Fall Into Reading: Wrap-up Post

The Fall Into Reading challenge is almost over, and while I have one more book review to post I'd like to post my wrap-up before I forget about it.

(Thanks to Callapidder Days for the questions/prompts.)

Did you finish reading all the books on your fall reading list? If not, why not?

Yes, and no. I started out strong but then decided to make some adjustments to my list along the way. Post-adjustments, I did finish all of the books I wanted to read.

Did you stick to your original goals or did you change your list as you went along?

As noted above, I altered the list to suit my reading needs as they developed. I saw no point in dragging myself through books that just weren't right for me at the time. I'd rather wait and read them later, when I'll get more out of them.

What was your favorite book that you read this fall? Least favorite? Why?

Favorite: To Join the Lost, by Seth Steinzor. Reason: Beautiful poetry that approaches Dante from a modern perspective while still honoring Dante in spirit.

Least Favorite: Apollo's Angels, by Jennifer Homans. Reason: Rubbish writing, rubbish ideas, rubbish approach to presenting history.

Did you discover a new author or genre this fall? Did you love them? Not love them?

Well, I certainly discovered how much I appreciate Seth Steinzor's poetry.

Did you learn something new because of Fall Into Reading 2011 – something about reading, about yourself, or about a topic you read about?

I confirmed what I already knew -- that I like the idea of a list but don't do a great job of sticking to it. Ah well, no great loss.

What was your favorite thing about the challenge?

While I'm not great at sticking to a reading schedule (i.e., having a list), I liked having a good idea of what I wanted to read over the course of the fall. I think I'll try something like for the New Year -- maybe a monthly goal? I haven't decided yet.

Overall, I did better than I expected, but I have things on which to improve. Admittedly, this is exactly how I would have wanted it to turn out: not a total failure but not a total success either. I like having some room to grow.