Well, I might just make it to my Century of Books (2014 version) goal. That is: 100 books read and reviewed from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014, one for each year between 1900 and 1999. I have 8 years left to read, and 3 weeks to read them in – still quite do-able.
But the reviews…well…I think those might not be exactly in-depth – I have a fearfully large number to write about!
These past few weeks have been rather trying, in a number of small, niggling ways. Everyone’s been sick with various viruses, we’ve had some unplanned trips to the dentist, vehicles have been acting up, and we’re in the midst of some ambitious house renovations – tomorrow the dining room floor is coming apart, from the floor joists up, to be completely replaced and then followed by a ceiling to floor redo of the room.
What else? Oh yes, my faithful old computer printer died, right in the middle of a large clerical project for the upcoming regional performing arts festival, which I’m deeply involved in. To make things even more interesting, it has been very cold, well into the minus 20s Celsius. It’s warmed up a bit the last day or two, but now the prediction is for freezing rain. Oh, hurray.
And then there’s that whole Christmas thing. The first without my mother, who passed away in June of this year, and also mostly without my oldest child, who is now living away from home. I miss him quite a lot, though I’m glad he’s happily getting on with his life. We’ve just been discussing Christmas arrangements, and where everyone will be, and how to coordinate new schedules and commitments – it feels very strange.
Well, this too shall pass. It’s really just little stuff, and one feels very “first world problemish” even mentioning it, but there it is.
On the plus side, I’m back in my little office after its recent desperately-needed facelift, though the re-installed bookshelves are still empty and things are just kind of plunked down here and there in a very muddled fashion.
How are you other Century-of-Bookers making out? Please share!
It’s been a grand project, and I’ve greatly enjoyed it, even while getting pulled away into some bookish side paths.
Happy December, everyone, and I’ll try to get some more book-related posts up very soon.
I’ve decided to spread my Century of Books over two years this time. I did it one in 2012, which was hectic but fun, but simply haven’t had the time this year to review everything I’ve been reading. And I’ve been having much too much fun with new releases as well. I think I’m around the 60 years completed mark right now but far, far behind that with reviews. I’m loving my work but these 12 hour days outside the house definitely cut down on my blogging (and reading) time!
I’ve noticed you’re blogging a lot less, which is totally understandable, but please don’t quit completely! You’ve pointed me in the direction of a lot of great books. 🙂
I well remember your 2012 Century, Claire – it was one of the ones which inspired me to give it a try myself. Hectic but fun describes the project very well. The reading has been grand, but I am terribly far behind in the reviewing aspect, so micro-reviews it will have to be for the remaining ones, I think, just so I can start 2015 with a clean slate. Lately I have been reluctantly putting aside non-Century books so I can focus on the “must reads”, and I am really looking forward to going back to random reading, though I already know I’d be interesting in doing this again. In a few years, that is!
Oh yeah, and today’s little issue (to continue my moaning 😉 ) – we seem to have a squirrel in our bedroom ceiling. Not sure how it got in there, because we go to great lengths to keep all possible entry points blocked off, but from the scrabbling sounds it’s obvious that there has been a breech in the defenses. Not quite sure what the next move will be, but ladders will definitely factor in to our day.
I had figured that my Century would take two years, but now it’s looking more like three. I just keep getting distracted with books tjat don’t fit my time-frame. Congratulations on being so close to the end of yours – especially with all that you’ve had going on. The first Christmas without my mom was a hard one, and I still think of her so much at this time, because she loved Christmas. I hope all the construction goes smoothly!
A Half-Century would be just about right for a year, wouldn’t it? Or heck, even a Quarter-Century! I have found so many multiples for some years/decades, while there are a few years for which are hard to find even one thing I want to read. The 1980s has actually proven the most challenging – my personal library seems to be missing a lot of stuff from that period. Odd. 😉
Yes, Christmas without my mom is already hard because she was such a huge part of our Christmases. We always managed to be home for Christmas – and some years that was something of a challenge! – and she gloried in making that time wonderful for everyone. Even after my father passed away, we still kept up many of the old traditions – and I think because we were all very conscious of that other important person now missing we were able to compensate to some degree. Last year when my mom was newly living in a seniors’ residence our Christmas was quite different, though we made it work, but this time round I feel very lost – a huge anchoring point is now gone from my life.
But the busy-ness is keeping some of the melancholy at bay – no time to be too sad, though I did find myself in tears the other night when at a concert, because all I could think of was how much my mom would have loved to be there – she was a devoted music lover.
Well, onward and upward! Thank you for the so-kind words, Lisa.
No, it’s not “first world-ish” at all. One of my dearest friends lost her mother on Christmas Day. She felt that first Christmas afterwards was dreadfully hard, but they got easier as the years go by. Always enjoy reading your reviews and you have pointed me to a few favorite books since I’ve started reading your blog.
Thank you for the kind words. So greatly appreciated!
What you’re talking about is just life. A lot of time it just sucks and as you get older you lose more people. I lost a friend Thanksgiving night and his wife is also very ill. But you never stop missing your mother.
We had a squirrel family in our bedroom wall. It freaked out our cat and it was nightmarish hearing the scrabbling all night. Good luck.
Keep reading and blogging. At least there are always books. Sorry to be such a downer but it hasn’t been a great season.
Oh, Cynthia, sending you sincere sympathy on the loss of your friend.
You’re right, it’s all part of life and getting older, but this part of it sucks. We’ve lost way too many people in our own circle in the past few years -and at least in my mom’s case it was a peaceful passing at a very respectable old age – she was 89 – but every time someone goes it just rips another piece out of our hearts.
But nothing to do but keep on plugging along.
There’s a lot of good in life, still. Family and friends, books and music. Keeps us going by giving us joy and letting us escape the bad stuff, if only for a while.
You’re not being a downer – it hasn’t been a great season for an awful lot of people, it seems. Just keep putting one foot in front of another, I guess. We tend to fill our lives with busy-ness in times of stress and sorrow, and I think it helps to a certain extent.
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Well done, Barb! I will definitely NOT finish it, but I am being sanguine.
It’s been a marvelous project; thank you for initiating it, Simon. But I must say that I will feel relieved when I post the last review! I’m already pondering another go at this sort of thing, but not for a few years. 2015 will be back-to-random, with a substantial dipping into the 19th Century, and some more current works as well.
Happy Christmas to you and yours!