Vestafan's 11 in 11 - reality has taken hold!

I have decided to adopt the step challenge for 2011. In reality I will never read 121 books in a year, and in setting myself that theoretical challenge I avoid substantial books that I would like to read without rushing. This also means I can stray off the path of the challenge without feeling guilty.

My categories will be:

1. A Dance to the Music of Time - I read the first of Anthony Powell's books this year and aim to read the remaining 11 in 2011.
2. Crime fiction - USA - I always find lots of this category to read and am aiming for 10.
3. Crime fiction - UK - aiming for 9.
4. Crime fiction elsewhere - aiming for 8.
5. Thank you Santa! - I received seven books for Christmas and aim to read them all in 2011.
6. 21st century fiction - another category I should have no problem completing - my aim is 6.
7. A.S. Byatt - I want to read some authors in depth this year and am aiming to read her quartet beginning with The Virgin in the Garden as well as The Children's Book.
8. Anthony Trollope - my aim is to read the last four books in the Barsetshire series.
9. History - a lot of my history books are quite substantial, so I'm setting a modest aim of three this year.
10. Political diaries - I'm aiming for two of these.
11. Film - If I can get one of my backlog read in this category I'll be pleased.

1. A Dance to the Music of Time (all by Anthony Powell)

1. A Buyer's Market
2. The Acceptance World
3. At Lady Molly's
4. Casanova's Chinese Restaurant
5. The Kindly Ones
6. The Valley of Bones
7. The Soldier's Art
8. The Military Philosophers
9. Books Do Furnish a Room
10. Temporary Kings
11. Hearing Secret Harmonies

2. Crime fiction - USA

1. True Detectives by Jonathan Kellerman
2. Deception by Jonathan Kellerman
3. Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
4. The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly
5. Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly
6. Worth Dying For by Lee Child
7. The Broken Wire by Jeffrey Deaver
8. The Professional by Robert B Parker
9. I, Alex Cross by James Patterson
10. Painted Ladies by Robert B Parker

3. Crime fiction - UK

1. Dead Man's Footsteps by Peter James
2. Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear
3. Red Bones by Ann Cleeves
4. The Act of Roger Murgatroyd by Gilbert Adair
5. The Kill Call by Stephen Booth
6. Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves
7. Trick of the Dark by Val McDermid
8. Not Dead Enough by Peter James
9. Whispers of the Dead by Simon Beckett

4. Crime fiction - elsewhere

1. The Man on the Balcony by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo
2. Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
3. The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo
4. My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
5. Tainted Blood by Arnaldur Indridason
6. The Fire Engine That Disappeared by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo
7. The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg
8. The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo

5. Thank you Santa!

1. Less Than Angels by Barbara Pym
2. The Wild Geese by Brigid Boland
3. Romantic Moderns by Alexandra Harris
4. Mr Unbelievable by Chris Kamara
5. The Misses Mallett by E. H. Young
6. A Woman's Place 1910-1975 by Ruth Adam
7. Whoops! by John Lanchester

6. 21st century fiction

1. Family Album by Penelope Lively
2. In the Kitchen by Monica Ali
3. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
4. Wedding Season by Katie Fforde
5. Irma Voth by Miriam Toews
6. Summer of Love by Katie Fforde

7. A.S. Byatt

1. The Virgin in the Garden by A S Byatt
2. Still Life by A S Byatt
3.
4.
5.

8. Anthony Trollope

1.
2.
3.
4.

9. History

1.
2.
3.

10. Political diaries

1. Decline and Fall by Chris Mullin
2.

11. Film

1.

I'm pleased to have achieved one of my main aims for the year - to read A Dance to the Music of Time - the 12 novel sequence by Anthony Powell. Having read the first novel at the end of 2010, I have steadily read my way through the rest of them and finished Hearing Secret Harmonies, the last novel, this morning. I'm glad I set myself this aim as it has really helped to have a clear memory of what happened in previous novels when old characters reoccur. In almost every novel there is at least one very funny set piece, but also moments of great pathos as the years take their toll on characters who we first met as young men. It's not necessary to share the background of the central characters (upper class and/or bohemian) to become involved in their lives. I shall return to this series in the future and I'm sure I'll find more in it than I have this year.

Wow, that's an impressive feat -- congratulations!