I only read one published book in 2021:
1. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.
I did also read an at-that-time unpublished book manuscript
(see my last post here) so goddammit, I'm counting that too:
2. InSanity by Robyn Engel.
Therefore, the count is TWO.
Two books read in 2021.
I started another couple of enjoyable books
but I have not finished them yet, so hopefully
they'll be on next year's list!
So just exactly HOW
have I been spending my
reading time, you ask?
Well, we ALL know the answer
to that question, don't we?
Out of sheer idle curiosity,
I kept track of how many
Captain America/Winter Soldier
gay fanfics I read online in 2021.
ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-EIGHT.
These range in size from
flash fiction, short stories and novellas
right up to huge, sweeping, full-book-length epics.
Writing styles range from
bad to mediocre to decent to
absolutely-wonderfully-written,
could-be-actually-published-if-it-were-not-
for-the-copyright-infringement-issue
literary works.
Reading is reading, no matter the source!
ReplyDeleteThat's what I tell myself.
You were busy reading for sure!
ReplyDeleteWondering if the boring, too long, G in M put you off! I kept reading for about 2,354 pages before throwing it into the return pile.
ReplyDeleteA Russian friend wanted to insert notes about all the inaccuracies that wouldn't hold up even in fiction. We did restrain her from making notes in red pen on the library copy!
Geez! It’s nice I’m not the only with with a mile long list. I did read Gentleman though and loved it. I also like Lincoln Highway, another by Amor.
ReplyDeleteRead what you enjoy, no apologies or excuses needed. I started 3 books in 2021 that I have not finished yet, but I read hundreds of comics all year long (printed and digital; cookbooks; blogs and comments; news articles; tumbler, facebook, and instagram posts; texts and e-mails. I am reading constantly, every day, all year long. I don't think it's invalidated because it's not all from one source or on one topic. However, I have never really read any fanfic. Perhaps I should give it a try.
ReplyDeleteSassybear
www.idleeyesandadormy.com
I didn't even know what Fanfic was until you-so thanks for that! Reading is reading, right?
ReplyDeleteI just started a Gentleman In Moscow; so far I'm enjoying it!
Links, please? For a friend.
ReplyDeleteGentleman in Moscow is one of my fav books. My ratio of Books Purchased to Books Read is about 50 to 1 for 2021.
ReplyDelete@ Boud -- Actually, I didn't find "A Gentleman in Moscow" boring or too long at all, LOL! But it definitely helped that I have always been a nerdy Russian history fan, particularly of post-1917 Soviet history. As for inaccuracies, well, they all went over my head so no harm done, I guess!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could read. My eyes are shot and well listening to more my style these days. Have a great day today.
ReplyDeleteHow many books would all the blogs we read count as? Maybe we should just do word counts for the year.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I ordered 'InSanity by Robyn Engel' last night (this morning). Now comes the hard part, reading!
@ Ozma -- I read all my fanfics online at Archive of Our Own. You do not have to be a member of the site to read fanfics there. Guests are welcome. Just proceed as follows. The site's url is:
ReplyDeletearchiveofourown.org
In the search function at the top of its homepage, type in the following and then hit Search:
James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
When the Results page appears, click on Edit Your Search and narrow it down to Completed Works Only under the heading Completion Status, then hit Search again. This will reduce the results down by a few thousand, but there will still be a gazillion search results. Happy browsing!
I make sure I read something every day, even if it only a few pages.
ReplyDelete3/4 through a book that started out with a bang, but then both me and the book lost interest in one another.
ReplyDeleteI hate to ditch it this close to the end because I WANT to make a list of books read in 2022, but it's becoming a wearisome slog through a swamp.
One Hundred and Thirty Eight! Now, that made me laugh loudly! Girl, you've been busy reading!
ReplyDeleteConsidering the number of times you read and then re-read and then re-re-read for every last damn hyphen (those sonsabitches) and other miscellany that I'm prone to mess up, I say that it counts as 7. Oh wait, HRH read it. Let's say 9. You're good. 9 books, Debra (and HRH).
ReplyDeleteSmiles.
Have a great week.
@ Robyn -- Hey, I never thought of that! YEAH!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of fanfic. I was about to look it up and then I figured it out. But I need to look around and see what's out there. All the authors I usually read are out of material right now or busy writing new stuff. I haven't read a new book since October. *heavy sigh*
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow. It seems reviewers either really liked it or not so much, and apparently the kindle version was missing a lot from the original text (bad amazon). It does sound like a very interesting book :)
ReplyDeleteHello Debra, Where do you even find all those fanfics? I had to curtail reading new books in 2021 as I was cut off from my source, but I did scour my shelves looking for things I missed, and I also re-read a lot of old favorites.
ReplyDelete--Jim
@ Parnassus (Jim) -- I often see fanfic recommendations on fansites for Steve 'n Bucky. It makes it easier to find the decent ones.
ReplyDeleteMy wife totally believes Bucky is bisexual. She's not quite the Marvel nerd I am, but I was surprised she thought about it that much
ReplyDeleteReading is reading whether a published book or fanfic. I'd say you read a lot this year.
ReplyDeleteI didn't read as many novels in 2021 either, but I have several in my book pile ready to go! I'm just a couple of pages into Chris Hadfield's "The Apollo Murders", but it's very graphic, so I'm going to have to be in the right frame of mind to read it. Plus, I like to have large periods of time without distractions to do a first read, then I can go back and re-read the whole book more enjoyably for details!
ReplyDeleteHahahaha.... Oh yes, I have definitely had years like this 😂 except my vice was Supernatural fanfic...
ReplyDeleteDon't beat yourself up Debra, you do lots of other stuff. I now know what a fanfic is :-) I requested 'A Gentleman in Moscow' from my library, it's taking ages to get here.
ReplyDeleteI read books and books and books! And then had to get rid of a lot of them to move.
ReplyDeleteSo you did do a lot of reading this year!
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHA. I laughed all the way through this post. I used to read SO much and now I only seem to read when I go on vacation...and with Covid you know how THAT has been going. Hugs- Diana
ReplyDeleteI don't read fanfic much, but I have thought about writing it. For instance, there's some kind of cosmic accident that sends the Starship Enterprise to the Star Wars galaxy. Spock meets Yoda, can you picture it?
ReplyDeleteAs for something with an LGBTQ angle, it always seemed to me that on Three's Company, Mr. Roper got a little too excited at the thought of Jack Tripper being gay (of course, it was just a ruse.) I figured that Roper was a repressed homosexual (if you'll recall, his marriage was sexless.) How about he gets drunk one night and tries to seduce Jack? And Jack's reaction to that? He may not swing that way, but IT would be a way out of paying the rent.
I would like to know which internet jerks are assigning names to our moons. For example, this next one is supposed to be the Wolf Moon. It seems so fake. When actual wolves do show up around here, they starve or are shot on sight.
ReplyDeleteThe Wolf Moon. Oh they have a moon for every month of the year. They have Strawberry Moon, they have Honey Moon,they have Blue Moons and Super Moons.
I think it is disrespectful bullshit. The Moon is an actual thing. It exists. It is a fact. It doesn't care about my superstitions. I have a lot of beliefs and superstitions about the Moon. The Moon influences my life everyday.
So please don't tell me about these fake Wolf Moon stories or whatever you say. It is an actual thing.
What if i told you that our virgin Goddess goes to live on the Moon and that is where she makes her arrows?
I am superstitious about the Moon. The last thing i need is the Farmers Almanac telling me what Moon it is.
I have never really connected with "graphic novels" or "comic books" probably one of those weird childhood traumas or family prejudices. But I do read a fair bit. I am currently doing a readers report on a 308 page book manuscript for a friend who works in publishing.
ReplyDeleteIs Winter Soldier’s hair greasy?
ReplyDelete@ Kirk -- Hahahaha, go for it, Kirk! Archive of Our Own will have fandoms for all those series and you can publish your efforts there for free, if you join as a member!
ReplyDelete@ Moving With Mitchell -- Occasionally, when he's busy fighting and killing people, yes. Otherwise, Bucky is very fastidious about his hair and loves it when Steve shampoos him.
ReplyDeleteI used to read on an average 2-3 books a week.now I'm lucky to read one a week..just can't concentrate like I used to ..mostly do my reading at night before I go to sleep. but I'm just about ready to reread Patrick Rothfuss's The wind series...which I think you would enjoy.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I don't read books..no time..I have enough trouble keeping up with blogs and emails lately..I probably should get up earlier..LOL
ReplyDeleteI never keep a book list, so I have no idea how many books I read in 2021. Lots, I do know that. I'm afraid I'm missing some good stuff by being unable to read much on my laptop.
ReplyDeleteTotally OFF topic, I have just this minute seen your "Joanne" towel under the coffee maker and would LOVE to know where you got the Viking Ship mug. Did it come with the coffee maker or are they available separately?
ReplyDelete@ River -- I got that Viking Ship mug at the Royal Alberta Museum here in Edmonton in the summer of 2019 as a souvenir of the touring exhibit "Vikings: Beyond the Limit." I don't know where one could be obtained now, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteAww, but thank you.
ReplyDeleteConsidering how much Captain America/Winter Soldier material read, I think you did pretty good! Making time to read is so challenging these days with the internet eating up our time.
ReplyDeleteI've read about 20 last year. A drop of ten from 2019. I've read far less since I stopped commuting.
ReplyDeleteAnd you didn't share any links to your favorite ones???
ReplyDeleteHey, reading is reading, no matter how much or what type. I read about 20 books last year, which is average. But this year I started off with The Stand by Stephen King, which is hundreds of pages long. And because I keep falling asleep too quickly at night and end up reading only a few pages at a time, will probably take me the entire year to finish! LOL
ReplyDeleteIf I recall in 2020 you read one book, so you have increased your reading in 2021 by 100%! Way to go! Reading counts whatever you read. So very, very well-done, Debra! I still have to do my list. I'm off to an epic reading start this year. Happy reading in 2022!
ReplyDeleteFanfic? Never heard of it before???
ReplyDelete