52 in 52
“Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep; for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as the latter.”― Paxton HoodA few days ago, as I was looking over booklists for 2014 reading possibilities, I heard about '52 in 52' - a group of people setting a goal to read a book a week. You can go HERE to check it out.
January 1, 2013 found me making a list of every single book I wanted to read that year; December 31, 2013 found me failing miserably. Maybe it was the over-planning; maybe it was the 6 week road trip, selling the house, buying the house, and the holidays descending upon us. Anyway, that plan didn't work too slick, so this year I've got a simple goal - 52 in 52. I took suggested titles from Gretchen, Becky and others, went online to my local library and did some requesting, stopped by today and checked out an armful. I'm thinking this might work better to make a list of 3 months' worth of books now, and the end of March I'll line up more. 12 for now and 40 to go.
Side note: I decided a few years ago to read all the Newberry Award Winners. The list is pretty long - the award began in 1922 - but, written for juvenile readers, they are easy reads. I enjoyed quite a few last year, so I grabbed a couple at my library today. There are some WONDERFUL books on the list if you want to check it out.
Here's my 2014 - 52 in 52 - list so far:
#1 - Remembering Laughter - Wallace Stegner (finished!)
#2 - Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (Newberry), Jean Lee latham
#3 - Joyland, Stephen King (I've NEVER read a book of his!)
#4 - The Cuckoos Calling, Robert Galbraith (J.K.K. Rowling pseudonym)
#5 - Looking For Me, Beth Hoffman (wrote Saving CeeCee Honeycutt)
#6 - Onion John (Newberry), Joseph Krumgold
#7 - Thunder and Rain, Charles Martin
#8 - Silver Star, Jennette Walls
#9 - 100 Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (can't wait for this one!)
#10 - The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
#11 - Unglued, Lysa Terkeurst
#12 - The Last Time I Was Me, Cathy Lamb
I have plenty of open spaces, so any suggestions? I love historical fiction and classics. A girly beach-read now and then is okay too. I'm not Fifty Shades of Gray or the Twilight series type.
And if you need suggestions: has everyone heard of Good Reads? It's just what it says. A group of people - actually a really big group of people - who all love to read. It's a virtual place to keep track of what you've read, see what everyone else is reading, and read their book reviews. Because life is too short, and there are too many great books, to waste time on junk.
Happy reading.
Comments
Glass Castles - a true story of a young girl growing up with the most disfunctional parents one can imagine. No abuse, just extreme neglect. It's really a story of the amazing resourcefulness and tenacity of even the smallest childrren.
Cold Sassy Tree - set in 1910 Georgia. Some of the richest characters I've ever read.
A Grown Up Kind of Pretty - A new author for me. Her southern fiction is one of a kind. Love the characters.
Happy reading! Hope to see you around the 52 Books facebook or web page.
Ahhhhhh reading. I love it. And since I'm "olden," I have lots of time for it. :-)
I tried to read lots in 2013. Reached about 73. I keep a Page on my blog, listing "Books Read in 2013." And just began another, for this year.
My list is not really graded. Personally, I always have a hard time grading a book. Oh I know when a book is SUPER, and can say that. But less than SUPER, to me, and I worry that I'm being too hard on the author. -grin-
Do stay warm! You are in the "real cold" and make me feel hardly cold, by comparison.
Wishing you happiness and health, in 2014.
Tessa~
(Upper NYS in the US)
"Here there be musing" blog
Mark of the Lion series (if you haven't read it, you MUST)
Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology (Eric Brende). I cannot begin to tell you how DRY the title sounds, but how INCREDIBLY thought provoking, intriguing, and endearing the book is in reality. It is soooo good. And any true bibliophile will be STUMPED by Mr. Brende's vast vocabulary in a most stimulating way. Have a dictionary handy (better yet, use some of his words on others and see if THEY know the meaning of them.)