During the month of September I finished five books, two of which were graphic novels. I completed my GoodReads challenge for the year which was to read 50 books. I am now up to 55. 33 of the 55 books read are not graphic novels. I think this means I should try to read 22 more non-graphic novels by the end of the years. It is only early October and I am in the middle of three books at the moment so this seems like an entirely obtainable goal. The reason I wanted to read less this year was so that I could try new things and I think I have achieved that. I've learned about pastry baking, I've had my first baking gigs, I got a new job, I wrote some children's stories and short stories. The stories may never see the light of day but I am happier for having written them. I feel like it has been a productive year. Sure, it has been emotionally tumultuous but that has just kept a fire burning under me to remind me that I could always be doing more to improve myself.
I started reading a biography about Neil Gaiman at the same time as I started reading, "The View From the Cheap Seats," and what I learned is that I would rather read absolutely anything Neil Gaiman has written more than I want to read some unknown write about him. Sure I may not know the true and exact story of his childhood through the eyes of an outsider, but I know the fantastical story the way Neil tells it and that is so much better in my opinion. "The View from the Cheap Seats," is a collection of non-fiction writings from Neil Gaiman. Some of the selections are introductions for other books, musical tours, reviews of shows, personal works, etc. There is a wide variety of subjects and even if you don't have any prior knowledge about the topics of which he writes, all are a delight to read.
