Last Evening At 7:15 I Reached My Goal Of Having Read 100 Books This Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

                                       From

                                      To

                                          It has been a while, girls, about two years, since I made this number, and that I read a huge number of lengthy books; to be surpassed in the coming year.

                                           I know I listed "Culpability," by Bruce Holsinger as The Book Of The Year, and I still stand by that, but my favorite reading experience of all this year was my "Summer Of Victoriana."  That is when I re-discovered the pleasures of "Jonathan Strange And Mr. Norrell," by Susanna Clarke, which then led to my actual "Summer Of Victoriana."  It started with "Wide Sargasso Sea," by Jean Rhys, (the prequel to "Jane Eyre") then "Jane Eyre, " by Charlotte Bronte, "Wuthering Heights," by Emily Bronte, "Great Expectations," by Charles Dickens, "Frankenstein," by Mary Shelley, and "The Turn Of The Screw," by Henry James.  Darlings, I am telling you, after this the year was just not the same!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             And so, we come to the end.  Not to get morbid, but I have begun reading "The Director," by Daniel Kehlmann, and while it is spellbinding, I cannot be sure whether this will turn out to be Book #101, or the first book of 2026.

                                             I cannot answer that one, girls.  All I can do is hope you had a happy year of reading, and wish you another, no matter your taste or preference.

                                             And I get to start over trying to reach that goal of 100 Books.  It gets more challenging each year.

                                              See you in 2026, dolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!