Wednesday 14 July 2021

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

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:

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:

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:

    Not Quite Books List

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