Happy New Year!
I read more books in 2012 than I have ever read in one single year before – 117 – and quite a few of them were Brick Book Monsters (as to be expected when you’re a fan of space operas or like to luxuriate in great dynastic swathes of historical fiction). This meant that I completed my GoodReads challenge of reading 100 books. I’m not so sure I can top this in 2013 so my new target is 104, an average of two a week. But I have every intention of reading more Brick Books in the coming 12 months and a few of them are already propping up the furniture, ready to go. They include the Void and Night’s Dawn trilogies by Peter F. Hamilton and Reamde by Neal Stephenson. Whoppers one and all, and there will be more, no doubt, ready to pounce. In fact, I’m reading one at the moment – The Swarm by Frank Schatzing (don’t go in the water!).
I’ve given myself another challenge for 2013 – to read an Arthur C. Clarke novel a month through the year. I’m not quite certain where this idea came from. I grew up on Clarke’s novels but realised that I hadn’t read any for twenty years. I want to make time to read more classic SF in 2013 and Clarke seemed like a good starting point. They’re also not as long as Hamilton’s Brick Books, which is just as well. If you have any Arthur C. Clarke recommendations, I’m all ears! I’ll be setting up a page to follow my challenge through 2013.
As for 2013 titles, I’m looking forward to discovering what will be published! I’ve been very focused on 2012 titles and so I’ve kept myself ignorant on the goodies to come. It’s time now to take a look.
I do have some 2013 titles I’m really looking forward to reading in the next week or two – especially Life After Life by Kate Atkinson and A Treacherous Likeness by Lynn Shepherd. I’ve also already read and thoroughly enjoyed CW Gortner’s The Queen’s Vow (review next week) and Joanna Hickson’s The Agincourt Bride (review very shortly), both of which make a fine start to 2013 historical fiction. As does Robert Fabbri’s Vespasian III: False God of Rome published today and reviewed below. I’m always looking for book recommendations so do let me know of any books you’re looking forward to in 2013 – my wishlist could do with fattening up.
It just remains for me to wish you once again a Happy New Year! 2012 was a wonderful reading and book blogging year for me. I cannot wait for 2013 – a blank page just waiting to be written upon!
For winter nights - A bookish blog 
I have Life After Life to read to, it looks really good!
Hi Alex! I’m really looking forward to it. Sounds so good! And original too. Thanks for the comment 🙂
My favourite Arthur C. Clarke book, but only by a short distance, is The Fountains of Paradise. Like most of Clarke’s books it is based on real science leavened with optimism. I wish you a Happy and Healthy 2013 and look forward to another year of your blog.
Happy New Year, Ian! Thanks so much for the good wishes and for continuing to read the blog 🙂 Thanks for the recommendation as well. I’m looking forward to reacquainting myself with Arthur C. Clarke. Rediscovering science fiction was one of my chief highlights of 2012. All the best to you!