The Girl Who Played With Fire

So, not a classic, but good nonetheless.

Also not a classic, but amazing.  I finished this a few months back on audiobook, but never put the picture in.

I've definitely been slacking on LOTR, and that is definitely next because it's been at least 2 years that I've been working on that series and am anxious to cross #2 off my list for good!  I did watch the movie recently so I'm ready to go, but just can't bring myself to start it.

It also doesn't help that I have been caught up in the adventures of Lisbeth Salander.  I just finished The Girl Who Played With Fire on Friday, and have already started The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest.  It's one of those books where I'm glad that I wasn't into the series while it was still being released because at the end of book 2, I ABSOLUTELY had to get my hands on book 3.  I didn't think book 2 was as good as 1, so I'm glad I didn't buy it, but it was still good once it got going and now I definitely have to find out how everything turns out in the third one.  Hopefully it won't take me over a month to read like the second one.

As we've already established, my next book after Hornet's Nest will be The Return of the King.  After that, I have no idea.  I have many on the shelf still that need to be read (at least 4 from the list, and 3 others that are classics also but not on the list.)  However, I've been feeling a little spontaneous lately, and am thinking that once LOTR is done, I may just start generating random numbers and reading whatever pops up.  I'll leave it to the fates at random.org.  If I were going to start one today, it would be...#71 Oliver Twist
(blah)

We'll see how that works out.  I'll redo it when I'm choosing for real, though.  As in, after I finish LOTR, which realistically may be in November.

Speaking of months, It is now June, and while it is not quite halfway through the year, it's close enough where I can do a count of the books I've read in 2012 so far and see where I stand.  So far I've read:
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Pride and Prejudice
(Prince Caspian--only partly counts because I haven't finished the series yet)

So, I guess my number so far is 2.  Let's hope I read more by the end of the year because that is pretty pathetic so far.  Oh well.

Another task I have ahead of me is choosing a book for a car trip I'll be taking in a few weeks.  Hopefully it will be something that the library will have on CD unabridged.  Looking at the list, I'm thinking that His Dark Materials, Narnia, or any other of the random ones that I don't know may be good choices.  We'll have to see.  Last time I went I think I had The Great Gatsby with me, which was OK but not the best choice for a car trip because there was a lot of description that I would have normally glossed over, like the chapter that only named who was at a party.  I'll have to pick something with a little less symbolism and more action.  It will probably be The Golden Compass, but I'll decide closer to when I will be traveling.

Anyway, the plan is to read more than 4 books this year.  Hopefully around 10.  But we know how that goes...