Welcome, one and all, to another year upon this Earth.

As previously mentioned, I only have ONE resolution this year. You can probably guess what it is.

BY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR, NO MATTER WHAT, COME RAIN OR SHAME SHINE, DO OR DIE TRYING, DESPITE WHAT I MAY SAY BETWEEN NOW AND THEN, EVEN IF IT KILLS ME, IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO, QUE SERA SERA,

I
WILL
FINISH
THAT
FUCKING
NOVEL!

This time next year, I will be sitting at this desk with a COMPLETED manuscript in my hands. I will do this. I have to do it. I have no excuses left. Even if the story is a bag of shite, I still will have finished it, and can move on to another (better?) project. I have to stop delaying this. I will gradually build up to this over January, the last month I shall be keeping this job, and then when February arrives…a flurry of activity. A tornado of punctuation. A barrage of re-drafting. THE END OF THE CHRONICLES OF NOM.

Six years, now. Six long fuckin’ years. It’s about time I wrapped this one up.

Anyway, to finish off 2009, I thought I would take a look at the books I read over the past twelve months. I’m not sure how exhaustive this list is: there are poetry books I’ve dipped in and out of, and reference books I’ve not intended to read all the way through, so I’ve left them off. This is the fiction I have read, I suppose.

SINÉAD’S MARGINALLY IMPRESSIVE BUT VERY LIMITED 2009 READING LIST:

• Vampire Hunter D: Volume XI – Pallen Fallen Angels Parts 1 & 2 (Hideyuki Kikuchi)
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard (J.K. Rowling)
• Deathnote: Another Note – The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases (Nisioisin)
• Equal Rites (Terry Pratchett)
• Mort (Terry Pratchett)
• Sourcery (Terry Pratchett)
• Wyrd Sisters (Terry Pratchett)
• The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (Stephen King)
• The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (Stephen King)
• The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (Stephen King)
• The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (Stephen King)
• The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (Stephen King)
• The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (Stephen King)
• The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (Stephen King)
• Pyramids (Terry Pratchett)
• American Gods (Neil Gaiman)
• The Fellowship of the Ring (JRR Tolkien)
• Good Omens (Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman)
• The Vampyre (Tom Holland)
• Supping With Panthers (Tom Holland)
• Guards! Guards! (Terry Pratchett)
• Tersias (G. P. Taylor)
• Deathnote: L – Change the WorLd (M)
• Eric (Terry Pratchett)
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (R. L. Stevenson)
• The Weavers of Saramyr (Chris Wooding)
• The Vampyre (Polidori)
• Moving Pictures (Terry Pratchett)
• Dracula (Bram Stoker)
• Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (Marvel Graphic Novel)
• Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home (Marvel Graphic Novel)

…there. Thirty one books, in total.

You can learn a lot about a person, based on what they read. For instance, you can see that I haven’t read a single book over the past year that wasn’t somehow a part of the sci-fi/fantasy genres. I think this is probably a bad thing. My writing is predominantly supernatural in nature, but I think if I really want to improve as an artist, I need to broaden my scope.

I can also see that I haven’t been able to go more than a few books without crawling back to Terry Pratchett. Nom is a lot like a Discworld novel, in some ways. He inspires me, and if I read something dark and provocative, I know I always have another Discworld book to pick up and lighten the mood. He will be crucial for me this year.

Stephen King dominates, of course. The more I read, the more I love his mind. The Dark Tower series is the best thing I have read all year, possibly the most important thing I have read thus far. I’m excited to think that he’s working on an eighth novel. I’m starting this year off with ‘salem’s Lot, and I also have his latest novel, Under the Dome, to read, so I think at the end of 2010, King will also be a dominant presence on my reading list.

I’m happy with how much I’m reading recently; after a lull in which my mind got caught up in too many video games, I am finally back on track. I’m still going to play my games (currently still drudging through that tepid Kingdom Hearts title on the DS), but balance it more equally.

And, what do I want to read this year? Well, I want to try my hand at some literary fiction, that isn’t based within the paranormal. I don’t know if I’ll like it, but I’ll try. I don’t have any interest in crime fiction so I’ll steer clear of that…perhaps pick up the Kate Mosse (thankfully not the crackhead model) book my mum has been banging on about for years ago. Some titles I know I definitely want to read this year are:

• The Gormenghast Trilogy (Peake)
• The Historian (Kostova)
• The Night Watch (Lukyanenko)

All new authors to me. I’ll balance it out with as much Pratchett and King as I desire. There’s no harm in sticking to what you love.

Right, that’s all that’s kicking about my head right now. A happy new year to you, dear reader, and a prosperous twelve months. What unrealistic promises are you making, today?

1. marley Says:
   January 2nd, 2010 at 11:44 am

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_S._Burroughs
   William burroughs is awesome
   may have told you about him before maybe :/ but yeah if you decide to pick one up id start from the beginning and go in order,
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkie_%28novel%29
   then
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer_%28novel%29

   Happy new year

2. Laba Says:
   January 2nd, 2010 at 2:04 pm

   “after a lull in which my mind got caught up in too many video games”
   I’m still lulling in video games! haha
   Although I’ve just got a shed load of Iain Banks and Chuck Palahniuk through the post so hopefully that’ll drag me away from Modern Warfare 2.

   Also, if you like, I’ve got The Watch trilogy and can lend you them if you like? At least I’ve got Night and Day watch to hand. My brother borrowed The Twilight Watch and, well, I should’ve learnt by now not to lend something to him…

3. Sinead Says:
   January 2nd, 2010 at 11:17 pm

   Thanks Marley, I’ll check out your recommendations

   And thank you kindly Laba, though you know how I feel about libraries! I’ll probably just end up buying them, especially I have a flash new discount card to make the most of. I will be the death of me, for sure.

4. Laba Says:
   January 3rd, 2010 at 2:21 pm

   All I remember about you and libraries is you don’t have a clue about the Wolverhampton one! haha

   But anyway, The Watch Trilogy ist sehr gut. Although if you’ve seen the films, disregard them completely when reading because despite some similarities they are otherwise entirely different tales (one big example being that Yegor (sp?) isn’t Anton’s son in the books). Also, I still think you should read The Wasp Factory/some Iain Banks in general. Look To Windward and Consider Phlebas are a couple of his sci-fis I really enjoyed (and even reviewed! )

   Again, I can lend any of these to you if you like.

   (Also, watch Ronin if and when you can. It’s a great little film but also has lots of signs and signals and little gestures as it’s all about spies and what-not so could help put some ideas in your head about our novel idea!)

   OK, epic comment over.