A Bold Reader: Week 52.

This was my final week of the A Bold Reader series. I think I have become more confident as a reader. My goal was to read 50 books. I read 50 and increased my goal to 60. I read a total of 61! Compared to last year's 20-something read list, that is pretty amazing.

I'll still be ambitious with books, but I'm going to add reading updates to my weekly word-of-the-year posts instead of having two recurring weekly posts.

I didn't finish any books this past week, but I did make progress. Bruce and I will finish Acceptance soon, and he's already ordered copies of our next book. I like having that extra motivation.

It's time for me to set my GoodReads goal--50 books--which I hope to surpass. What is your goal?

A Bold Reader: Week 50

This past week, I finished Red Trousseau. I began Firstborn, maybe my third Louise Gluck reading experience.

So I've reached my extra goal: 60 books this year! This hasn't been my best reading year because I didn't stay on track with the Bible or with my fall focus.

I missed a couple of poetry baths. I've been dealing with a lot of anxiety, so if I can read and retain, I'm pretty excited. Words still move and change lines, but I do what I can.

I gathered all the Christmas-themed magazines I could find on my shelves. I'm trying for some spirit. After I finish a magazine (with rare exceptions), I let Oliver tear it up. Right now, Oliver only wants books so that he can tear them apart, even his favorites. So influencing him to love reading is not easy.

Josh just finished reading all of Kay's books. I still miss her. My heart drops a little each time I remember that she is gone. But we still have her books.

A Bold Reader: Week 49.

I finished Bad Motel, a collection of 100-word stories. I'm only one week away from my extra goal (60 books). I came quite close to finishing Red Trousseau, poems by Carol Muske-Dukes. I'll certainly finish it this week. And what's next?

Bruce and I will finish Acceptance soon. A little of the mystery is unspooling.

I have two failures to deal with. I have almost no chance of finishing the Bible this year (and I have no good reason), and I've done almost nothing with my fall focus (memoirs, dairies, creative non-fiction). Well. I still have a few weeks to make progress.

Using Amazon points, I bought Best Small Fictions 2018, available only in print so far. I'm going to keep digging for stories, especially super-short ones. I hope stories will then bubble to the surface of me. I try to keep nourishing and challenging my mind--perhaps the most important tasks for a person's self-care.

A Bold Reader: Week 48.

Bruce and I finished Authority this past week. Weird! I wonder how much the final book in the trilogy will reveal or explain. We started it--Acceptance--so we're going to find out! We've already chosen our next book, which will be quite different.

I'm quite close to finishing Bad Motel. I read more than a dozen of those tiny stories (more than one per day!). They strike me as so brave. I've written flash fiction--but 100 words? Dang.

I went through six magazines this past week, most of them old Christmas issues to get me in the spirit. My main motivation was, of course, Oliver--he's always looking for something new to shred. But I thoroughly enjoyed the magazines before handing them over.

I have two Christmas issues of Bella Grace, which I plan to keep. It's a beautiful magazine, and I always check for the next issue at Barnes. It's expensive, but it's a thick quarterly--worth it!

I'm ever so behind on my Bible, and I don't even know why. But I'm working at it. I'll finish it, even if not by New Year's Eve. Still, I'm pushing myself. I'll read less of other books. I'll be bolder.

58 books this year! Reaching my extra goal of 60 will be no problem. My total is 645 books. I hope I can reach a total of 1,000 books by the time I turn 40.

A Bold Reader: Week 47.

This past week, I almost finished Authority, the second book of the sci-fi trilogy Bruce and I have been reading. I should finish it today.

I finished reading Best Small Fictions 2016, the third in the series of tiny stories I've read. I look forward to more. I've read them on my phone, and BSF18 is only in print right now, so we'll see. I began reading Bad Motel, a volume of 100-word stories. Tiny fiction fascinates me. I also caught up on reading a story for each day.

I fell behind on reading poetry. I didn't bring any on our trip to visit Mom & co. But I'll pick it back up.  Having silent baths was kind of nice.

I've read 29 books of poetry this year. Eventually, I'm hoping that reading all those poems will knock loose a few that are trapped in my head. I miss being a poet.

A Bold Reader: Week 46.

So I've reached 56 books. I should be able to read to my extra goal of 60 books this year. The weeks are rapidly passing.

This past week, I finished Best New Poets 2008. I bought the book when it was new and only just now took the time to read it. I don't know if the series even exists anymore. But I finally read the book!

I replaced it with poet Kim Dower's Air Kissing on Mars, which, I think, it my third KD book.

I love slim volumes of poetry, but I also like anthologies with a variety of voices, most of which I'd never read otherwise. It's like a multi-vitamin for the mind and soul.

I often think poetry is soul-speak. It's a language in which I try to become fluent, and enough dialects exist to keep me learning all my life.

A Bold Reader: Week 44.

This past Sunday, I finished House of Light by Mary Oliver. Her poems are soothing in an Billy-Collins way yet more complex. I've now read three of her books, and I have two waiting. I love finding new (to me) poetry.

I've been trying to read five days' worth of the Bible every day, so I can catch up. Reading around Oliver isn't easy. But I got through Psalms, Proverbs, and Song of Solomon this past week. I don't know why I got so behind.

I have found myself procrastinating with some of my reading. I was so excited about getting Francesca Lia Block's book on writing, Necklace of Thorns, but it came inviting, and I haven't opened the book. Why? I also cut it close with Tiny Book Club books. I guess something, reading or otherwise, always seems more urgent. I should be past that.

I read some of Small Fictions 2016 while I waited for Oliver to fall asleep. I've really come to appreciate books on my phone. I've been reading at least one story for each day.

A Bold Reader: Week 43.

I've read 53 books this year! This past week, I finished Native Guard. I asked Josh if he wanted to read it, and he did so all in one sitting! I envy his talent for reading. I'll look for more Natasha Tretheway. I began c. b. eady's Twenty Days and Nights: Poems from an Ordinary Life.

Bruce and I are in Part 2 of Authority, and we're liking it. The style differs from Annihilation. The current protagonist is more open.

I'm not doing well at all with my fall focus. I have under two months. I'll manage. Lena Dunham, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Michael Crawford are my priorities. I'm halfway through Mark Vonnegut's Just Like Someone without Mental Illness Only More So, so that will count.

I'm still trying to read a short story for each day. I'm about halfway through Best Small Fictions 2016, so I'm making progress.

A Bold Reader: Week 42.

This past week, Bruce and I finished Annihilation. It was strange and intriguing. We decided to read Authority, the second book in the Southern Reach Trilogy. I'm glad to be reading some science fiction.

I felt the need to be about books, so Josh took me to Barnes. He ordered a caramel macchiato for me, and he stayed with me. I saw many new journals, but none was irresistible.

But I did find a young adult version of Bella Grace (probably my favorite magazine). Those are the only magazines I buy, knowing how many magazines I already have. What is so special about magazines? For Mom's birthday, I gave her four or five magazines, which felt insufficient, but she loved it! That's a good birthday tradition. We encourage each other to read. I convinced her to join GoodReads, so each can see what the other is reading.

E-books are convenient, but we want to make sure that Oliver sees us reading and doesn't think we're just playing on our phones. I also just want to fuel my love of reading and my sense of the magic of books.

A Bold Reader: Week 41.

I haven't been a very bold reader this past week. I didn't finish any books. But I'm still happy that I met my annual goal.

I do plan to read many books before the year ends. Bruce and I are still reading Annihilation, and I love it! We may end up reading the two other books in the trilogy.

I'm trying to continue reading one short story per day. I think a literary diet full of stories is good for me, and with a short stories, I can open new worlds in a couple of pages.

I'm continuing to read House of Light, Native Guard, and Best New Poets 2008. I still read aloud in the bathtub.

I've also gone back to 'Salem's Lot, and it's pulling me in.

I must learn to focus on reading, to devote a chunk of time (and the empty minutes) to it. To avoid distractions such as E-mail. To lose track of time in books. To dive deeply into the books that await me. To be the reader I were I were.

A Bold Reader: Week 40.

One of my 40 before 40 goals is to bring my lifetime reading to 1,000 books. I'm at 639 right now. I have a long way to go. Maybe my goal next year can be 60 books, or maybe I'll make the goal 50 again and just surpass it.

This has not been a great week for accomplishments. My to-do wish list shows that. I hardly wrote at all this last week. But I have read a little poetry, and Bruce and I finished The Boy on the Bridge! The book was great, and I'm excited to read The Girl with All the Gifts, which is set in the same world. I've now read 51 books this year! I wonder how far I'll get.

At my brother's recommendation, Bruce and I began reading Annihilation, which is part of the basis for the movie of the same name and the first book of the Southern Reach trilogy. I hope we will want to read the whole series. This will be book #16 of our tiny book club. I've enjoy the boost and the bond.

So many books are appealing to me right now. I have to create or seize more reading time.

A Bold Reader: Week 39.

This past week, I reached my annual reading goal. 50 books! With 3 months to spare! I plan to keep up with my seasonal focus (memoirs and diaries for fall!) and get back to reading the Bible. I finished Descent and Wedding in Hell. I've read all of Kay's collections now. I still miss her.

The year is 3/4 finished. I feel that I've been a bold reader. I've stuffed myself with poetry, some accessible and some challenging. 23 books of poetry! I've enjoyed short stories, especially flash fiction. I hope to write some of my onw before the year ends. I reading Native Guard by Natasha Tretheway and House of Light by Mary Oliver. I intend to read a lot of Mary Oliver.

I can identify well with the title Reader now. After reading so much less (about half) last year, I feel victorious.

I've been working on sustained reading. I often get distracted while I'm reading, sometimes just by my thoughts. But I've started to reexperience reading in a flow state. It's one of the best feelings I know.

A Bold Reader: Week 38.

This past week, I finished Best Small Fictions 2015. Now, I only have BSF16. I hope '18 comes soon. I love flash fiction more and more.

This summer, I read 104 short (and short-short) stories. I feel I honored my short story summer focus.

Fall began: the focus is diaries and memoirs, which I may open up to creative non-fiction. I began reading Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham. I binge watched her series, Girls, which is inappropriate for all audiences. This is going to be quite a read!

I've continued reading Boy on the Bridge with Bruce.

I got to 48 books for the year last week. What will I read in the remaining months? Anything! Maybe fairy tales. Maybe more about ancient Egypt. Maybe horror.Maybe Brontes and Austen. Maybe books that have long been on my guilt list.

In any case, I will keep reading. Who knows how far I'll go?

A Bold Reader: Week 37.

This past week, Bruce and I finished The Midnight Disease. It was interesting, and I learned a little about neurobiology. Bruce and I have now read 13 books together!

We also started a new book together: The Boy on the Bridge. It has grabbed my attention. We'll probably read the book quickly. It's set in the same world as The Girl with All the Gifts, which I'll probably read eventually.

I'm still reading poems by Charles Simic and Kay. I've added Best New Poets 2008.

I have begun so many books. I have a lot of catching up to do. Every book I finish boosts my confidence as a reader.

I'm 94% done with my annual reading goal: 47 of 50 books! I'll be able to go beyond the goal and maybe make time for some challenging readers.

A Bold Reader: Week 36.

Most of my reading this past week focused on poetry. I have three books of poetry by the tub, and I read at least one poem from each book while I'm taking a bath. I read extra poems this past week, and I read some aloud to Josh.

I'm still reading Kay's final book, Descent, and Charles Simic's Wedding in Hell (one of his other books is in my favorite books cabinet). I finished reading Billy Collin's Horoscope for the Dead. Collins is highly accessible and often soothing. If one is new to contemporary poetry, Collins is a good place to start.

I did not finish Midnight Disease. But Bruce didn't either. The week, however, we will triumph.

I've read 100 stories this summer! And I plan to add more before the summer ends. Maybe the churning of all those stories will turn into something eventually.

I'm also 92% of the way through my GoodReads annual challenge. My goal was to read 50 books this year. I've read 46! But I'll just keep pushing; I have my goal to reach a read total of 1,000 books by my 40th birthday!

A Bold Reader: Week 35.

This past week, I finished Kay's book Black Shawl. Reading her work has been a way to grieve--something I don't do very well. I began her final book, Descent. I may also read some of the anthologies that feature her work. I miss knowing she's in the world.

Bruce and I will (will!) finish The Midnight Disease this coming week. I hope I'm learning and retaining some of it.

One day this past week, I began Paris for One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes. It looked like a nice, light read. This first story is more like a novella, but I kept still and read 70 pages at once! I struggle with focus, so this was exciting.

I've read 90 short stories (many of them quite short I'll admit) this summer--almost one for every summer day. I'm going to push for 100!

A Bold Reader: Week 34.

I didn't finish a book this past week. But I did read a lot of poetry and a lot of Midnight Disease. I also read eleven short stories. I've started Best Small Fictions 2015. I feel my reader's block starting to lift a bit. I feel foolish and abandoned if I go a day without significant reading. I can't be a bold reader if I'm not a reader at all. I did get back to my Bible a little this past week. I'm going to try focusing this way

• Monday: Bible
• Tuesday: Tiny book club pick
• Wednesday: Seasonal focus
• Thursday: Bible
• Friday: Learning
• Weekends: Open or catch up

As with my seasonal reading focus, I can read anything on these days. The goal is just to focus and accomplish something from the day's corresponding vein.

Books surround me, and I embrace them.

A Bold Reader: Week 32.

I spent some extra time with Standing Water by Eleanor Chai and finished it. I'm replacing it with Wedding in Hell, poems by Charles Simic. With all my reading trouble, I've stayed in a pretty good habit of reading poetry. It's just part of my night. And I think my reading aloud ability must be improving.

I've been working on The Unreal and the Real alongside Bruce. Several books await my resumed attention. I'm still deciding which volume of stories I'll tackle next. Alice Munro, Kelly Link, Jojo Moyes, and Neil Gaiman are on the list. I'll probably also try another E-book edition of Best Small Fictions. Those tiny tales are surprisingly satisfying, especially when I read a batch at once.

I only have about a month left for my short story summer, which was my first season focus before I named the other seasons. I've read 65 stories so far! I'll finish short story summer and go right into fall memoirs and diaries. I like working with a focus.

A Bold Reader: Week 31.

I finished Susan Ludvigson's New and Selected Poems. I'd been reading it poem by poem for a couple of months. I love the quiet revelations of her poems. I came across her when I was in grad school.

Next, I'm going to read Kay's Black Shawl. The idea of writing a book of poetry from one character's perspective intrigues me. I'm also reading Eleanor Chai's Standing Water and Horoscopes for the Dead by Billy Collins.

Bruce and I may finish The Unreal and the Read this coming week! We have two books in the queue for our tiny book club.

My brother sent me a manga book, which I intend to read. That will be new for me!

I want to replace idle moments with reading. According to GoodReads, I've read 630 books. Can I reach my goal of 1,000 total books by my 40th birthday? I'm certainly going to try.

A Bold Reader: Week 30.

This past week was a big win! I finished three books! It just works out that way sometimes.

I finished Slice of Moon by Kim Dower. She's a new favorite; I found inexpensive copies of some of her other books. I finished Best Small Fictions 2017, which was awesome. 50+ pieces of flash fiction! That brought me far along with my goal to read one short story a day for the summer. I'll probably read another volume. And I finished Wildwood Flower by Kay (Kathryn Stripling Byer). I only have two more of her books to read. The remembering that she is gone is hard.

So I began Standing Water by Eleanor Chai. I don't remember how I got this book of poems. And I've started Billy Collins's Horoscopes for the Dead, which I plucked from Josh's office shelf. Billy Collins is almost always soothing to me, and I haven't read anything of his in a long time.

Bruce and I only have nine stories left in The Unreal and the Real by Ursula K. Le Guin. Just a handful!

I'm thinking about reading an Alice Munro story collection next--I think I've only read two. I'll surround myself with books this week.