When I to sulphurous and tormenting Flames

Looking back at my progress through the list these past couple of months, I realise I haven't been doing a very good job.  I finished The Blind Assassin on August 23rd, and I finished Under the Volcano on September 15th.  So even if I finish my current read, Portnoy's Complaint, in the next three days, I'll have essentially only read two books in one month.

But, I suppose that a two books per month pace is all I have ever shot for.  At that pace, I'd finish in just over four years, from start to finish.  But I had been doing so well, having knocked off six books in the previous two months.  That would have be finishing the remaining 55 books in about a year and a half.  Not bad.  But it looks like that isn't going to happen.

Though when I do look back at what I've read, I notice that while I'll only have read two books from the list in the previous month, I will have read seven other books, be they non-fiction or non-list books.  So I guess the real problem isn't that I haven't been reading, I just haven't been doing my assigned reading.

Previously I had mentioned my desire/need to read a couple of hockey books as slowing me down a bit.  And I fear that trend may continue.  Tonight is the Flames' first pre-season game, and I could become a little distracted.  But of course, I was able to get a lot of reading done during last year's hockey season, so I guess there is no reason to think this one will be any different.  Plus, I have a couple of trips planned for later in the year, both of which may provide me with ample time to squeeze in a few books.

I think the real key, is to re-focus myself onto reading the list, and stop spending so much time reading other books.  This doesn't mean I'll stop reading other books altogether, just not as much or as often.  Right now, I'm reading Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth for the list, and Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor on the side.  Both were started on the same day, so I've decided to use one as a yard stick for the other.  By this I mean, I'd like to finish Portnoy before I finish one-third of Stalingrad.  So far, I'm right on pace.