In my spare time

So, this week is a "what am I reading" week, or what I've been reading, or what I'll be reading soon.

I just finished The Wide-Awake Princess, by E.D. Baker. This is the author that, based on the book jacket, wrote the book that inspired Disney's The Frog Princess. Anyway, I really like the plot twist on this story, which is a version of Sleeping Beauty. I did feel like it was really weird to have this young woman (teenager, it seems) talking about being interested in a man, especially in a youth book, but I don't know how else you would say it. And, I am an adult, while the book was written for children, say 9-12, so I can't really judge. I don't remember if something like that would stand out to a young reader.

Now I am reading Keeping the Castle, by Patrice Kindl. I'm only on chapter 5, but so far, it really is just what the reviews claim it is, a cross between I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and Jane Austen (take your pick). I'm enjoying it.

I'm also in the midst of The Phone Book, by Ammon Shea. It's random, and it sounds absolutely tedious, but it is really quite interesting. Shea's writing style is entertaining and not heavy at all. Lots of little bits of trivia and random stories.

Up on the docket is Wait: The Art and Science of Delay by Frank Partnoy. This was recommended by my sister, and I haven't started it yet, but I'm excited about it.

So, those are a few things I'm reading at present. I've been listening to a few others, some Agatha Christie and more Thursday Next novels. So, staying busy on the reading front.

On the docket

Well, it's the time of year when everyone is planning for the next 12 months and I've been looking over my list of things to read trying to pick out which ones are highest on my to-read list. Of course, this is all relative because in about 5 minutes, I'll stumble across some new intriguing book that I'm just dying to read even though I've never heard of it before and so my whole list will get rearranged. That being said, here are some of the books I'm eyeballing for the 2013 Reading List:

Princess of the Silver Woods, Jessica Day George
Wednesdays in the Tower, Jessica Day George
Travels with Charley or some other Steinbeck book, just to give him a try
Dark Lord: The Early Years, Jamie Thomson
84 Charing Cross Road, Helene Hanff (I just watched the movie, it was really enjoyable)
The Once and Future King, TH White
The End of Your Life Book Club, Will Schwalbe
Wait: The Art and Science of Delay, Frank Partnoy
George, Nicholas and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I, by Miranda Carter

I also want to read some more books by Aline, Countess of Romanones. I plan to finish the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde, and I imagine there will be some Terry Pratchett in the mix. I also want to read The Hobbit in Spanish, which would technically be El Hobbit.  So, there are some good things on the horizon and there is a lot of reading to do in the coming months. Always good to keep busy!

2012 Reading Highlights

Well, it's that time of the year when there is pretty much no year left, so we review everything that has happened since the last time there was pretty much no year left over. That lovely time when we say, "Oh, yeah! I remember that! Was that really this year?" My time flies.

In that spirit, I figured I'd make my contribution to the numerous looking-back lists that will inevitably bombard the internet. Here it is, some of my favorite reads of 2012, in no particular order:

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George (fantastic author, by the by!)
Press Here by Herve Tullet
Receiving Answers to Our Prayers by Gene R. Cook 
The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
As Far As You Can Go Without A Passport by Tom Bodett
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Princess Ben by Katherine Gilbert Murdock

What was on your list this year? And what do you plan to read next year?