Ever since I saw Flannery’s 110+ Books I Have Every Intention of Reading Next post I’ve been mentally making lists of books I want to read relatively soon (like in the next year) and books I want to read sometime, maybe in the next few years. The lists are pretty short for now (thankfully!) because I’m only adding titles that have been languishing on the TBR for a long period of time and that have not lost their allure by time or a negative review. Of course these don’t include all the highly anticipated releases by debut or fan authors coming out this year or any other books that will undoubtedly come up. Please feel free to recommend any titles I should be adding, or for example, which Virginia Woolf I should read because I haven’t settled on a title myself yet.
Books I Want to Read in 2012:
The Blue Sword
Mystic and Rider
Seeing Me Naked
A Lifetime Burning
Ilona Andrews short stories
The Help
More Sarah Addison Allen
Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer
by Laini Taylor
Books I Really Want to Read Sometime:
Middlemarch
Peace Like a River
Bel Canto
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice
Something by Cormac McCarthy
Something by Virginia Woolf
What I Was
Sunshine
Noughts And Crosses
A Little Wanting Song
More Sharon Shinn
Not too bad, eh? I have a goal to read eight books a month this year (which I met last month), so I feel like its doable. I’m not sure if I’m feeling more stress than a sense of accomplishment at this point but for now I will carry on.
YES! I’m so happy you made some lists for me to peruse. The funny thing about reading other people’s lists is that I automatically have positive, motivating feelings for the listmaker and for me and my own list. I thought Seeing Me Naked was well-done chick-lit and A Little Wanting Song is great. One of my sisters just flew through the book of The Help in one day–but the audiobook of that one is AWESOME if you are into audiobooks.
I never knew Laini Taylor had any books besides Smoke & Bone and Lips Touch. I’ll have to investigate that more. Good luck with your lists, Holly!
Aww, thank you for the luck and the uplifting feelings! I need them.
I was tempted to make my own list after I saw Flannery’s! Maybe I’ll do that one of these days. I agree with all of your choices for 2012 because I’ve read all of them except for A Lifetime Burning and The Help (although I gave the latter as a gift to my mom and she liked it).
aw, Seeing Me Naked is great! And Bel Canto and Peace Like a River were on my lists of books to read in a certain year, I made every year. Both were well worth it!
So good to know! I can’t wait to get to them now.
The only Cormac McCarthy book I’ve read is Road. It was OK and at the very least, a fast read. Sunshine and The Blue Sword are definitely worth getting to asap.
Fast reads are good.
I know, I must read more Robin McKinley stat.
I too love making lists! It’s kind of a blast to sort through possibilities and then come up with what you’ll read next and commit to it.
Robin McKinley is fantastic. I think The Blue Sword should be your next read because it’s amazing.
I love making lists – perhaps more than crossing off items on a list.
I like to make goals, too. Conservative ones though. Looks like I’ll have to read The Blue Sword pronto – so many recs for it on this thread.
You know how I feel about THE BLUE SWORD and MYSTIC AND RIDER.
As for McCarthy, I loved ALL THE PRETTY HORSES. And my favorite Woolf is probably TO THE LIGHTHOUSE and A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN.
Yes! That’s one of the main reasons I urgently need to read them. Ah, that’s good to know about All the Pretty Horses. That was the particular title I wanted to try. As for Woolf, I’ve gotten a variety of first time reads/favorites. So hard to choose!
Awww, your list has reminded me how much I need to dive into Sharon Shinn’s books
I read and loved the Archangel books and have always wanted to read more *happily starts her own list*
Yay! I’ve heard great things about so many of her other novels. I’m glad this has inspired you.
This is a great idea! I’m afraid my list would get embarrassingly long, as has my TBR pile, but I like that you set the restrictions of books that have been sitting in the pile for some time. Your list (both of them) is completely attainable! I share your goal of wanting to read Laini Taylor’s series this year! I just finished The Help on audio, and highly recommend it in that format, it was wonderful. I’ve also been getting into the Kate Daniels series, and am happy to say that my library carries the anthologies that contain those shorts. I have the prequel on request atm!
I’m sad to say the only Virginia Woolf I’ve read is Mrs. Dalloway, which I did enjoy, along with Cormac McCarthy’s No Country For Old Men. The latter was very well written, and is one of my boyfriend’s favorites.
Yep, I had to make it attainable, so I kept them as short as I could.
Thank you for the Woolf/McCarthy recs. Good to know about The Help audiobook too, though I think I would have to wait for months at the library for it.
I saw those lists too and I wanted to write one myself.
High five to all list makers.
I also plan to read THE BLUE SWORD sometime this year. And also SUNSHINE, when I finally get a copy of that.
From the top of my head, the things I plan to read this year are Little Women, Sense and Sensibility, Ender’s Game, Game of Thrones, Pillars of the Earth and the last two books of The Chronicles of Narnia. 
Ooh, your list looks good. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the McKinley!