I am going to read 45 books, minimum, this year. All the books will be ones I currently own and haven't read. There are 25 novels, 5 bios, 5 classics, and 10 non fiction books on the list. The original plan was 40, but I can't count and inadvertently put 25 books in the 'fiction' list. If I'd been smart and done the 'classics' and the fiction at the same time, I would have caught the error, but whatever. Some of the non fiction books are under 200 pages, so it'll even out.
I was inspired by this blog post, as well as the weekly reading threads on 2Peas. Of course, there is also the reality that I have 103 unread books on my shelf, as evidenced by this picture:
And here are some close ups, so you can really get a sense of just what 103 unread books looks like:
I should note that the total was originally 108, until I realized I had 2 duplicates and 3 books I was never going to read on my shelves.
I am never going to read The Lovely Bones, Pride, Prejudice and Zombies, or Celebutantes. The first two, no matter how popular they are, are just not my thing. I don't like violence. I really don't do violence against children. Celebutantes, with all the other light reading I have, just don't appeal to me, so I am going to give it back to the person who loaned it to me.
I used to be a voracious reader, until I became a scrapbooker and cardmaker, and since then I haven't done as much reading on a regular basis.
The problem is, even though I haven't been reading as much, I still buy books. I cannot resist a book sale, whether it be the 'Buy X get 1 free' sales at Chapters, used book stores, or the big fundraisers put on twice a year by two different charitable groups. One's a Rotary sponsored event, and I admittedly only commit to going when the money is directed toward local public schools. The other is one where the money goes back to the schools who participate in running the sale. That one is my favorite. I always volunteer at it, and the boss of the program always lets volunteers take a bag of books at the end, as a thank you for our work. She does this because they don't have the storage space to keep all the leftover books. These remaining books are given to the hospital, Literacy Nanaimo, schools (the children's books) and a few other places.
I would love to put myself on some sort of allowance, along the lines of 'only 1 new book for each one read' but I'm 40 now. I don't believe in lying to myself about who I am. There's not a snowball's chance in Pheonix in July that I would ever stick to something like that. I'll be volunteering at the book sale in March, and I won't be able to leave without my bag of books. It's inevitable.
Anyway... without further ado:
Tania's 2011 Reading List
Nonfiction
- Under a Tuscan Sun
- Success Through Positive Mental Attitude
- Transforming Grace
- Building Faith At Home
- The Parent as Teacher
- What Every Child Would Like Parents To Know About Divorce
- Why I hate Canadians
- A Guide To Building Faith at Home
- Wishcraft
- First Things First
- Dear Fatty
- Jane Austen: A Life
- The Life of Charlotte Bronte
- A Year By The Sea
- Julie and Julia
Classics and Other Fiction
- The Tenant and Wildfell Hall
- Jane Eyre
- Wuthering Heights
- Vanity Fair
- The Age of Innocence
- The First Wives' Club
- The 158 Pound Marriage
- Backwards
- Nights in Rodanthe
- Disappearing Acts
- The Undomestic Goddess
- Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood
- Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
- The Memory Keeper's Daughter
- The Jane Austen Book Club
- White Teeth
So there you have it... .. I'd love your feedback. What are you reading this year? Which of the books I've listed have you read? What did you think of them? Should I just suck it up and read The Lovely Bones?
10 comments:
Tania, I love books too but like you I don't get to it as often as I would like. I have read some of the books on your list. I liked Atonement (film was more accessible than the book) but I do like McEwan. Most recentbook of his that I read was "On Chesil Beach" and I would highly recommend it. If you don't like child violence then "Kite Runner" will be hard for you. But I do recommend it and I also think you should suck it up and read "Lovely Bones". There is way less violence than you'd expect and it is written from the point of view of the child. Well worth the read. I am reading the "The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" the last in the Millenium series. I would recommend all three and the movies too. Just make sure you watch the Swedish version. I am sure it will be more true to the book than any American version. I won't take anymore time on your comment space. Maybe we'll see you in the new year...db
Happy New Year! I am sitting in Seattle with a long layover, so I decided to try catch up on my blurfing! Really, why ever would one read when there is rubber that needs to be inked?! HA HA HA I know what you mean, though! My reading has gone downhill, too. Good luck with your goal!
Tania,
I loved Age of Innocence! I also liked The Kite Runner, but thought Khaled's second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns was much better. You have several on your list I am very fond of - The Other Boelyn Girl, Time Traveler's Wife and Under a Tuscan Sun. I could not get into Atonement. Got to page 70 and never made it any further and I really like Ian McEwan. Hope you like it better than I did.
I have big reading goals like this year and I hope at least 30 of the books I read come from my "stash" of unread books. Hope you will stop by my blog and check out my reading plans for 2011.
Oh I'd love a crack at reading some of those books - care to invite me over for an afternoon of coffee and reading?
Do I have to determine my 40 (I'm sticking with the original number) now? Can I just do that as I go along and ensure I'm meeting the 5 non-fiction & 5 classics rule? I'm hesitant to commit now because I don't know what awesome books will come along during the year.
Sandra
Sandra - and everyone - no, you don't have to commit to a set 'list' as I've done. I just wanted to do it that way so I will stay focussed.
Hi Tania! Love your book selections! May I come over and peruse your collection?LOL I love to read too. Great stress relief! Thanks for sharing!
I say don't read anything that doesn't grab you in the first few pages! I am a freakishly fast reader, I limit myself to one book a day, mostly sci-fi and non-fiction, but if something doesn't grab you and you feel like you are wasting time, you are!! It is okay to stop reading the book!
Thanks for your lists- I am for sure going to see if my library has "why I hate canandians"!
Books are the world! What a great resolution to make. I'll be rooting for ya!
Oh and I have some tip on what to do with the books you no longer want!!! Use the text pages in your crafts!
That's a GREAT resolution! I have a bookshelf full of books that need to be read too. Luckily, I seem to have gotten better at buying books at sales, but I love my local library too much to stop visiting! I never read everything I come home with, but always read a few. I don't think I've read anything on your list, but there are a few I'd love to know what you think of.
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