When Everything On Your List is “In Progress”

Currently, I feel like so many things in my life are in a state of partial completion. Surprisingly, compared to some years, we’re a little ahead on our holiday preparations. The gift shopping is almost finished and most of what we’re giving has been wrapped.

Paul put up the Christmas tree last weekend, but we didn’t decorate it. (It’s pre-lighted, at least, so it hasn’t been sitting in the corner entirely naked for days.) Today, the ornaments go on and the stockings get hung! And once the tree is trimmed, I’ll gratefully move something to the “done” section of the to-do list.

Currently (Trying to FInish) Reading

I rarely officially DNF a book. When I set books aside, I usually intend to return to them sooner rather than later. And then newer, shinier books jump in front and “later” becomes “a lot later.” This happens more with ebooks than anything else. Physical books nudge me from my desk and nightstand, their ribbon bookmarks hanging out. Audiobooks assert themselves every time I get in my car. But ebooks quietly wait behind the other, busier apps on the iPad.

As the end of 2016 approached, I decided I had way too many books in various stages of “currently reading.” My plan for the rest of this year is to resist starting any new books until these are done. Wish me luck!

Print books:

• We Are Unprepared by Meg Little Reilly (Adult fiction, September 2016 galley, less than 100 pages left)

Ebooks:

• This is where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live, by Melody Warnick (nonfiction, 27% done)
• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, by Bryan Stephenson (nonfiction, 23% done)
• Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina (YA fiction, 17% done)

Currently Reading by Ear (Audiobooks):

I tend to wrap up my audiobook year with celebrity memoirs. I’m about two-thirds through The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher, but I just might DNF this one. I enjoyed listening to the new material she narrates herself. However, someone else reads the actual diary entries (written during the filming of Star Wars, when Fisher was just 20 years old) and I’m not sure I’m as interested in those.

The rest of December in audiobooks will probably be occupied by 18+ hours of Bruce Springsteen, reading his own memoir Born to Run. It will take a while to finish this one, but I will not begrudge one minute of it.

Other Things That Aren’t Done (or Started)

Television:

I’m halfway through Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. I’ve been going slow since I’m watching when Paul’s not around. He came home while I was partway through an episode last week and was mildly traumatized by how much Emily sounded like his mother,

Blogging:

I’m thinking about year-end posts. I hope to have the time and energy to actually write them, unlike last year!  I moved the blog from Blogger to WordPress just about a year ago this week and have thoughts to share about that. I’d like to bring back some version of Books of the Year after skipping it in 2015. And I think 2016 warrants a Year in Review retrospective of some sort, even though most of us would just as soon forget a lot of it.

What are you trying to get done this week?

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