Hola!  I know, I know….it’s been quiet in these parts recently.  Sigh, I’ve got a HUGE project going on at work that’s about 3ish weeks from go live that has me all sorts of working overtime.  Add to that the fact that the holidays are looming and voila, blogging has been prioritized much lower on the scale.  I’m hoping that over the next couple of days (which I’ve taken off from work) will allow me to get a few things done and at least schedule some posts through the end of the year.

But, in anticipation of that (and to, you know, add some filler into the blog in the interim) I’m going to give y’all an update on my List of Ten experiment.  So far, I’ve been through two lists and have to say it’s been a rousing success.  I know exactly what I’m going to read, I feel no indecisiveness and I’m powering through book like a champ.  The only downfall is that I actually have loads of review books that I need to get to and with the way I have my list structured I’m really only able to get to two within every ten.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I’ve definitely diversified my reading and I’m enjoying doing so, but the fact is I have to power through some books to meet obligations.  As such, I’m going to be doing at least two special ARC/review edition editions of my List of Ten.

The caveat to this is that in the next couple of weeks the Cybils shortlist will be announced and I’ll be immediately diving into reading those awesome titles that round once judges pass on to us in round two. I’m excited to see what is selected.  So, my guess is that somewhere in the middle of this list I’ll get diverted into reading those books then bounce back here.

The first list is comprised of :

The Probability of Miracles – audio [goodreads]
Bittersweet [goodreads]
The Way We Fall [goodreads]
Irises [goodreads]
The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers [goodreads]
A Million Suns [goodreads]
Everneath [goodreads]
Never Eighteen [goodreads]
Stolen Away [goodreads]
Various Positions [goodreads]

The good news is that with the holidays and the general unpluggy-ness of the next couple of weeks I’ll hopefully get loads of reading time in!  I might run right through this list faster than expected.  YAY!  Lists…..now off to try and do some more blogging.

Guys, I’m going to be conducting an experiment over the course of the rest of the year.

Traditionally I take the period between Thanksgiving and the New Year to minimize my reading commitments in order pick up books that I’ve let fall to the wayside.  Be they backlist, new releases or genres I don’t typically jump on quickly enough I like that this time is a more flexible time to just sit back, relax and do whatever.  Having said that, this year I’m going to try out something a little different, this year I’m going adapt a method that my very good friend Andi (HOLLA to Boston!) employs.

You see, she creates a list of eight books and she reads them straight through in order.  Once complete she crafts the next list of eight.  Me, I’m going to do a list of ten — one ebook, one book from a series, one audio, two backlist (at least a year old if possible), two ARCs, two recent releases and one book I just can’t wait to read.  I average around ten books a month so this round number seems to work for me.

Most people like to have flexibility (me included) but lately I’ve found myself just standing in front of the bookshelf overwhelmed by the choices and just not “feeling” my next read.  It feels a bit off and sad because I have all these fantastic books and I can’t quite seem to gravitate to one in particular.  So now, I’ve got a plan!  I’m going to formulate the list of ten, power through them, then construct another list after and so on and so on and so on.  Honestly, I’m going to be be interested to see if I’m powering through books faster as a result of eliminating indecision.

NOW, this doesn’t mean that if I get an offer for a book as part of a tour or other promotional event I won’t slip it in, because let’s face it I can be a bit of a cheater in these cases.  I imagine myself being happy to revise a list if the need arises.   But only for the circumstance of pitches.  Other than that it stays rock solid!

I’ll be posting my list at the end of the prior list and will keep a running tab over in the right hand sidebar as well.  That way y’all can keep track of my progress with me.

Without further ado here is my first List of Ten:

A Great and Terrible Beauty – audio
Amplified – new release
Between the Sea and Sky  – ebook
Cinder – series
Dark Souls – ARC – this was a DNF holy slowness batman!
Hold Still – backlist
Hallowed – can’t wait to read
Eve – ARC
Sweetly – new release
Darkness, Be My Friend – backlist

It’s my plan to start up with my audio in the car today (if I actually leave the house at all, LOL) and will crack open Amplified as well.  Here’s to a successful experiment!