52 Books, 52 Weeks
There are few things in this world I love more than curling up and losing myself in a great novel. While in college, I rarely took the time to read for pleasure — but that didn’t stop me from adding new books to my collection nearly every time I set foot in Borders. Woops. After graduation, I got back into the habit and managed to finish around 30 books last year.
I wanted to push myself (and give myself permission to set aside time to read), so I’ve set a goal to read a book each week in 2010, and will be keeping track of my progress here. I’m also trying to read more foreign authors whose works have been translated into English.
- Infidel** – Ayaan Hirsi Al
- The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie – Alan Bradley
- The Princess of Burundi – Kjell Eriksson
- Faceless Killers – Henning Mankell
- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle – Haruki Murakami
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society** – Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
- The Gospel According to Coco Chanel – Karen Karbo
- The Sun Also Rises** – Ernest Hemingway
- Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us – Seth Godin
- Horns – Joe Hill
- The Man from Beijing – Henning Mankell
- Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
- The Big Sleep – Raymond Chandler
- The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest – Steig Larsson
- The Handmaid’s Tale** – Margaret Atwood
- The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag – Alan Bradley
Titles followed by ** are selections from the Madison Brazen Book Club that I started in November. If you’re in the Madison area and would like to join, check out our page on BrazenCareerist.com. We meet once a month, and it’s a great opportunity to meet some fellow 20-something book lovers.
Great list; I'm in the middle of Infidel right now, awesome book! It is hard to read of Ayaan's struggle without getting upset, but it is also very inspiring and enlightening. I may have to consider joining your book club, great choices so far.
May I recommend "Stroke of Insight" by Jill Bolte Taylor (20 minute talk here: www.ted.com/talks/jill_.... Amazing woman who had an unbelievable experience that left her with a new perspective on her own consciousness...
Also, if you are looking for a short book to read during a busy week, Edwin Abbott Abbott's "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions." It was written in 1884, and deals with a lot of interesting topics (including a brilliant satire of the Victorian opinions on equality and social classes).
Thanks for the suggestion, Nick! And yes, think about joining - it's a good time and very low key. I've seen Jill's talk before - what an incredible (and terrifying) experience. Her story is amazing, but I haven't read the book - will look into it! And Flatland sounds great; I haven't read anything from pre-1900 in a long time, so it would be a nice departure from my typical fare.
Well, you inspired me to create a Brazen Careerist account and join your book club. When/where do you usually meet? (I saw "Barrique's" and "the second tuesday of each month" mentioned... still valid?)
After finding out that Brazen Careerist was going to host the next Social Media Club meeting, I figured I should probably check the site out; it definitely looks interesting. Thanks for being an inspiration :o)
I've heard good thiings about the Kite Runner if you're looking for international. And I'd thrown in a couple books poetry as well for the extra flavor!
What was the book "Infidel" like? Is it worth the time to read it?
It was really powerful and eye-opening. I would, without hesitation, recommend reading it. She's lived an extraordinary life.
Ah! I didn't even really realize I was doing this but I guess I am. I really love the idea of setting a goal like this - and posting reviews on my blog has helped me stay motivated to read.
Great work! :) looking forward to more :)
That's awesome! It has been really motivating, but right now I'm a little bummed with the book I've chosen. It's really hard for me to just quit reading so I'm going to power through it tonight...then I'll have to check out your reviews.
I'm doing this as well. I love to read yet never seem to make the time... now that I have a goal, I've got 6 books completed already this year and am working on number 7! Best of luck, it's quite an undertaking! I also love your blog and look forward to reading through some of your older content.
Hi Stephenie! It's amazing what a powerful motivator setting a goal like this can be - definitely an undertaking, but definitely worthwhile. If you have any recommendations you'd like to share, I'd love to hear them!
Great idea but quite a commitment too! Maybe I could have a more realistic aim of 12 in 12 months? I go through phases of reading because I travel a lot of long haul flights from March to October - I read a lot when travelling. At home I don't tend to read so much. I really enjoy it though. I'll check back and see what else you're reading. Do you review them much on your blog? I wonder if you recommend these or whether they were just ok? Good luck with the challenge - and enjoy it!
Jade
Jade, in my mind, if 12 books in 12 months is something that you can realistically do and enjoy doing, then go for it! It's hard to stick with a goal like that if you're reading just to "get through" a book instead of taking time to savor it. I did a review of the Wind Up Bird Chronicle a while back, and would highly recommend any of the ones I've posted so far with the exception of The Princess of Burundi.
My personal faves have been The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (amazing and also the first book in a forthcoming series about the 11-year old protagonist, Flavia, who loves chemistry and has a keen wit) and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I'm looking forward to reading your blog as well - your post on Scrabble is awesome. I'm such a geek for word games!