2024 Reading Year Midpoint Check-in... (6/9/24)

[Marc]

We've almost got another half year's worth of reading under our belts. Let us know how your 2024 reading year is going--as expected, better, worse? Surprises? Disappointments? Anything about the first half of the year that will likely change your reading for the remainder of the year?

[Luke]

The first half of 2024 saw me continuing my more modern/library dependent reading regimen that my public librarian work enables me to indulge in. So far, my reading's been pretty consistent in terms of number of works/pages read, in addition to the average rating. At this stage, I'm ready to jump off the roller coaster that is grabbing contemporary books as soon as they drop and shift my main focus back to chipping away at my huge pile of unread works in my personal library. After many years of carting this library around me as a form of safety blanket, I'm ready to reduce it to a far more flexible amount that I can sprinkle new releases throughout without stressing about massive backlogs.

[Bill]

This year I seem bogged down by anticipated books that were big disappointments (Terayama's essays, Kelly Link's novel), and studies of topics I'm passionate about that didn't quite deliver (sorry Peter Eckersall).

But things seem to be looking up in May! Highlights:
Sofia Samatar, The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain
Carter St Hogan, One or Several Deserts
Jessi Stevens, Ghost Pains
Brian Evenson, None of You Shall Be Spared

And I'm super excited to start soon:
Sarah Coolidge (ed.), Through the Night Like a Snake: Latin American Horror Stories

I will shamelessly put in a plug that the Coolidge anthology is our June monthly read in the Literary Horror group. We'll start in a few days. Please join us!

[Whitney]

Bill wrote: "This year I seem bogged down by anticipated books that were big disappointments (Terayama's essays, Kelly Link's novel), and studies of topics I'm passionate about that didn't quite deliver (sorry ..."

The Samatar and the Evenson just became must-reads.

[Bill]

Thanks Whitney! Hope they don't disappoint.

I loved Samatar's Tender as well!

[Guy]

I started strong (really enjoyed Wrong Norma; was enchanted by Lark's Chouette). Then had to take a detour into a series of contemporary thrillers (for Day Job reasons... 🤔) which was fun, but not exactly literature – though if the project comes off and I end up adapting them for TV I'll definitely let you know! Now with the summer coming I have a choice of either going with comfort food (eg re-reading the whole Patrick O'Brian Aubrey-Maturin series for perhaps the 8th or 10th time...) or being adventurous and buying some new stuff. When I lived in the UK I would just go and hoover up anything on the Waterstones "Translated Fiction" table, but that option doesn't exist in Valencia.

[Whitney]

Guy wrote: "I started strong (really enjoyed Wrong Norma; was enchanted by Lark's Chouette). Then had to take a detour into a series of contemporary thrillers (for Day Job reas..."

That's very cool, looking forward to hearing about any adaptations.

The Waterstones translated fiction table sounds like a great source. Probably a little far to travel on a lazy Sunday, but I checked and they do have a translated fiction page on their website. Not the same as flipping though actual pages, but I did get some good recommendations.

[Franky]

Things are picking up a little more for me reading now that I have more time in the summer. My goal is 30 and up to 17 now. I've had some pleasant surprises of books I hadn't heard of like The Frangipani Tree Mystery and some lukewarm ones like Who Goes There?. Mostly 3 or 4 star reads for me this year, but recently read The Good Earth and really enjoyed it so 5 stars for me. I'm hoping to make some more progress the rest of this month and July.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

My reading has been good for quantity (38 books read by June 30th) but not as great in quality as I would like. So far this year I've only rated one book 5 stars (Cannery Row) whereas last year at this time I had rated several books 5 stars. Oh well, hopefully things pick up quality-wise in the second half of the year.

[Sam]

I am having an exceptional reading year. I have read a good number of books ( 140) and have a good ratio of good books to bad. I also have satisfactorily kept up with prize list reading and new releases. I hope the streak continues but one can never tell, so I am enjoying things while I can.

[Emmeline]

I'm having an okay reading year. After reading quite a few older books last year, I set out to read new releases this year, and have been enjoying getting a bit more immersed in what's new. I did have a string of three-star reads in the spring that made me quite irritated, but managed to clamber out of that.

One thing I'm very happy about is reading much more international fiction, both new releases and classics. It has made me realize how easy it is to default to British and American books, and how much more there is to the world (which you think I would know, not living in either Britain or America).