*allegedly
What he did during his acceptance speech was draw marked attention to a problem plaguing our entire species. I would like to thank Leo for using his platform to talk about something so universally important. In fact, he did such a good job of making every day folks care about global warming … I thought I would use his influence to make all of you care about something that’s been plaguing me.
MY FREAKING TO-BE-READ LIST
Help me, Leo.
When I Start Thinking About It
I can’t do it, you guys. It’s getting ugly. There are too many books and I have too little time and too many responsibilities. Just on Goodreads, I have 614 books on my list. That doesn’t even count the books I’ve bought on sale on for Kindle and the HUGE PILE of books in my house that I haven’t read yet but OWN ANYWAY. I will never get through them all.
The first book on my Goodreads TBR list is The Kite Runner. That shit came like 14 years ago. My KIDS are old enough to read that book by now; that’s how long it’s been on my list. The movie has been out longer than I’ve had an active Facebook page; that’s how long my TBR list has been accumulating.
When I Start Trying to Prioritize
And the thing is, I don’t even care if I ever read The Kite Runner. But there are a TON of books on my list that I’m dying to read. Books that I know I will love, and I feel like I will never ever get to all of them. Here are a few. Literally, just a FEW that I want to read … like, yesterday.
- A Monster Calls
- Neverwhere
- 11/22/63
- The Song of Achilles
- Deathless
- The Queen’s Thief
- Ready Player One
- The Magicians
- Red Rising
- By Blood We Live
- Blackbirds
- The Queen of the Tearling
- Love Me Back
I will never make it.
When I Imagine Myself Getting It Done
I have fantasies. Grown-up person dreams of having read all of Dorothy Dunnett and Michael Chabon. Adult daydreams of being well-versed in every high fantasy series ever written. Delusions that I’m going to finish Howard Zinn or David Foster Wallace’s full catalogue. And hell, I’ll be even more honest: I’d like to read every single regency romance ever written. I want to be THAT well-stocked in fictional earls. And HOW have I not read Laura Florand yet? What do I dooooo, Leo?
NO THEY DO NOT. I KNOW I AM DELUDING MYSELF. HELP ME.
When I Try to Neutralize the Threat
I know I should stop promising to read things for any other reason other than it’s what I want to read right now. But it never stops. People on the internet are already super excited about The Winner’s Kiss and I *just* read the first book in that series last month! Forget about the final installment in The Raven Cycle, or the sequel to The Wrath and the Dawn. I haven’t gotten to the first ones yet. Quit reminding me about all the good stuff out there, world!
When I Try to Do It All
It never fails that someone sends me a great book to review. Or I have to host book club. Or I have to re-read something to prepare to teach a class, write a review or plan a book chat. But I’m sitting there looking at Traitor’s Moon and just DYING to know what happens to Seregil and Alec, but they have to stay in self-imposed exile from Skala a while longer. Alone. Maybe I’ll never know.
When I Complete a Series
This year, I’m promising myself at least THREE series … completed. I am terrible at starting a series and not finishing up the last books. We all know I’ve only read through The Fiery Cross. I still haven’t read A Feast for Crows. I’ll probably never finish all of Louisa May Alcott’s books. But I know the feeling of completing a series. Of seeing it all the way through to the end, knowing you’ve read every word those characters have to offer. It’s so … satisfying.
Not THAT satisfying. Geez.
So this year, I’m promising myself that I will run the race all the way to the end on at least three series that I thought I wouldn’t get to finish. I’ve yet to decide what they all are, but I’ll let you guys know when I make it. I might even make a little speech. And when I do, I know exactly what to say.
Thank you, Leo. Thank you.
