I have a “problem”: I get quickly obsessive about things in general and additionally tend to be a completionist. When I like something, I really “like” it and have to read/watch/listen/own everything about it. Not always, sure, but often enough.

My latest object of “liking” is Robert Jordan’s “The Wheel of Time series.

My wife had frequently encouraged me to start reading the series and in November ‘21 I eventually did. Since then I have read, aside the last book in the “Expanse” series, the Wheel of Time series exclusively. I finished the fifth book during this week and have the next one waiting for me in my cue.

But here’s the problem: I would like to read something else for a change, but my sense of “completionism” wants me at the same time continue with the series.

That wouldn’t be all that bad, if the series wouldn’t be fourteen books in total. Fourteen massive books. The audiobook of “The Lord of Chaos”, which is the next one in line, weighs in at 41 hours (the whole of Sherlock Holmes had been 70+ hours in comparisson), which should take me somewhere between two to three weeks to finish. Would I continue this way, I might be “finished” with the series possibly during summer, if at all. And only if I don’t read anything else.

I’m not sure do I like the “completionist-me”.

To overcome this dilemma I decided to create a “reading-plan” here on the blog to hold myself accountable so to say. It might help.

Since I’m currently reading Neil Gaiman’s “Don’t Panic” I decided to continue in that theme I’ll continue with a book by Douglas Adams that I haven’t yet read. Choosing that was easy.

Here’s the

reading List with the next five (six) books that I have to read before starting the next book in the WOT series:

• Neil Gaiman: Don’t Panic (already reading this)
• Douglas Adams: Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
• Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman: Good Omens (the new audio drama)
• Cassandra Khaw: Nothing But Blackened Teeth (this is a short one)
• Grady Hendrix: The Final Girl Support Grouo
• V.E.Schwab: Galant (her new book which should be out by then) if not:
• Amal El_Mohtar, Max Gladstone: This Is How You Loose The Time War

Once I have finished those (in any order whatsoever and ironically all of them combined might be around the same length as is “The Lord of Chaos”) I will allow myself to continue with the The Lord of Chaos (WOT Book #6). I first had “Dune” on this list, but since it is the beginning of yet another series, I shied away from it, since I didn’t wanted to open yet another can of worms.

I am aware that this sounds pathetic, but I have to force myself to get something else into my reading list.

Writing this post, I had again the idea to start building a “wiki of sorts” with topic pages here on the blog. That would make a good place to store “reading-lists” of all kinds.

One thing more to get obsessive about.