Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter
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Reading (or listening) for the joy of it
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My recent callout for audiobook suggestions was predictably fruitful — thanks to all the Applause readers who chimed in with their suggestions. I’ve got a reading/listening list that is almost TOO long now; I barely know where to start.
Speaking of reading/listening, in her recent NEXT newsletter, arts columnist Jen Zoratti weighed in on whether listening to a book “counts” as reading (short answer: yes) and I will admit I’ve felt weirdly guilty about putting my completed audiobooks toward my yearly total.
Of course, this brings up the fact that I even have a yearly total in the first place? Why? With whom am I competing? (Certainly not with Applause reader Leslie H., who was kind enough to recommend some titles from among the 150+ books she’s read this year.)
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According to the Goodreads Reading Challenge (which I have done for the past few years, despite the fact that it gives me a bit of agita), I’m at 47 books in 2024 (including ones I listened to); I’m on track to finish at a respectable (BY WHOSE STANDARDS?) one-book-a-week pace.
However, I set my goal much lower than this, as I didn’t want to be stressed out about failing, or find myself reading short books just to make the grade (yes, I have done this). It’s a good strategy, because when you smash the entirely arbitrary, made-up number, you feel like a champion for doing something you were going to do anyway.
Any way you look at it, it’s kind of dumb, but I do get great pleasure from the graphic representation that Goodreads gives you at the end of the year, with all the covers of everything you read represented. It’s not only pleasing to look at, it’s an efficient way to keep track of what you’ve read, what you might want to buy as a gift, authors whose entire oeuvre you want to enjoy or how far along you are in a particular series.
Here’s to reading (or listening to) books for pure pleasure in 2025!
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Jill Wilson
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Did you know we have many other free newsletters? You can gorge yourself on food and beverage news from my Arts & Life pals Eva Wasney and Ben Sigurdson, who write the bi-weekly Dish newsletter, or you can follow a weekly exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences in Niigaan Sinclair’s Biidaajimowin | News from the Centre.
You can browse all of our newsletters here.
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What’s up this week
• You can tell the festive season is underway from our Arts & Life picks
• And if you want a longer list of upcoming holiday-themed concerts and choirs, see the sidebar to Conrad Sweatman’s story here. And here’s one that didn’t make it to print: The Christmas Musical Mission at the Marion Hotel, 393 Marion St. on Sunday at noon, Featuring The Holly Davidson Band, Calamity Jane, the Nooners, River City Blonde, Cheers to the ’90s, Woodwork, and more. Tickets available by emailing christmasmusicalmission@yahoo.com, calling 204-955-7849 or at front desk.
• American comedian Todd Barry is at the Park Theatre with Jeff Sinclair Sunday night at 7 p.m. Tickets are at ticketweb.ca.
• The Magnetic Fields’ three-disc opus 69 Love Songs is celebrating its 25th (!) anniversary, and a Winnipeg supergroup is paying homage to its majesty. Featuring members of Living Hour, Fencing, Veneer, Christine Fellows, Leanna Zacharais, Shotgun Jimmie and more. The show is at Sidestage on Sunday at 8 p.m. Tickets at reallovewpg.com.
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Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter
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