Update on this Year’s Book Marathon

Pinched from Free Digital Read's FB Page

I haven’t updated for a while so here’s what I need to do to get ‘up to date’ with everything:

• Finally finish writing about The Bell Jar. I haven’t even looked at it since before last week’s half term holiday and I’d just like to get it done at the moment. 

• Write a review of State of Wonder which I finished about a week ago and loved.

• Write a review of Instruments of Darkness. I am currently in the middle of a small historical murder mystery binge having discovered Imogen Robertson’s books in the library, along with The Black Dahlia, which I have yet to start. I have started Robertson’s second book in the series and have one other to read (the fourth book is being published in April, but I am not in that much of a rush to read it, although I am quite enjoying the series so far). The plan with the Ellroy is to read The Black Dahlia then move on to the next three books in the quartet. Ambitious, particularly with the number of library books I have out at the moment, but the L.A. Quartet has been on the ‘to read’ list since around 2003. Not sure if it was going to go on BIHNR2: The Next List, but never mind. 

•  Finish and write about Swann’s Way.  I’m still hoping to finish this by the end of February, although I think I’m going to miss the Year of Reading Proust’s Goodreads group deadline of 25^th February. I don’t think I want to spend the entire year reading it anyway; it would be good to have a schedule of finishing one book per month so that I can finish by July. Whether this is possible or not is another matter.

•  As well as library books I am still ploughing on with A Clash of Kings,  Death Comes to Pemberley and Shadow of Night, which will all need to be finished and reviewed. Yes, I am juggling a crazy amount of books at the moment and obviously considering more, including a mini Richard III book festival, but that will have to wait for the moment. I’m already confusing myself and finding it a little bit difficult to keep up with everything, so no more new books until I have finished some.

I’m not sure where to start to be honest, I think I am going to try and start with Instruments of Darkness then finish The Bell Jar up before it drives me crazy.  On the plus side, the fifty books in a year is going really well, I’m currently nine books ahead of schedule and have read fifteen books this year, but haven’t finished so many recently (yes, I am counting Sherlock and Castle Rackrent, I have some short books to make up for the reading time wasted reading trashy fanfic, which is my guilty pleasure rewarding me for persevering with the Proust!). Honestly, I am slightly bogged down with Shadow of Night and finding it quite difficult to get into Anatomy of Murder. Both are good but SoN seems to have got a bit lost plot-wise at the moment turning Diana into a wife (I am also frankly baffled with one element of the story, but as it is a BIG spoiler I will save that for a review once I’ve finished it) and Anatomy of Murder is taking a bit of time to get off the ground. I don’t know, it could be a post half-term slump or something; at least it hasn’t affected Swann’s Way, which is still rather relaxing and pleasurable to read, although sometimes I think it would be nice to abandon writing notes about it and just float along like I am in a little Proust-steered boat or even wallow in the warm bath of his prose. I think it is affecting more that I thought it was!