It is that fall-is-in-the-air, back to school, get things done time of year that always gives me a jolt of energy. So I am doing a little autumnal assessment of my year in reading -- so far -- to decide whether there are any bookish goals or projects I can make progress on before the end of the year. Note, I did not say "finish" by the end of the year, although there are, hopefully, one or two I can wrap up by then.
This is a two-part assessment. This first part addresses the various book lists I am keeping track of. Part Two, coming soon, will deal with the author lists.
THE LISTS
1899 Top 100
Books read so far: 7/100
Books read in 2009: zero (but I just added the list a few days ago)
Books on my TBR shelf: 11
All-TIME Top 100
Books read so far: 73/100
Books read in 2009: one-third (I read The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Scant progress, but progress still.)
Books on my TBR shelf: 15
Anthony Burgess
Books read so far: 25/99
Books read in 2009: zero (too bad, because I respect his picks)
Books on my TBR shelf: 18
BBC's Big Read
Books read so far: 52/100
Books read in 2009: 5+
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham(reviewed here)
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens(reviewed here)
- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Crime and Punishment
- I Capture the Castle
- plus another one-third for The Fellowship of the Ring
Book Club
Books read so far: 14/15
Books read in 2009: 5
- Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Keysey
- Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Davita's Harp by Chiam Potok
- I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
- Plainsong by Kent Haruf
College Board
Books read so far: 75/101
Books read in 2009: one (Treasure Island)
Books on my TBR shelf: 13
Costa Book of the Year
Books read so far: 1/24
Books read in 2009: one (Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson, reviewed here)
Books on my TBR shelf: 3
Easton Press
Books read so far: 54/100
Books read in 2009: 2
- Great Expectations (reviewed here)
- Treasure Island
Edgar Award
Books read so far: 4/55
Books read in 2009: zero
Books on my TBR shelf: 5
Erica Jong
Books read so far: 29/100
Books read in 2009: one (The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley)
Books on my TBR shelf: 18
French Connection
Books read so far: 42/107 (and counting -- there are more books to add to the list)
Books read in 2009: one (Au Revoir to All That by Michael Steinberger (reviewed here)
Books on my TBR shelf: 20
LT Early Reviewers
Books read so far: 17/23
Books read in 2009: 3
- The Amish Cook at Home by Lovina Eicher (reviewed here)
- Blackbird, Farewell by Robert Greer (reviewed here)
- American Rust by Philipp Meyer (reviewed here)
Man Booker Prize
Books read so far: 21/42
Books read in 2009: zero
Books on my TBR shelf: 14
MLA's 30
Books read so far: 21/30
Books read in 2009: one and 1/3
- The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
- one-third for The Fellowship of the Ring
Modern Library
Books read so far: all of them!
Books read in 2009: zero ( finished this list a couple of years ago)
Books on my TBR shelf: zero
National Book Award
Books read so far: 24/62
Books read in 2009:4
- The Echo Maker by Richard Powers
- The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard
- The Fixer by Bernard Malamud (reviewed here)
- Goodbye Columbus by Philip Roth (reviewed here)
NBCC Award
Books read so far: 15/33
Books read in 2009: zero
Books on my TBR shelf: 6
Nobel Laureates
Authors read so far: 19/105
Books read in 2009: 3
- In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
- The Beggar by Naguib Mahfouz (reviewed here)
- The Plague by Albert Camus
Observer's Top 100
Books read so far: 55/100
Books read in 2009: 3+
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (reviewed here)
- Men Without Women by Ernest Hemingway
- The Plague by Albert Camus
- plus another one-third for The Fellowship of the Ring
Orange Prize
Books read so far: 1/13
Books read in 2009: zero
Books on my TBR shelf: 4
Oregon Books
Books read so far: 3/20
Books read in 2009: one (The River Why by David Duncan)
Books on my TBR shelf: 2
Pulitzer Prize
Books read so far: 38
Books read in 2009: 3
- Advise and Consent by Allen Drury (reviewed here)
- The Fixer by Bernard Malamud (reviewed here)
- March by Geraldine Brooks (reviewed here)
Radcliffe's Top 100
Books read so far: 86/100
Books read in 2009: one-third for The Fellowship of the Ring
Books on my TBR shelf: 11
RCR Top 10
Books read so far: 10/10 (it's my list)
Books read in 2009: zero (the list did not change this year -- so far)
Books on my TBR shelf: zero
Well-Stocked Bookcase
Books read so far: 35/60
Books read in 2009: zero
Books on my TBR shelf: 14
I would not have guessed that the BBC list would be the one I made the most progress on so far this year. Thank goodness for The Fellowship of the Ring that gave me a toehold on my slow climb up some of these lists. I am thinking of concentrating on the Radcliffe list in 2010 because I have a shot at finishing that one once and for all. The books remaining also overlap with several other lists, so I could really make hay.
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