga

How has your reading been going. Did you make any goals? If so how is that going?

Comments

[qian]

I don't know if you have Netflix, but if you do, have you seen Flavorful Origins? It's a Mainland Chinese produced series of 10-minute episodes about the history of specific Chinese foods/ingredients. The first season is about Chaoshan food and the second about Yunnan, I think (I've only watched a few episodes of the first). It's very relaxing, though there is a very er Asian approach to animal harm in the crabs episode.

[forestofglory]

That sounds like something I'd really enjoy. Plus short episodes are great, especially right now. I do have Netflix so I will check it out!

[torachan]

Cute graphic novels: The Deep and Dark Blue and Avant Guards. (Everything else I would have recced, I see on GR you've either read already or marked as to read!)

Slice of life manga (just going by things I've read fairly recently that have English translations): A Man and His Cat, BL Metamorphosis, Sweetness and Lightning, Girls' Last Tour.

The main goal I set for myself this year is just a total number (in this case 200), and at exactly halfway through the year I've reached 65% so I feel like I'm doing pretty good (though I was doing much better earlier in the year). I also set soft goals like "try to read stuff that's been on my shelf/on my phone for a long time" and from a quick glance, it looks like at least 43/130 were things that had been sitting around for longer than a year. (Unfortunately I have a lot of stuff where I'm pretty sure I had it around for longer but didn't add it to my GR "to read" list until more recently so now I can't remember how long it's been.)

[forestofglory]

Thanks for the recs! I added several new library holds. (It's so great to have the library again)

And well done on reading 65% of your goal!

[merit]

Last year I managed to increase my reading by a fair chunk and I'm keeping pace (or ahead) compared to last year. I work better with a tangible goal.

I haven't been reading many graphic novels lately, alas, and most of the stuff I've been reading has darker themes.

[forestofglory]

For me a tangible reading goal can take the fun out of it, but I'm glad it works for you. I've been enjoying reading your thoughts on books even if they are a bit dark for me.

[mrissa]

I don't have a goal to read my tbr AND my library list down to nothing, but I seem to be doing it anyway. Any given day is not more reading time than I had before the pandemic, but before the pandemic not every day was this much reading time--I would go to a concert or a play or out with friends some of the time. Instead of none of the time.

So the book supply is...well, we have plenty of books in this house. But I've said for years that I should get better about reading things on my Kindle, and it looks like I may finally have the impetus toward that. And toward rereading things I've had on the shelves but don't strongly remember. Some of those will go in the bag to take to the used bookstore when that's a sensible thing to do, but there may be delightful hidden treasure on my shelves, who knows.

[forestofglory]

That sounds delightful.

I have a bit less reading time since everyone including the four year old is home all day everyday, but somehow I feel like I should be getting more reading done.

[vintagewitch]

I set a goal of reading 50 books, which is feeling very far away. Part of it is the everything-ness of the world, and the other part of it is that I tend to read multiple books at a time so it takes me forever to finish anything.

Books Read: 12
Nonfiction: 9
Oldest book: The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson (medieval)
Most recent book: The Crooked Path: An Introduction to Traditional Witchcraft by Kelden (January 2020)
Books by non-white authors: 2
Graphic stories: 6
Novellas: 0

So I guess if you count Manga (which GoodReads doesn't for some reason), I've read 18/50 books. Not too bad! I just started reading Gideon the Ninth today, which is delightful. I have a feeling that one will go by fast. I also treated myself to two debut novels by black authors: "Lakewood" by Megan Giddings and "The Year of the Witching" by Alexis Henderson.

[forestofglory]

The world is so much right now!

What manga have you been reading?

A lot of my friends really love Gideon the Ninth, but I haven't read it yet because it sounds pretty dark.