2012 Challenge Wrap-Up

Now is probably as good a time as any to take a look at how I did on my 2012 reading challenges. I’m probably not going to make too much more headway with them considering the Christmas reading, magician books, and ARCs I have on my immediate TBR pile. 😉

I did okay with this one. I intended to read more poetry this year and did so, but I only managed one poetry collection (of 2) and 39+ other poems, mostly from here and there around the web. I also commented on a few Virtual Poetry Circles, which were a great way to expose myself to at least a poem a week.

My one poetry collection, and book #35 for the year, is Minorities, a collection edited by J.M. Wilson from T. E. Lawrence’s notebook of transcribed poems. It’s an interesting selection of poems about war, love, death, and nature. Most of the time all at once. I first read this collection in college and was pleased to be able to purchase it online.

I am pretty terrible at putting into words my thoughts about poetry. Like allegory and satire, I always feel like I’m missing something or that I don’t have the necessary vocabulary to talk intelligently about poems. I know what I like, I enjoy what I like, and that’s enough for me.

I’ll be continuing my poem-a-week habit in 2013.

I did not end up rereading much this year. In addition to the four books finished below, I also reread 9 short stories (mostly Arthur Conan Doyle and Ray Bradbury) and am a couple hundred pages into A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin.

This one’s a “win,” but not by much. “Reliving the Past: 4-8 re-reads”.

A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury
The Mist by Stephen King
Minorities by edited by J. M. Wilson & T. E. Lawrence (see above)

My own challenges:

I did pretty terribly at reading what I bought and/or won… There’s always Mount TBR!
I did average a short story a week and a poem a week. In addition to short stories I read in collections and anthologies (I read 8 pf those this year), I read 69 short stories. I’m going to stick with reading a short story per week in 2013 as well.
Read my first Western this year. Became an Elmore Leonard fan.
Also been reading a section of Poetic Edda each week since July or so.

Heaven, Hell & 2 Ducks – FAIL!

I know four jokes well enough that I can tell them without much thought. One involves Heaven, one involves Hell, and the other two include ducks. Yep. That’s it. I created a graphic for a challenge that involves four books.

Heaven: Heaven (The Afterlife Series, Book I) by Mur Lafferty
Hell:To Reign in Hell by Steven Burst (Though this one might actually be my heaven book. It remains to be seen.)
Duck:Moby Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea… by Donovan Hohn
Duck: (TBD – This is where the challenge comes in.)