The Big Read

Being the sort of person who loves to keep track of things, about ten years ago I started to log all the books I read in a database.  I even tried to reconstruct the books I'd read prior to that, going back some 40 years. I'm pretty sure I missed a few.

Anyway, birders, as I'm sure you know, sometimes do a crazy thing called a Big Year -- they try to see as many species as possible in one calendar year -- North American birds, or sometimes a statewide big year.  Since I'll never do anything that nuts, I've decided to go for a Big Read instead.

You see, I recently printed out my "books read" lists by year, and noticed that my record so far was in 2011, when I read 147 books.  And I also noticed that so far this year, at the halfway point, I've read 88.  I could break my record this year!

So I shall log my progress here.  I'll list the books read so far, though not all at once -- just a few in each post.  I shall aim to read at least 150 books this year -- and a good mix of fiction and non-fiction.  I'm slightly handicapped, I believe, by the fact that 2011 was padded somewhat by 25 or so re-reads of old Enid Blyton children's books, which take maybe an hour or two to read at the most.  I have read a few children's books this year, but nowhere near that many.  So I shall have to work hard to break that record!

Books Read in the first half of January this year:

Nonfiction
Dog Sense (John Bradshaw) -- on dog behavior/training
The Birder's Companion (Stephen Moss)  -- tidbits on birds and birding
A Walk Through Britain (John Hillaby) -- travelogue written in the 1950s

Fiction
Death at the President's Lodging (Michael Innes) - classic British mystery
Death by the Light of the Moon (Joan Hess) - contemporary American cozy mystery
The Little Broomstick (Mary Stewart) - children's fantasy

Testing: I may revive this blog...stay tuned....

Currently Reading

Fiction
Black Orchids (Rex Stout)
Classic mystery (actually, two novellas in one book) featuring Nero Wolfe, grower of orchids, gourmand, and solver of most puzzling crimes.

Nonfiction
Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death (Deborah Blum).  From the back cover:  "At the close of the 19th century...a small group of scientists launched a determined investigation into 'unexplainable' incidences of clairvoyance and ghostly visitations.  Led by William James, the renowned philosopher...they staked their reputations...on one of the most extraordinary psychological quests ever undertaken...."

Photo for Today

Common Yellowthroat