Great Circle closed

The first third of this book is fantastic. I figured I would have to
read what actually won the Booker Prize because whatever beat this
book out must be fantastic. There is a weird shift somewhere in the
middle of the book where the magic that propelled the early narrative
slips away. The Marian Graves arc flounders. Things wrap up
satisfactorily, but that middle third or so really drags down the
novel. The book is still excellent, but the power of the early part is
not sustained throughout the entire book. I'm happy I read it. It's
such a relief to read a contemporary novel that isn't about a writer
trying to navigate their overwrought life.

Another Booker Prize shortlisted book that I had on my library waiting
list came available right as I was finishing Great Circle.
Bewilderment grabbed me just as strongly as Great Circle. I read a few
pages this morning and I have been compelled to dip in pretty
regularly all day. I read a decent chunk of one of my owned books
yesterday, I really want to build some owned book momentum, but I was
drawn back to Bewilderment. The writing is top notch, but the book is
also really short. I don't feel like I will get too off track with the
owned books with this one as I will zip through it pretty quickly.
It's so short I expect it will be more uniformly strong.

I'm back to 169 after buying Kafka on the Shore. So be it. I may buy
Overstory if Bewilderment delivers on its early promise.

Another book finished, sticking with the plan

I finished Siege of Darkness today. I should have finished it last
week, but reading is a pretty low priority activity when I'm at home.
It was one of the better Drizzt books. I'm always impressed with how
well Salvatore keeps the stories fresh despite a relatively limited
cast and settings. The limited scope allows him to add depth and
dimension to his characters and settings. Plots move forward with a
good pace but new elements get added so the series moves forward with
fresh new angles. I'm happy to keep plugging away at these.

I implemented the defined reading time tonight. The first night was a
success. I didn't have to deal with the big question of what to read
next as I've been reading Siege of Darkness and Great Circle
simultaneously. I just picked up Great Circle right where I left off
from my library loan. I read to experience books like this. It's
fantastic. It's such a pleasure to read. I wouldn't know what to say
if somebody asked me what makes it so fun. I may figure out its appeal
by the end of the book, but I'm just happy to go along for the ride.

As it's the beginning of the year, this seems like a reasonable place
to check in on my progress to BookShelf Zero. Not great. I bought a
bunch of books right at the end of the year to bring my book total to
169. Finishing Drizzt 10 brings me down to 168. I wanted to get below
140 last year. I ended up adding 13 books. That's not really the
direction I want to go, but that's just been life. Hopefully this
regular reading time will get things moving and I'll start checking
off books on the regular.