2020 has been an awful reading year for me. Between working as a stressful and nightmarish job for the four months, to eight months of unemployment… I just haven’t been able to really read, which is a situation I haven’t really been in since college.
As a way to get myself back into reading, I’m setting myself just a few books that I really want to finish before the end of the year. Nothing is too crazy about them (except one, you’ll understand). And I can almost guarantee that at least one of them will be a bit off the wall and a surprise.
The first book that I really need to finally finish is Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. I started reading this one in late October, after my Mom and I watched the movie. Yeah, yeah, it had Matthias in it. It’s a problem. Shut up. Anyway, she read through it, and I said I’d give it a shot. I’m about 150 pages in, and Hardy’s writing style is killing me. I’m trying to power on through, but I’m giving it to the end of the week, then I’m breaking out the cliff notes, damnit.
I’ve only wanted to read The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth since June. I fell in love with the premise when it was announced, and it’s been on my bookshelf since it was released. Hell, I talked about it during Reading Rush, before Redemption Prep and Lemonade Mouth destroyed any want for me to read.
I’ve been told way too many times that Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano is for fans of Rise of the Guardians. I’ve been putting it off for months, as I really haven’t been in a fantasy mode, honestly. But just looking at that cover makes me want to read it all the more, so we shall see where this month takes us.
For my off the wall pick, I really want to finally read the W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novels, Volumes 4 and 5. So, I never watched W.I.T.C.H. growing up, seeing it as a Disney knockoff of Sailor Moon. Wow, was I so wrong. First, it’s Italian. Second, it has some very broad similarities, but so many differences. I randomly read the first volume in 2018 and really enjoyed it. They’ve been released on Kindle for some time now, with volume 8 coming in 2020. I own through 5, but I’m gonna have to start at the beginning. It’s been a while.
The last books on my list are more of the “read these before you go Christmas shopping at Barnes and Noble because they are totally going to ask you about them” and those are the YA Book Club pics. I especially need to read The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige and The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes if nothing else. While the former is beyond not on my “want to read” list (simply because I’m not a fan of Morgan’s writing style, sorry), it would be a crime to not give TIG some love.
Will I finish everything by the socially-distanced ball drop of 2021? Probably not. Especially if I also want to get some writing done, finish a few games, watch some movies, and basically actually live. But do I care? Nah.
We shall see.
Until next time!
