A week and change left in the year.
So far I've read 15 novels (three re-reads), 11 novellas, at least one novellete (I tend not to look at the length of the long short stories I read, sadly; one nonfiction book, at least one graphic novel and one author's anthology. My TBR pile is three times that size and clawing for attention.
I'm currently working my way through several "best of" anthologies, may or may not finish those. I've tracked 99 published short stories read so far this year. (I'd better read at least one more!)
Been trying to focus on SF and Fantasy, and read some of the classics I missed, but I think next year I need to broaden my reading as well; I'm getting *too* focused on genre. I miss knowing what's being published elsewhere. I'd probably be happier if I could double this tally next year -- I mean, 29 book-length works (not counting the novelette) isn't bad; that's one every two weeks. Half again to roughly 40-45 works would mean more time reading, but I could do it.
What I'm not doing is spending quality time picking apart how the authors do what they do well; how they created a "real" world, empathy and character/reader connection -- or how, where and why their worlds broke for me. The critical aspect of the reading that would enable the reading to *consciously* make me a better writer, in other words.
I picked up a reading journal (and plan to alter some of the questions to make it more useful to me) am going back through a few of the books I read this year, to see if I can improve on this.
How do you probe a book (as you're reading it or once you've finished) to unveil how the author created its magic? Any questions you ask yourself or practices you keep that help?
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