Reading goals for 2021

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For a New Year's Day post, this is coming in pretty late, given that it's 10:30pm and I live in California.  Most folks are on to a new day by now.  But I thought I'd like to write out my goals for Howling Frog in the coming year.  In 2020 I enjoyed focusing on history and Russian things, but of course reading anything that required brainpower got more difficult as the year slogged on and I lost energy in the last few months.  In fact, if I look back at early 2020 I'm pretty amazed at what I was managing to read, compared to lately!  This year my goals are not too different:

  1. Continue to work on Reading ALL Around the World and my Classics Club list.  I love these two, and I wish I was making better progress.
  2. Read as much history as I can cram into my brain, with a focus on WWII.  But other history is good too!
  3. Also and at the same time, read whatever I want.

I always believe in starting new projects on the first day of the year, so I started reading The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard P. Evans (which turns out to be a lot of background and buildup to 1933, so it covers an even earlier period than I'd assumed), and an old SF novel I've never heard of before that is turning out to be pretty interesting.   I'm also reading one of the earliest proto-SF novels ever written, and it's older than you think!

I'm not assuming that everything is going to be great now that we've turned a calendar page, but it's nice to hope that things will improve.  I will be happy if this year, things calm down generally and the pandemic slows.  In my own personal life, I'd like to go back to my actual workplace and take a roadtrip (or three) -- I would like to visit my siblings and my friends!

 


Comments

  1. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzJanuary 2, 2021 at 3:57 AM

    I'm amazed that you made as much progress last year as you did, given your heavy goals. Oddly, I seemed to find the most comfort in some of the darker reads I took on last year, including The Splendid and the Vile. It was wonderful to read about Churchill's leadership during the Blitz, and it made our troubles during the pandemic seem a bit lighter.

    Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  2. reeseJanuary 2, 2021 at 9:50 AM

    Number 3 is, of course, the most important! But I do enjoy the unexpected things you come up with for Reading Around The World.

    Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  3. mudpuddleJanuary 2, 2021 at 2:47 PM

    Hi, Jean... pursuant to our interest in old Ace SF doubles, i've published my first post on one of them. if you have a bit of time and interest you can peruse it at mudpuddlesoup2.blogspot.com... tx for the idea! more coming up, probably...

    ReplyDelete
  4. CleoJanuary 2, 2021 at 5:13 PM

    I always tend to focus on number 3 but I thought I would be a little more organized this year. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ruth @ with freedom and booksJanuary 4, 2021 at 12:46 PM

    I'm with you, Jean. I'd like to take a road trip. More specifically, I'd like to reenact the Lewis and Clark Trail, ride up or down the entire Mississippi, or something crazy like that. :D

    Have a stupendous reading year!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jenny @ Reading the EndJanuary 7, 2021 at 5:21 AM

    Can't wait to hear about your reading adventures in the new year, friend! After yesterday I am feeling pretty down about 2021, but I'm hoping things take a turn for the better as the month goes on and Biden gets inaugurated, etc etc.

    ReplyDelete
  7. JeanJanuary 7, 2021 at 11:00 AM

    I hope so, Jenny. Yesterday was awful, but I'm hoping that some folks finally noticed how bad this has gotten and have pulled back. May cooler heads prevail...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Emma at Words And Peace / France Book ToursJanuary 16, 2021 at 10:02 AM

    Good luck for your goals! I just read The Romanov Sisters, by the amazing Helen Rappaport. She is an excellent historian and writer, but with your focus on WWII history, you probably already know her

    ReplyDelete

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