Still Here

Yes, I am.

Still reading? Still moderately.

In my last post, which was almost five months ago, I mentioned I had started a new job and, consequently, I haven't been reading as much. More startlingly, I haven't really been feeling guilty about not reading. At least, not about leisure reading.

Then again, the line between leisure reading and reading for work has become blurred with my recent employment. What can I say?-- I really enjoy reading education-related books. So, though I've only read a few books for leisure, most of my day is spent reading, if not editing. And geek me finds it fun.:)

Geek me also realizes that, though I fill my days with things I'm truly not bored about,  I will still need a creative outlet that is just mine alone. So, back to blogging I is. (Yeah, that True Blood lingo really is catching.)

Besides, it's the middle of the year. In the grand tradition of mid-year performance reviews, I shall post my progress towards my 2010 reading goals. Be warned that vis-a-vis my 2010 Reading Challenges, I've been making terrible progress. But I'm optimistic. Because, really, what is there not to be optimistic about? Also, I haven't met a book this year yet that I didn't like, and a couple that I liked immensely to enter into my list of all-time personal favorites.

1. Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel (one of my all-time favorites now)
2. The Battle in the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
3. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
5. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
6. Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reeves
7. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
8. Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
9. The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
10. M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman
11. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
12. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
13. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (the other all-time favorite. Actually, it's the whole series, Chaos Walking.)
14. The Prestige by Christopher Priest

That's a grand total of 14, after six and a half months into 2010. Out of the 41 books from my TBR that I planned to read this year, I have read exactly one (Auster's New York Trilogy), which is also part of the formal 2010 TBR challenge list. And I haven't read anything yet from the other challenge I joined, the Chunkster Reading Challenge.

Ah, TBR. One day, I shall really get to you. But now, I'm a victim of great marketing--I like buying new books. Besides, the two books that have made it to my ultimate favorites list weren't in my TBR, so I submit those as justification for not attending to my TBR pronto.

Well, on we happily plod through the rest of the year. And here's me, writing for me again. But before I end this, I do heartily appreciate those who still check in once in a while to see if I've posted something new. Yep, I have an idea who you are (thanks to Google and your telling me). Thank you for your eternal hope. May it help fuel my eternal willingness.:)