I’ve noticed a lot of bloggers listing all the books they read this year. They are rightly proud of their achievement. Reading is an activity that should be encouraged. The reward, as I see it, lies more in what one gets out of a book than in the number tallied though I do see the essence of truth in Stalin’s observation that “quantity has a quality all its own.” Reading is almost always instructive, even if (or perhaps because) the writing is bad.

I’ve never kept a list of the books I’ve read. Those that resonate with me stay with me always, and those that don’t drift away. I’ve also noticed that this internal list is constantly changing. Some grow stronger, etching their meaning ever deeper into my being while others that once captivated me get replaced with something else. It’s very much a living, sentient thing.

In other news, there’s a new interview with yours truly over at elbakin.net, the great French fantasy website run by Emmanuel Chastellière. If you’re up for it, you can read it in French – http://www.elbakin.net/fantasy/news/Un-entretien-exclusif-avec-Chris-Evans or English http://www.elbakin.net/fantasy/news/Un-entretien-exclusif-avec-Chris-Evans2 Personally, I think I sound much more sophisticated and certain of things in French. I should speak French more often…or as I don’t really speak French, just hire a full time translator.

Oh, and in a few hours it’s about to become 2010 here. I think I’m supposed to go to Times Square and shout. Maybe at a police officer on a horse. That could be fun. For the horse. They don’t wear those metal shoes just for show. Oops, I think my suicidal tendencies are showing again 🙂

Bonne Année!

Cheers, mes amis,

Chris