There’s nothing like a year-end post in the middle of January. Also: books I read in 2013.
Here are the books I read in 2013. Read 'em and weep with me. There weren't nearly enough of them.
So that’s why I’m doing my end-of-2013 post now. In the middle of January. Because there’s nothing like it. NOTHING. And you can’t convince me otherwise. So don’t even try.
Sorry. I’m having a health-crappy 2014 so far, and it’s making me combative. When I have the energy to get combative, anyway. Which isn’t often, so yay! But boo, this seems to be one of those times. I’m sure you can handle it, though, you thick-skinned things, you.
Anyway, my end-of-2013 post concerns mostly the books I read in 2013 and why there were so few of them. So here ya go:
Books I Read in 2013 — With Little *s to Mark the Ones I Enjoyed Most
1. The Cloud Roads (Books of the Raksura, #1) by Martha Wells*
2. Scalzi Super Bundle from Subterranean Press, by John Scalzi (The God Engines, The Tale of the Wicked, The Sagan Diary, How I Proposed to My Wife: An Alien Sex Story, Questions for a Soldier, You’re Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to a Coffee Shop)*
3. Sit, Walk, Stand by Watchman Nee
4. Revolutionary Parenting by George Barna*
5. The Vampire from Hell (Part 1) — The Beginning by Ally Thomas
6. The Girl from Tenerife by Bernard Schaffer*
7. Carnival of Cryptids: An Anthology of Strange and Mysterious Creatures edited by Laurie Laliberte and Bernard Schaffer
8. Passion, Power & Sin — Book 1 by Mike Wells
9. The Final Winter by Iain Robb Wright
10. The Walking Dead, Vol. 13: Too Far Gone by Robert Kirkman
11. The Walking Dead, Vol. 14: No Way Out by Robert Kirkman*
12. The Walking Dead, Vol. 15: We Find Ourselves by Robert Kirkman
13. Tiny Dragons 1: The Sky Dragons by Bernard Schaffer
14. Ava Delaney #1: Thirst by Claire Farrell*
Just because I didn’t give something a * doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. But the *ed ones were extra fun for various reasons that include well-flowing style, good characterization, attention-grabbing (and -keeping) characters, and excellent world-building.
So, those were my reads for 2013.
Why There Were So Few of Them
Exhaustion. Busyness. The occasional touch of depression. Exhaustion. The “need” to numb my brain via someone-is-wrong-on-the-internet type of internet stuff (which “need” is a surefire symptom of burgeoning depression in Yours Writerly). Exhaustion. Busyness. And did I mention exhaustion?
I have a now-16-month-old. This should explain most of my 2013.
I’m not blaming her, and I don’t resent her for my lack of focus on readerly and writerly pursuits. In this season of my life, I have to make sacrifices. I know, I know, I shouldn’t sacrifice what makes me me, because if I don’t take time to recharge, I won’t be the kind of mother she needs me to be. I get that.
And I live by it as much as I can. But when the baby only naps for 45 minutes in an entire day (this happens frequently), one arrives at the end of the day with two choices: read or sleep. And in order to retain one’s sanity, one chooses sleep. This, as far as I can tell, is an Immutable Law of Nature, the breaking of which results in black holes in my brain.
Plus, I’ve also been having some bad neurocardiogenic syncope symptoms. They’ve been quite troubling lately, and I’ll blog more on them in the near future. But I suspect they’ve been bothering me a lot longer than I originally thought, and that this is part of the reason for The Great Exhaustion of 2013. But, as I said, more on that in a future post.
2013. Tired. Not enough books read. Certainly nothing near my 2012 total of 55, or even my “dismal” 2011 total of 42. Hey, at least in 2011 I had life, the universe, and everything going for me. That’s saying something.
But enough rambling. I’m already off to a good start in 2014. January isn’t over yet, and I’ve already finished five books and have started on my sixth. That’s nearly half of 2013’s total in the first month of 2014. Statistically speaking, I’m on a rockin’ roll.
Let’s see what the rest of the year brings.
Courtney I appreciate your reflection here. After raising 2 girls of my own I know what you mean. On the bright side, I learned more about biology and psychology during their infancy and toddlerhood than in all my years of science studies at college and grad school! Best wishes for an inspiring and healthier 2014.
Thanks so much, Jennifer. I appreciate your taking the time to stop by, read, and encourage. That means a lot to me. And indeed, I, too, have learned more about human biology and psychology over the last 16 months than I ever did in college! It’s easy to forget that in addition to everything else, I’m getting an education, here. ; ) That’s no small thing!
It’s good to hear that my experience is one that other mothers share and have shared. Thank you for letting me know I’m not alone.