In my Bag and On my Plate

Despite my attempt to make up for my summer book buying ban by raiding the book store, I've actually done surprisingly well limiting my purchases in the last month.  Unless my selective memory has kicked in (and it very well may have) I've only purchased 5 books (apart from books for my kiddos for school, but who's counting those?) two of which are book club books (read: mandatory).  My new books in the last month:

1. Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel
2. Possession, A.S. Byatt
3. Winter's Bone, Daniel Woodrell
4. Star of the Sea, Joseph O'Connor (Book Club)
5. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Aimee Bender (Book Club)

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With the last quarter of the year approaching, and thoughts of reading goals for next year already hounding me, I thought it might be wise to corral some of those panicky urges by writing some logical, well organized goals for the rest of the year (breathe in, breathe out, the year isn't over quite yet).  I happened across the Fall Into Reading challenge, which fits my needs perfectly, so I decided to join in.

Before October or so:
1. Finish reading Our Mutual Friend, thus conquering the I-haven't-really-read-Dickens guilt.
2. Finish reading Dubliners, defeat Joyce, cross that off my list.
3. Read Lemon Cake before book club on Monday (5 days? no problem)
4. Devour Wolf Hall and Possession. yum. yum.

Before 2011:
1. Non-fiction: The Children's Blizzard and Paddy's Lament, finish Rooted in Barbarous Soil.
2. Books I received for Christmas 2009 and haven't read yet: (!!!)  How Green Was My Valley, Independence Day, Three Cups of Tea, A Room With a View.
3. 3 or so additional book club books before the end of the year.

There's other books I'd like to have read before 2011 hits, but I'm going to keep my goals manageable so I have a better chance of reaching them.  15 or so books is plenty, especially considering the length of some, and the fact that I'll definitely be reading other last minute things as well.  Thanksgiving through the New Year are always impossibly busy so I definitely need to be proactive.  Are you thinking about the end of the year yet?  Want to join another challenge?