Am I allowed to do a round up post when I’ve obtained and read zero books this month? I do need a way to publish my Christmas wish list for certain secret Santas, so I’m going to say, “yes!”

Books Obtained and Read

• None. That was easy.
• Okay, I did read like 350 or 400 pages of Infinite Jest over November. That’s pretty much a book.

Books I Want to Read

Here are the top ten books I’d like to own in the near future, i.e. Christmas!*

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green – I want this to be my next read, so it’s first on my list. Have I mentioned that I have a fangirlish crush on this guy? I mean watch this. Or this. Love him.
2. 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2012 Edition) – I own the original, but I’d love to have the updated version. These are beautiful books with lots of colour pictures. Great gift idea for anyone bookish!
3. Strange Heaven by Lynn Coady – my local author pick, and sounds right up my alley in terms of troubled kids, family dysfunction and the East Coast setting.
4. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck – I don’t own this book, which is ridiculous considering it’s my favourite read of like the past two years (pending completion of IJ).
5. Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards – I gave my copy away at a book swap. I need to own this book.
6. Dear Life by Alice Munro – After a year of long reads, I think I’ll be in the mood for some short stories. Nobody does it better than Alice Munro… unless…
7. Astray by Emma Donoghue – I’m a huge fan of Emma Donoghue and she released a short story collection this year.
8. The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir – Because: feminism.
9. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell – I’m going to read more classics written by female authors next year. I loved the mini-series, so this seems like a good place to start.
10. When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman – Something about this book keeps nagging at me. Strange title.

*I’ve been joking that reading Sleeping Beauty made me want to read 50 Shades. If someone buys it for me, I will read it. But I reserve the right to make snarky blog posts/live-tweet my disgust/roll my eyes with abandon!

The Month Ahead

• Finish Infinite Jest. There will be much rejoicing.
• Submit a story to The 40 Below Project. This is a stretch goal for me and my first time submitting anything! Check out the website and wish me luck! I’m (trying) to write about what it’s like to experience a sudden 20 degree drop in temperature. Also about teenage drama (what else?)
• Get through the week-long extravaganza that is Benjamin’s 3rd birthday and Christmas.

Search Terms

Just for fun, here are some interesting search terms that have landed on the blog.

• “erotic exerpts from the claiming of sleeping beauty anne rice” – yeah… getting a lot of these since my review went up…
• “adult words with friends” – um, do I want to know?
• “i enjoyed reading heart of darkness” – well, that makes two of us!
• “runny romantic letters for him” – it is the season for runny letters!
• “how you know you are a book snob” – if you have to ask….
• “invisible woman sex fanfic” – sorry to disappoint you.