Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Dreaming of Books

I made a list of 20 books I'd love to read in 2012.  These are books I just *want* to read, not including multiple things, such as: the Bible, jotting down things from some I've already read into a commonplace book, or pre-reading and read-alouds for/with the children (although I plan to do all those things too). 

I'll be pretty pleased if I finish any 12 from this list -- a nice-sounding goal to go w/the year -- but even that will likely be difficult for me.  I am not a fast reader, these aren't light books for the most part, and with the other reading I do, this kind of reading has been greatly minimized of late.  Plus, I haven't even started a single one of them and January is cruising right along!  Realistically, this list probably represents multiple years' worth of reading for me, perhaps even if I read nothing else but these.  But I can always dream. :)

Here's my list, not necessarily in any kind of order.


20 Books I Want To Read in 2012:

  1. The Path to Power.    I've read a good deal of this but never finished.  Caro is an excellent author and an interesting man.  One of my favorite people has me excited about this again, partly b/c Caro's long-anticipated next book is set to come out in May.
  2. Means of Ascent.    See above, except for the part about having read part of it.  This is the second volume of Caro's biographical masterpiece, The Years of Lyndon Johnson.
  3. Master of the Senate.     Volume 3. 
  4. The Passage of Power.    Volume 4, set to come out in May.  This is going to be a lot of reading about LBJ for me to do in one year, and I'm not sure I'll really have the tolerance for it that closely spaced.  LBJ isn't my favorite character.  So we'll see.
  5. The Underground History of American Education by Gatto.  I've been casually wanting to read this for years, and my desire has only grown in that time.  I read part of it online, and shortly afterward mentioned it to someone else, who went on to read it and recommend it back to me, haha. 
  6. Anthem.    I want to read another book by Ayn Rand.  This one is relatively short, plus it's the only one on the Ambleside reading list (year 11), so I'm killing two birds w/one stone with it.  (I know, I said this list is aside from children's pre-read books, but the point is that I'm not reading them *solely* for a pre-read but b/c I *want* to read them, and if any happen to be on the AO lists somewhere that's just a bonus) 
  7. Bio of Ayn Rand -- not sure which one yet.    I want to know more about her, about why she was so opposed to religion, for instance -- and she just seems interesting.
  8. Here I Stand by Bainton.     A biography of Martin Luther.  I've been wanting to read this for some time also, to varying degrees.  Have read bits of it.
  9. Education of a Wandering Man.    Recommended by a couple people, and it sounds interesting.
  10. The Thread That Runs So True by Jesse Stuart.    Recommended by someone I respect, and again, sounds interesting. 
  11. Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman.     I rather feel like I've read this already b/c my husband read and really enjoyed it, and shared extensive excerpts w/me as he read it.  Thus far, that's kept me from actually reading it myself, ha.  But I'm sure it's worth reading. 
  12. Jane Eyre.     Highly recommended by more than one person, a classic, I've wanted to read for a while, and it's on the Ambleside list for year 10.
  13. The Great Gatsby.      I was supposed to read this in high school and I think I mostly browsed it for content for my papers -- just didn't interest me at all at the time.  But I'd like to revisit it, and again it's on Ambleside (year 11).
  14. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.     Another I've wanted to read for some time, also on Ambleside (year 10 again).
  15. Know Your Fats by Mary Enig.     Been wanting to read this to help me understand nutrition better.
  16. How to Read a Book.     This is on the Ambleside list also (years 7-10) and until I previewed an older version of it I was hoping it could perhaps help me read faster (I have an insane amount of prereading I'd like to do).  Alas, it appears that if anything its method may only slow me down, but it still looks like a worthwhile read and it interests me, so on the list it goes. 
  17. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.     Also about nutrition, Weston A. Price's classic work.
  18. George Washington bio.        I'm not sure which one.  I'll probably have plenty of time to decide before I get to it, though.
  19. John Adams by McCullough.      I've started this one too and just haven't finished it.  I decided there were some great quotes I wanted to write down, but didn't get to doing that, or to reading on in the book.  So I just need to pick it back up again.  I know I'll enjoy it.
  20. Unbroken by  Laura Hillenbrand.     Recommended by a friend and it sounds interesting. 


Right now, I'm reading the Duggars' book A Love That Multiplies.  No, you didn't miss it, it's not on the list!  When I made the list I was still hoping against the odds that I'd be able to squeeze it into 2011 somehow.  Plus, at the time I wasn't sure it fit the list very well b/c I wasn't that excited about it.   I'm enjoying it now, so at the moment it may even fit better than a couple books I did include.  Funny how that happens -- or is it just me?  Anyway, I obviously didn't get it done in 2011, but now I don't want to revamp my list or make it 21 books long, ha.
  
Which one will I read first, when I'm finally ready?  As the year began I thought I might start with The Path to Power, but now I might want something that's a quicker read since it's taking me so long to even get started.  And my mood is different.  Maybe Jekyll and Hyde. ;)  We'll see.

What books do you hope to read in 2012?

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8 comments:

  1. Ooooh, love the list! I would love to read Atlas Shrugged this year--and that's *your* fault! :) Education of a Wandering Man is not a difficult read, so you can "reward" yourself with that one in between some of the others.

    And Unbroken. . .well, you know what I think of it! :) To entice you just a little bit more, I recommended it to Trin Davis who read it and raved about it so much that both Jeff and Linda are reading it, my friends Rhonda and Lorri read it and sent me little messages at points of high-intensity, Destry read it in just a few days as we were on break from school b/c he couldn't put it down, and Briana is reading it and loving it. Just sayin'. . . lol

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    1. :) I'd love to know what you think of Atlas if you read it!
      Okay, okay, maybe Unbroken should be sooner rather than later. ;)

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  2. I don't take much time to read on my own. I read children's books often. :) A sister gave our girls several boxes of old books her children had used. So today I read "Dory Boy," which was an interesting read. And now I'm reading "Gentle Ben." :)

    BUT, A Love That Multiplies is on my wish list, for someday.

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    1. Yes, children's books are high priority around here these days as well. :) Haven't read either of those you mentioned though. Please let me know if you would recommend them, as I respect your opinion.

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    2. Gentle Ben is a favorite around here!!! About a boy and a bear--I read it aloud a few years back and both Briana and Destry have re-read it since! :)

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    3. Thanks, Shonya. I respect your opinion too.:) I'll try to keep that one in mind then.

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  3. I've read Anthem! Feel free to borrow that and also Jane Eyre (or did I lend that to you?) or whatever books you'd like to borrow! My alltime favorite books series is the Anne of Green Gables series, I can't get enough of it, and I recommend it to everyone! It's amazing.

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    1. I read Anne of Green Gables years ago and enjoyed it, but would like to revisit it. I bought a really inexpensive copy of Jane Eyre recently when I happened to see it at a book sale, and have begun it (only a bit beyond the first chapter though -- eager to read more). Thanks for the generous offer of borrowing both it and Anthem, though. I don't own Anthem but the person I borrowed Atlas from also has offered that one, so yours doesn't have to travel. :)

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