Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Things On My Bookish Bucket List


Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. You can find upcoming topics at their Top Ten Tuesday page.


1. Complete the 2 challenge lists I have posted on my blog

I would really like to finish the Rory Gilmore Book List and The Classics Club List. The Classics Club has a completion deadline of March 10, 2017. I think I'll be happy if I have read at least 2/3 of the list by then, and then I can start a new classics club challenge (the challenge is to read at least fifty classics within 5 years). I'd like to keep up with this challenge for a couple decades at least, and complete 3-4 lists. The Rory Gilmore Book List has no deadline, but it'd be nice if I could read at least 15-20 books off the list each year.

2. Read all the books I own

I really don't think this will ever happen since my home library is constantly growing. I culled my collection recently and donated 5 bags full of books to my library for their Spring Book Sale, but there are still about 150 books I own that I haven't read yet (no exaggeration).

3. Finish Moby Dick

Technically, this could be included in #1 and #2 on this list since it is a book I own and it's on both challenge lists, but I've been reading this epic since last Summer. I'm really enjoying it, but it's not one of those books I can read straight through, so I'll read a few chapters and then set it down to read other books and will pick MD back up again at random times to read a few more chapters. I really hope to finish it by this Summer. It makes a great beach read, and I'll be going to the beach in April and July, so I should make a good dent in it during those times.

4. Read more Award Winners (Pulitzer, Newberry, ect)

Despite how many classics and "literary fiction" novels I've read, I never really seem to pick up the ones that won special awards. I'd like to be able to go down the list for 5 or so major book awards and be able to check off at least half the books on each list and mark them as "read". As it is, I can check off about 5-10 books as "read" from those lists. I'm not happy with those numbers.

5. Attend a large book festival/convention

I have never attended BEA but have always wanted to go. I'd be happy attending any kind of big book festival like that though. I think I heard about one that takes place in Key West every year that sounded amazing. It'd be awesome if I could make plans to attend an out-of-state book convention every couple of years.

6. Collect all the Oxford World's Classics Hardcovers

This is my favorite edition for classics! The books are miniature (6" x 4") and have really nice, pastel-colored covers. I already own about half of the editions. I also really love the Penguin Deluxe Editions (they all have the most amazing, artistic covers!), and I just recently made it a resolution of mine to buy those editions for most of the other classics I'd like to own (that aren't available in the Oxford edition).

                           
                                                   
                                                           







7. Keep a reading journal

Basically, I just want to start jotting down ideas and/or write some reflective sentences for each book I read, so that I have something I can look back on and refer to when I'm trying to remember my thoughts on books I'd read a while ago. I enjoy reading through my past reviews on occassion.                      

8. Write my own book

I've always wanted to write a fiction novel. I have more experience with nonfiction writing (and I'd really love to get a writing job one day, for a magazine/newspaper or even something like a technical writer), but I want to practice my fiction writing more. I don't just want to focus on general fiction, though. I also want to write poetry, plays, ect.