2013 Reading Plans

Starting about last October I began to feel uninspired to write proper reviews of books I read. The task felt more like a chore than a hobby. At first I thought maybe it was just a slump, but four months later I am still struggling. I started to put some thought into this dilemma; regardless of whether I loved the book or barely got through it, all of the sudden it takes a lot to make myself write something about it.

I started this blog in 2009 and at that point it didn't have much direction. Near the start of 2010 I began to treat it as a book blog and began reviewing each book I read. Three years and 143 reviews later, I am ready to take a break. I don’t plan to leave completely, but for now I am going to do away with writing a few paragraphs about each book I read and instead opt for something a little more concise. I have yet to decide exactly how I’ll go about this, but it will ultimately involve fewer posts, as I’ll probably group a few books into one post.

So in 2013 I have decided to do away with challenges and memes and traditional reviews and get back to reading for the sake of reading. 
Image via weheartit.com

Some questions about reading, answered.

Image via Pretty Books

Red tagged me in this blogger meme and even though I'm not really going to follow all the rules, I wanted to take a minute to answer the questions she tagged to me. With all the talk about book on this blog I don't often take the time to get personal and talk about my life outside of my reading habits. (Ok fine 90% of these questions are about reading, but still!) So, a thanks to Alley at What Red Read for putting together this list of thoughtful questions. Here it goes:

1. What's your favorite bookish movie? (Movie based on a book, movie with literary tendencies, whatever)
Hands down Stranger Than Fiction staring Will Ferril. The movie isn't based on a novel, but the plot revolves around the idea that the main character, Harold Crick, is suddenly at the center of a novel. He can hear his life being narrated out loud and begins a quest to find out if his life is a trageity or a comedy. Tons of bookish fun in this one. Seriously you should watch the trailer here if you haven't seen the movie.

2. How often do you re-read books?

Not as often as I feel that I should. I've been reading a lot about rereading lately, here and there, and I'm really starting to understand its importance. I'm hoping to start incorporating more rereading into my reading diet, but it's tough for me because I think about all the books I haven't even read once yet and I'd like to make time for those too. Maybe I'll save rereading until I'm a little older...

3. What's your favorite reading spot?

In the summer I love to read outside on the patio. In the winter I like to read on my bed.

4. Which season is your favorite?

I enjoy Autumn more than any other season. There is something about the crisp air when the leaves start to fall that elates me. I enjoy putting on a light jacket after a hot winter and enjoying the cool air.

5. What's your profile picture?

Pictured on the right.

6. What's your ideal meal?

I'm a sucker for Mediterranean food. An ideal meal would be falafel, hummus, babaganoush, tabbouleh, roasted vegatables, anything with spinach and feta combined and a big fat side of tzatziki. I'm also an eggplant fanatic so anything with eggplant in it and I'm on it. Also pesto. I'm generally a fan of anything with pesto on it.

7. What's your guilty pleasure TV show, movie, book?

I am the first one to admit that when I do watch tv, it's trashy tv. I keep up with the Kardashians and the real housewives of most cities. I watch True Blood in the summer and reruns of Gilmore Girls year round. I also really like Pawn Stars on the history channel and Storage Wars on A&E.

8. How do you like to spend a rainy day?

Reading of course.

9. Do you have any good Tumblrs to recommend?

Why yes I do! I really enjoy the surge in Ryan Gosling tumblrs over the last year, and I'm a huge fan of Slaughterhouse 90210. I also like PrettyBooks and BookOasis if I'm looking for images of books and reading.

10. If you like to cook (or bake), what's your favorite thing to make?

I'm not a superstar in the kitchen, but if I do find myself there I enjoy making breakfast; spinach feta omelets, rosemary potatoes, eggs florentine, and arugula salads are my favorites.

11. Do you have a big TBR list? Or do you wait until you're done with your current book to buy (or borrow from the library) your next reads?

I keep a running list of books I'd like to buy. I consult it whenever I go book shopping. As far as the books I own that I haven't read, I've probably got about 40. I've been making an effort to buy fewer books and read more of the books I already own. Some weeks I do really well and others not so much. I'm not too worried about it though. I've heard of people who have thousands of unread books on the TBR pile. As long as I never get to that point I'm ok with a short stack of unread books.

Feel free to answer this set of questions on your own blog.