Bookish OCD Strikes Again and some Charles Dickens Love!

It is November.  This means that my readerly OCD is in full-bloom.  Around this time of year I begin to think about next year's reading.  I'm changing the way I approach challenges and my reading.  Normally I try to read a few library books (1-2) and then read something from my shelves.  I tend to just grab what catches my eye and I don't really have a method to my madness.  Except then I throw in challenges.  I always, always, always sign up for WAY too many challenges and spread myself too thin.  Then I don't complete anything.  So far, I've made a solid dent in many of my reading challenges but I've only finished ONE CHALLENGE. I do the same thing with Readathons; I have my hands (eyeballs?) in too many books and find at the end that I've finished too few titles.  After the last Readathon I got to thinking about creating a theme for my readathon TBR pile.  Perhaps centered around a theme?  Hummmm.... I can readathon and reading challenge at the same time.  Brilliant!

Now my bookish OCD has reared its head and I've decided to use a theme or challenge to help structure my monthly reading.  I'm not saying I won't read something different, but if my goal is to finish a challenge in month or so then focusing that reading may help my book anxiety.  What is book anxiety?  Well, I find myself overwhelmed by my bookshelves, the library stacks, interlibrary loan treasures, book challenges, and readalongs.  TOO MANY BOOKS FREAK OUT GASP GASP GASP!!!!!

Ahem.

May I present to you my theme for January:

I love Charles Dickens and his 200th birthday is in February so naturally I'd love to spend some time reading Dickens.  I will not only spend time reading Charles Dickens's fiction, but I'll also be reading non-fiction about Dickens and Victorian England and fiction based on Dickens's characters or even Dickens himself.  Of course I've already assembled a book pool (duh, book OCD):

My definitely reading list:

• Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
• A House to Let by Charles Dickens (with Wilkie Collins and Elizabeth Gaskell)
• Charles Dickens by Michael Slater
• Victorian London by Liza Picard
• The Mammoth Book of Dickensian Whodunnits edited by Mike Ashley

Other books I may work in:

• We Two:  Victoria and Albert by Gillian Gill
• Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
• The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl

In addition I'll be reviewing a few film versions of Dickensian works and -- the best part -- I've obtained permission to get into my library's rare book collection to lovingly caress (with a gloved hand, of course) some Dickens rarities.  I hope you'll stop by to wallow in Victorian novel goodness. 

Now it is time to spend the remainder of my Sunday "mom time" reading Wolf Hall.