. . . And a Happy New Year
Library updates:
All I wanted to do to close out the year was finish a book. Specifically, I wanted to finish P. D. James’ Shroud for a Nightingale. It’s not an overly long book, or one that’s particularly arduous to get through, but it was taking me weeks to get to the finish line. (Approximately five weeks, according to Goodreads.)
And you know what? My New Year’s wish came true!
Sorry to pull a fast one on you, but, surprise! Here’s the real start of this week’s rundown:
Currently reading:
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
Books finished this week: 1
Festive AND frightening!
★★★★☆
Where this book came from: Purchased from Barnes & Noble back in February 2022.
Why this book: I was overcome with a need to read all of the Dagliesh novels in order, but I was missing a few (including Shroud for a Nightingale). So I rectified that.
Thoughts: This is a strange one for me. As I wrote a few weeks back, I ended up watching the Shroud episodes of Dalgliesh, which I think was ultimately a mistake. The show is fine, but watching it play out kind of killed any reading momentum I’d built up. I didn’t mind finding out who did it and how——I honestly kind of forgot by the time I finally finished the book——but watching it just made me less enthusiastic about the book, somehow. Still, I will never not recommend reading P. D. James, just anything you can get your hands on. Once you sink into her story, you’re stuck.
Anyhow, back to Library updates.
A new year doesn’t mark the end of the Moratorium Library. Much like any other birthday or anniversary, dates that fall on a specific day each year, so the Library isn’t tied to the end of one year and the start of another. You’ll probably get some kind of monster write-up on the one-year anniversary in May. (Spoiler alert: I’m going to feel very guilty about how many books I bought and how few I actually read.)
But it still feels like a time for reflection! First, I’ve updated the list of completed books from the Moratorium Library, which includes links to the missives where each book was covered. I read forty-five books total in 2022, surpassing my goal of forty books. Most of those were from the Library and some were for freelance work, especially in the second half of the year. Of the twenty-two books I read from the Library this year, I think my top three recommendations have to be Americanah, Who Is Maud Dixon?, and Patricia Wants to Cuddle. But my top rec from the calendar year is undoubtedly P. D. James’ first Dalgliesh novel, Cover Her Face——I read it back in February and it blew me away.
Since I started keeping track back in May for the Moratorium Library, I have purchased thirty-seven books. (I’m working on it.)
There have been years where I’ve read better, meaning either I read more or I felt like I enjoyed the books I read more. A few years ago, especially when I had a much longer commute, I got a lot more reading done, so I’ve learned to set my goals lower and be proud of myself for reading any number of books. But I do hope to dig into some books that bring me more genuine joy in 2023. I didn’t (really) hate any of the books I read this year. But one of the struggles of the Library is that it’s hard to read by feel, and I think that’s what I need. I have to become obsessed with a topic and devour all the books I can about it. I have to find myself drawn back to comics and finish an arc in one sitting. I have to read a good review of something that sounds like it’s right up my alley and order it immediately. Most of the Library books are on my shelves because I felt that way about them at some point. I don’t think I missed the window to enjoy them; I just need to find that feeling again when choosing my next reads.
I’m typing this up in the early evening of December 31, 2022. I want to take some time to ponder my goals for 2023, so I’ll probably work on those in my own time and keep them to myself. But I do have a few resolutions for the Library:
I will buy fewer books in 2023 than I did in 2022.
I will read more books from my shelves.
I will keep writing and posting the weekly missives.
I’d like to grow my subscriber list. (Shameless plug: You can sign up for the weekly newsletter below, or via this Google form.)
I would also like to finish my NaNoWriMo 2022 project, edit it, and make it available online somewhere in the first few months of the new year. (That’s not really related to the Library, but that’s one personal goal I don’t mind sharing with you all.)
I will make the time to read, and I will enjoy it.
Closing thoughts:
Wherever you are right now, however you’re starting 2023, I cannot wait to see what we all do this year.
