2021 Q3 & Q4 Reading Plan

As mentioned in my June/July post, I have decided to write a rough idea of the books and stories I hope to read in the second half of 2021. These include books for the Hugo Awards 2021 and Advance Reader Copies which I've received, as well as books currently on loan from the library. I'm splitting this list into four categories: Have to Read, Need to Read, and Want to Read, and then Non-Fiction.

Have to Read

These are books which have deadlines within 2021 for any reason

• Hugo Award 2021
• Book Group selections (although I don't always complete each month's book and sometimes can't participate)
• Review copies (mostly Secret Readers, but also Netgalley)

Need to Read

These are books that I've borrowed, either physically or digitally, from the library. As with the Have to group, they have due dates but unlike the above list, they can be renewed, extended, or re-borrowed later. Some books will (mentally at least) be moved from this list to Have to if I can't renew it for any reason - I do NOT want another 6 month break in a book before being able to finish it as I'm currently having with The House in the Cerulean Sea!!

Want to Read

Books which I have to hand (digitally or physically) and that I want to read, but which have no external deadlines beyond personal desire to read them. Also books which aren't in the above two categories, but which need to be finished off.

Non-Fiction

Non-fiction is harder to read as I find that I read it differently from the way I read fiction works. I make notes and generally read non-fiction much more closely and carefully, and thus it takes a LOT longer. On the other hand, it's much easier for me to pick it up and put down after a few paragraphs or a chapter. For these reasons, I'm listing NF books separately...

I am also adding here a list of "Not quite books", which is mostly related works stuff for the Hugo Awards.

Book List

Have to Read

Hugo Award 2021

Deadline: 18/19 November 2021

Official List of the 2021 Finalists

My list below is an edited version of the official list, above, based on which works are actually included in the packet; for series, I've also edited out the books which I've already read. This list is in alphabetical order by author. I have then made a reordered list of the titles in the order I (currently) plan to read them...

Categories I plan to read and vote in are:

• Best Short Story - 6 works
• Best Novella - 6 works
• Best Novelette - 6 works
• Best Novel - 4 works + 2 excerpts
• Best Series - 6 series. 
• Scalzi - 1 work
• Wells - 2 works (plus I have the 4 preceding novellas)
• Kowal - 6 shorts + 1 excerpt
• Kuang - 3 works
• Chakraborty - 3 works (1 read already)
• McGuire - 14 novels (8 read already), plus numerous shorts
• Astounding Award - if time - 3 works + 3 extracts
• Lodestar Award - if time - 4 works + 2 excerpts
• Best Related Work - if time - 4 works (1 book, 3 essays)

I currently have just short of 20 19 weeks to complete all the reading. My plan at present is to read a mixture each week. Last year I did them category by category, and struggled to finish all the categories I wanted to vote in. To avoid that, I want to read a mixture of longer and shorter works each week, if not a strict, one-of-each-per-week scenario. I have worked out a rough draft of what I intend to read each week, for a few reasons:

a) Ensuring that I am not rushing into reading them all in the same week - I do NOT want 2 weeks of 4 hours sleep again!!

b) Making sure that I factor in books with shorter deadlines (e.g. book group books, review copies)

c) Keeping series reads together (Hugo awards), across multiple weeks if necessary

d) Allowing space to buy copies of books where either only excerpts or Book 1 of a series were provided in a packet. I'll probably only do this if the series grabs me well enough that I want to place it more carefully

e) Adding more books in weeks when I'm travelling, on holiday; less on my birthday week; and putting the audiobook reviews to align with when I'm expecting to be doing more sewing and thus less able to read print.

Book Group selections

• ✔ The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - July 
• The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry - August
• ? by ? - September
• ? by ? - October
• ? by ? - November
• ? by ? - December

Review copies (+ archive date)

• A Death in the Family by Caroline Dunsford (Secret Readers)
  
• She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (Netgalley) - 22 July
• Sylvester by Georgette Heyer (Netgalley) - ?
• Cecilia by Sandra L. Rostirolla (Netgalley) - 28 July
• The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan, audiobook (Netgalley) - 31 August
• The Gatekeeper's Staff by Antoine Bandele, audiobook (Netgalley) - 4 August

Need to Read

Finishing off:

• Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorofor

Other Library books:

Unstarted library books, assuming that they are not reserved

• Blood of Elves by Sapkowski
• A Peace Divided by Tanya Huff
• The Hunt by C Neill
• Elsewhens by Melanie Rawn
• The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
• Children of Blood and Bone by T Adeyemi
• Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher
• Redemption's Blade by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I also have book 2 in the Daevabad series on loan, but since I also have the ebook via the Hugos, I'll return the hard copy so someone else can borrow it. My intention, renewals permitting, is to finish off these books in the period from Hugo submission to the end of 2021, so that I can start afresh in 2022 as far as library books certainly.

Want to Read

Finishing off:

• The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison
• Into the London Fog by Elizabeth Dearnley
• The Island of Sodor by Revd W. Awdry
• Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
• A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
• The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
• The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
• Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

On my shelves:

These are books which are staring at me plaintively, but are mine already.

• Prudence (re-read) by Gail Carriger
• Imprudence by Gail Carriger
• Competence by Gail Carriger
• Reticence by Gail Carriger
• Strange Brew (anthology)
• Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight by Aliette de Bodard

Non-Fiction

Finishing off:

• Regent's Park by Paul Rabbitts
• The Machine Breaker Convicts (MA Thesis) by Bruce W. Brown
• Belief and Unbelief in Medieval Europe by John H. Arnold

Not Quite Books List

.

June into July

How in HELL did it get to the end of June ALREADY?! Work is ramping up for me, as Summer is one of my busy times - most changes get held off until there are the least amount of students registered, which is usually the Summer Vacation period. I'm also getting ready to go on holiday at the end of July, and I cannot wait! I delayed this post a little as I wanted to have time to write and to finish off some bit over the weekend. In general, I've decided to include the first weekend of the month as part of both the previous AND current month, depending on whether I'm referring to completing or to starting a task. To clarify, that means that for things I have finished off this weekend, they count for June, but anything I start this weekend are part of July's Completed list. So the craft projects I've been working on throughout June are being completed today and tomorrow, but the book I have started today (Saturday) is being counted under July's reading list.

 

Unfortunately I was unable to get to the Re-enactors' Market this month, as although Coventry isn't too far from here, door to door the journey is a nightmare by public transport. That said, I didn't exactly have tons of cash to spend anyway, so maybe it was for the best!

Challenge for June was: "Sumer is icumen in", with a side helping of Pride Month.

Challenge for July is "Just do it!"

Forward planning:

August - Academia and Allure

September - Spooks and Secrets

Completed in June

1. Crafting
   
   Bonnet -
   

   Buckram cut out.

   Need to purchase some wire cutters to proceed further (negotiating budgets now!)

   Parasol -
   

   Frame acquired

   Geometry of pattern piece completed 

   About to cut out pattern pieces today (5th July). This is going to be a multi-month project, but that's OK!

2. Baking
   
   Oops - Christmas cake should now be done today or tomorrow (probably tomorrow because I have had 2 big panic attacks this week, so I'm pretty low on spoons). Under my current rules, however, that means it's July completion. 

3. House stuff
   

   1. More boxes moved, empties, filled, and so on.
   2. Steam cleaned the window sill and (most of) the window in landing/hallway
      Most of, because I can't reach the whole thing as it is a wide window that is above the stairs, so there reaches a point where I'm too far down the stairs to reach the window.
   3. Added decorations to the house.
   1. Floating candle arrangement on landing window over the stairs
   2. Cute owl+fake succulent on the toilet windowsill
   3. Real succulents added into some incredibly cute fox pots my husband bought me 
   4. Worked on clearing the upstairs landing. No photos though because as soon as I cleared part, it seems to get other crap covering it!
   5. Moved two inherited sewing boxes upstairs into my sewing room
   1. Box 1 belonged to my grandmother, and I have a vague memory of her saying that Grandad made it for her. It now has a permanent home underneath the part of my desk above my cutting mat as it has castors on so I can pull it in and out.
   2. Box 2, is a lovely wooden box-table thing. I've cleared out the inside, and am currently experimenting with places to put it permanently, but haven't decided where that will be yet. I've also not filled it back up - I combined the contents with existing "stock", so all my threads are together, and so on - and now I need to decide what to keep in it. I'm currently inclining towards using it for pins, needs, tape measures, and cutting things, but I'm not certain. 
   6. Cleared stairs. As with the landing, this area breeds crap, and while it IS somewhat clearer than this time last month, it's not clear per se.
   7. We've also both done bits and bobs of clearing in the kitchen and main room over the month, but still nowhere near done!

4. Reading: Books, Short stories, and Articles
   

I've done SO much better on reading this month and it feels good!

1. Frankissstein: A Love Story by Jeanette Winterson
   Book group book, listened on Audio. Narrators were brilliant. Book was... flawed. Not one I'd recommend, although I'd absolutely love to read a book by Winterson solely focussing on the historical Mary Shelley as those parts were excellent. Very confused on trans vs agender vs nonconforming, and managed to create a character who merged all three into a failure of any.
2. BBC History Magazine, May 2021
   Gradually catching up with my back issues at last!
3. Asperger's Syndrome-That Explains Everything: An Attempt to Explain Some of Everything in an Education, Social and Life Setting by Stephen Bradshaw
   Ye gods I loathed this book! It's so dated, even though it was only published in 2012/13.
4. The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn. 
   Been meaning to read this since about 2012, but never quite got around to it. Then I had a £3 off voucher for Google Play ebooks, with this being £3.99, I went for it. Then accidentally read it the same day in one sitting...
5. The American Gods Quartet by Neil Gaiman
   I read the first two books in the Quartet years ago, but I found this in my Kindle selection
   
   
6. Also finished 79% of the audiobook for The House in the Cerulean Sea. Unfortunately my loan time ran out just before finishing, and I've now got SIX MONTHS waiting list before I can finish it! *cries*

Planned for July and August

1. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (Book Group book for July)
2. A Death in the Family by Caroline Dunsford (Review copy)
   
   Finishing off:
3. Into the London Fog by Elizabeth Dearnley
4. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison
5. Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorofor
   
   Short stories and articles
6. Lithuanian National Costume in the 19th Century and in the 2nd Half of the 20th Century: Cultural Pollution and Remains of Authenticity by Egle Kumpikaite and Rimvydas Milašius in Societies 2021, 11(1):17
7. The House of Aunts by Zen Cho
8. The Perseverance of Angela's Past Life by Zen Cho
9. Chicken Chicken Bang Bang by Zen Cho

I've also bought my Hugo subscription for 2021, so I now have to read those books too. I'm going to write a separate post for my reading planning for the rest of 2021, just so I can see a) how much I WANT to read, and then b) how much of that I read vs reading something completely different!

Working on the parason - playing with geometry to create the correct size triangle for this frame

This is the sewing box inherited from my Great Aunt, now mostly emptied except for the loose parts for my parasol frame.

The sewing box inherited from my grandmother. I have vague memories of this sitting in the corner of her sitting room when I was very small... It has a lightly padded top, covered with a soft turquoise fabric, and then sides are wood covered with a wicker effect on the outside. The wicker effect is painted a golden colour. 

Draft / mockup pieces for my Regency stays. Next step is to tack these together, and then try it on for size. The draft in in a very heavy canvas I had lying around from another project years ago. It's very stiff, but I'm hoping that I may still be able to use it as a lining layer for the final project. Yes, the pieces badly needs ironing!

Buckram pieces for the regency bonnet. Next step is to wire the edges of the pieces when I find something strong enough to cut the millinery wire I have.

My new decorations. Left is the fake succulent in the owl pot, which is in the loo, and on the right is the floating candle thing I bought for the hallway window area. The mirror is helping to lighten the space in the dreary rain we're currently having! Below them is one of my fox pots with real succulents in it. 

July Plans

Since I am not planning to do an update for the end of July, due to being on holiday, here are my plans for the next two months. I also fully intend to blur the two months together to have both Challenges running simultaneously.

Crafting

Challenge inspirations: ~Just Do IT! and Academia and Allure

July:

The aim with the July challenge is to push ourselves out of our comfort zone a little. Not necessarily doing something we'd never do, more a challenge to try that thing you want to, but were afraid of. Here's my thoughts of things I want to do but haven't had the nerve so far

1. Underwear - cording on my Regency corset
2. Crochet - complete one of the kits I bought last year from Aldi 
   
3. Or more accurately 2a. Shelter are doing a 30 day crochet challenge, which I may join in.
4. Actually finish the bloody fox toy I started sewing up last summer!
5. Petticoat for my 1950s style Hell Bunny dresses. This counts because a) I would need it for the wedding I'm attending, and b) because I've been vaguely thinking about doing this for AGES. Doing one myself, as opposed to buying one, would allow me to make it in cottons which I feel would be FAR more comfortable year-around.

August:

"Sensible" things like those worn by an academic, a teacher or a librarian. One could also be inspired by historical academia, such as astronomy, astrology, steam powered devices, armillary spheres, globes or trains. Travel, research, and natural history also are suggested here. 

In extremis of ideas or time, "I'm a librarian and I'm wearing it" will do fine!

1. Sensible clothes - Fan skirt
2. Sensible clothes - 1890s blouse
3. Book or steam train print fabric
4. Planning only - book dragon idea

Other stuff

Baking

• Finish off bread mix - either bake or dispose of
• "Christmas" cake - for "Summer Christmas"
• Variation on Cupcake Jemma's Healthy-ish breakfast muffins

Tidying 

Cleaning and tidying for July / August is likely to be proportionally less as we are planning on travelling for at least 3 weeks of the next two months. That said, there always remains innumerable tasks to do here.

I do have a tentative plan to photograph and inventory on Trello all my existing fabrics, with the remaining amounts. This should help a lot when both planning projects, and when deciding what I need to buy - I'm eternally saying "I'm though I bought some of x ages ago, but now I can't be certain", so an inventory would help me to know what I've got, and also how much remains of it. 

Shopping

Craft and non-craft related purchases:

• Wire cutters (if I can't find something to make-do with in my husband's tool stash)
• A broadly Victorian corset - probably relatively cheap.
  Mostly to use while fitting clothing, with the intention of either commissioning a custom fit one, or making one myself "sometime". I don't enjoy corsetry, but I do love the support of wearing corsets and stays. Ideally I would love to own a corset for each decade of the 19th Century, plus a late-medieval "supportive kirtle".

Draft Plans for 2021 forwards

In Progress

1. Accessories
1. Regency bonnet
2. Parasol 
2. 1820s/30s Stays
1. Breast cups work - adaptation from D cup to my more copious HH/J cup size
2. Mock-up Because needed for Regency dress mock-up
3. Buy wooden busk - bought paint stirers!
3. Circle skirt petticoat (pattern planning stage)

Planned

1. Hats
1. 1890s/Edwardian brimmed hat
2. Fan-skirt
1. Wool blend
2. 100% wool
3. Stays
1. Practice cording
2. Practice boning
3. Final version
4. Edwardian blouse / shirtwaist
   
1. Mock up
2. Final
5. 1818 Dress
1. Petticoat
2. Mock-up
3. Final
4. Decoration
6. American Duchess cape
1. As in pattern
2. Again but with a hood
7. 1890s men's three piece suit
8. 1830s men's three piece suit
9. 1950s dress(es)
10. Circle skirts (in general, because I love them)
11. 1950s tops - to go with circle skirts
12. Russian themed
1. Princess Charlotte's Russian Dress
2. Matryoshka pincushion
3. Sarafan - Vasilisa the Beautiful
4. Sarafan - Firebird (cosplay border)
13. Cycling shorts (modern, padded)
14. Cycling trousers (historical, to accommodate modern underneath)
15. Historical Cosplays
1. Bagpuss
2. Warcraft undead lady
3. Book dragon