After a very successful year of reading, I wasn't sure what sort of goals to make for 2016. I wanted to be realistic, as I'm expecting a baby halfway through the year. I have compiled a huge lifetime reading list, mostly made up of British and American classics, and I'm planning to reread everything I HAVE read if I read it before I graduated from college (I hope that makes sense...). So most of that reading will likely get done when my kids are in college!
Two friends posted
this reading challenge on my wall to inspire me in 2016. If I broke it up evenly, it's a book per month. I've already read two books this month, so I'm giving myself some space for June, July, and August! So here's what I'm thinking and what I've accomplished:
A book published this year - I think I'll wait a bit to decide on this one. I have a couple of books I wouldn't mind reading that aren't out yet, but I appreciate any suggestions.
A book that you can finish in a day - It might be Stuart Little or Number the Stars - these are two books on my reading list that I can probably finish quickly, even if it's during marathon nursing sessions in June or July!
A book you've been meaning to read - There are so many of these, and I have some of them here and some that I can get from the library.
A book recommended by your local librarian or bookseller - I cheated on this one. We subscribe to
WORLD Magazine and they not only review and recommend books, but they have a "Books of the Year" issue as well. I wrote down several books from that issue, and I settled on
Frog: A Novel by Mo Yan for this part of the challenge. I was initially intimidated by the character names (it takes place in China), and I'm sure I got some of the characters mixed up in my head, but the book was incredibly moving and kept me interested. It has to do with China's family planning policy, and it was a very interesting story. You can find World's 2015 Books of the Year (this book was a runner-up) post
here.
A book you should have read in school - I think this one will likely be
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I remember muddling through it freshman year of high school, but it was the kind of muddling you did to get the assignments done. I have always loved to read (a LOT), but I haven't always loved reading what I'm expected to read for assignments. I found that reading
Pride and Prejudice when it wasn't dependent on an assignment made it soooo much more bearable (and actually enjoyable!).
A book chosen for you by your spouse, partner, sibling, child, or BFF - This one is still up in the air. I may ask Matt what he suggests, but I may ask a girlfriend.
A book published before you were born - We have plenty of these! I have quite a few classics that I haven't read, so I'll be able to pull one off the shelf.
Emma?
Northanger Abbey?
Anna Karenina? The options are endless (I've actually read
Anna Karenina, but it was during or right after high school and I'd like to read it again).
A book that was banned at some point - I'm thinking
The Catcher in the Rye for this one. I really, really hated this book when I had to read it in school, and it's already on my list to read again.
A book you previously abandoned - I became very ambitious right before we left for our Thanksgiving week in Branson with the McDaniel family, and I got four books out of the library for the trip. I finished one related to World War II very quickly, then I started the other three to see which ones drew me in the most. I didn't want it to be another one related to World War II, but it ended up being that it happened. I finished that one (eventually) and didn't pick up the other two again for weeks. I started them both again and they are the ones I read so far this year. All that to say, I had previously abandoned
Bloodroot. After I finished the first two chapters of this one, it was easy to finish it. It's written in an interesting way (from the perspectives of different characters, who are family members in different generations). There's a sort of mystery related to the plot and it makes you interested to read the last section (you know you'll find out the answer there). It spoke to me as a social worker, as it made me think about the different situations people find themselves in due to family dynamics and learned behavior. I'm glad I powered through on this one.
A book you own but have never read - Like I mentioned, we have plenty of these. And plenty of books we have fit into more than one of these categories! This is where I am now, though. I started
The Hunchback of Notre Dame today and I really got ambitious - I'm reading it in French, too. My French is definitely rusty, but it's fun to try and figure it out as I go. I'm reading a few pages in English, followed by a few pages in French. I'm hoping to finish this one by the end of February, but I may find a more realistic goal is the end of March.
A book that intimidates you - I haven't settled on this one yet, but I'm thinking it might be
Crime and Punishment or
War and Peace. I also love C.S. Lewis, but I started
Miracles a few months ago and been terrified to pick it back up. It's just been sitting on my nightstand, untouched, for weeks. I have no idea what he's talking about in it, so it fits the bill in this category.
A book that you've already read at least once - This is another tough one. The first ones that came to mind are
Liberal Fascism,
What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us, and
Atlas Shrugged. I'm still not sure. Decisions, decisions!
Overall, I'm excited about this challenge. Challenging myself to read three books per month in 2015 was easy at times and difficult at times; I'm sure this challenge will hold the same. It's strange to be reading one book at a time (not that it's required for this challenge, but it's what I've been doing), as I usually read two or three books at once.
Are you doing any reading challenges this year? Do you have any suggestions for me?
