S and I recently got talking about her book list for 2008, and it highlighted just how little I’d managed to read last year. Skimming the pile of novels that had accumulated on my shelf in the last 12 months, I managed to tally my own list at something like 26 titles… plus a few I hadn’t bothered to finish. Averaging a book every other week isn’t that bad when one considers the national average [31% of Canadians didn't read a single book in 2007 ^ƒ], but there were many times throughout the year where instead of picking up a novel for an hour, I wasted the time on my computer or in front of the TV. This is a pattern that does not sit well with me, and the aim of this project is not to read to meet a goal, but to bring my priorities back in line. Already, I’ve experienced much more enjoyment in the hours spent in front of the fireplace with a cup of tea and a book than I would have found with my previous diversions.

The goal for 2009 is to read at least 52 books. The vast majority will be fiction, and I’m going to stick with the advice that as a writer of contemporary fiction, I try to read a 4:1 ratio of contemporary to classic. I’m going to try to throw in a few Canadian authors now and then, but my main concern is reading authors that speak to my own personal writing style.

Rather than post the list at the end of the year, here is the latest iteration:
Dec 31st: The year is up, and here is the final list. As you can see, I fell 6 books short, but that’s still 20 more titles than I read last year. Some were brilliant, some were trash, but I consider all of them as time better spent than watching TV.

1. A Paris Moment, Gordon Cope, 2005 (215p) Non-Fiction
2. A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess, 1962 (175p)
3. Wonder Boys, Michael Chabon, 1995 (368p)
4. Rosshalde, Herman Hesse, 1914 (199p)
5. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis, 1991 (399p)
6. Ghostwritten, David Mitchell, 1999 (436p)
7. Still Life With Woodpecker, Tom Robbins, 1980 (277p)
8. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer, 2005 (368p)
9. jPod, Douglas Coupland, 2006 (516p)
10. The Englishman’s Boy, Guy Vanderhaeghe, 1934 (333p)
11. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925 (180p)
12. Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1934 (349p)
13. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz, 2007 (352p)
14. The Rules Of Attraction, Bret Easton Ellis, 1987 (288p)
15. A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole, 1980 (405p)
16. number9dream, David Mitchell, 2001 (418p)
17. Survivor, Chuck Palahniuk, 1999 (289p)
18. The Tin Drum, Günter Grass, 1959 (739p)
19. Haunted, Chuck Palahniuk, 2005 (411p)
20. Neuromancer, William Gibson, 1984 (271p)
21. Of Love And Other Demons, Gabriel García Márquez, 1994 (147p)
22. Blow-Up, and Other Stories, Julio Cortázar, 1967 (277p)
23. St. Urbain’s Horesman, Mordechai Richler, 1971 (490p)
24. Phantom, Terry Goodkind, 2006 (673p)
25. The Magus, John Fowles, 1965 (668p)
26. Black Swan Green, David Mitchell, 2006 (293p)
27. Mona Lisa Overdrive, William Gibson, 1988 (251p)
28. You Shall Know Our Velocity!, David Eggers, 2003 (416p)
29. The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga, 2008 (276p)
30. The Origin of Species, Nino Ricci, 2009 (496p)
31. The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, Michael Chabon, 2007 (411p)
32. Gentlemen of the Road, Michael Chabon, 2007 (204p)
33. Crabwalk, Günter Grass, 2002 (240p)
34. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Michael Chabon, 1988 (297p)
35. The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown, 2009 (528p)
36. Finnie Walsh, Stephen Galloway, 2000 (208p)
37. Blue Boy, Rakesh Satyal, 2009 (268p)
38. The Flying Troutmans, Miriam Toews, 2008 (288p)
39. House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski, 2000 (656p)
40. Atmospheric Disturbances, Rivka Galchen, 2008 (240p)
41. Galore, Michael Crummy, 2009 (333p)
42. Jarhead, Anthony Swofford, 2003 (363p)
43. Little Brother, Cory Doctorow, 2009 (384p)
44. Makers, Cory Doctorow, 2009 (416p)
45. Women, Charles Bukowski, 1978 (291p)
46. Confessor, Terry Goodkind, 2008 (608p)

ƒ Ispos Reid