Three years ago, I took a look at my reading habits and discovered to my shock that—avid bookworm though I am—my reading was disproportionately of blogs, news stories, online articles, and magazines, rather than of more substantial literature. Therefore my first resolution of 2010 was to read more books. Looking back at the end of that year, I pronounced the effort an unqualified success: I had completed sixty-five books of great variety.
The next year, however, showed a different story. Without a deliberate and conscious effort, my reading list for 2011 had shrunk to a mere thirty-three books. I then resolved to do better in 2012, setting my goal at a moderate fifty-two, one for each week of the year.
Well, 2012 had its ups and downs, as the reading habit went. When I realized in mid-December that I was still two months' worth of reading short, I nearly despaired. But by searching out the shortest books on the shelves I was able to reach the goal. I don't count it cheating, as they were genuinely on my "To Read" list, but I hope to pay more attention next year and not have to scramble at the end.
One book per week seems both reasonable and attainable, so that is my goal for 2013 as well.
Inspired by my sister-in-law (whose book total for this year is a mind-blowing 71), I've picked out my favorite books from 2012 (in alphabetical order); the following are the thirteen I gave five-star ratings. I have no idea what the selection says about me.
- The Bone House by Stephen Lawhead
- Drive by Daniel H. Pink
- The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
- Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin
- How to Have a 48-Hour Day by Don Aslett
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
- Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood
- Let the Baby Drive by Lu Hanessian
- Life Is So Good by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman
- Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
- Manalive by G. K. Chesterton
- Summer at Fairacre by Miss Read
- Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Here's the whole list, sorted alphabetically. A chronological listing, with links, is here.
- The American Adventure #8: Smallpox Strikes by Norma Jean Lutz
- The American Adventure #9: Maggie's Choice by Norma Jean Lutz
- The American Adventure #14: Earthquake in Cincinnati by Bonnie Hinman
- The American Adventure #16: Escape from Slavery by Norma Jean Lutz
- The American Adventure #17: Cincinnati Epidemic by Veda Boyd Jones
- The American Adventure #37: The Flu Epidemic by JoAnn A. Grote
- The American Adventure #38: Women Win the Vote by JoAnn A. Grote
- The Bone House by Stephen Lawhead
- A Boy's War by David Michell
- Drive by Daniel H. Pink
- Earthen Vessels by Matthew Lee Anderson
- Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them by John Ortberg
- Except the Dying by Maureen Jennings
- Favorite Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs
- The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney
- From Pearl Harbor to Calvary by Mitsuo Fuchida (audio book)
- The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
- Haiku, Origami, and More by Judith May Newton and Mayumi Tabuchi
- Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn Rubin
- Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin
- Hoi: Your Swiss German Survival Guide by Sergio J. Lievano and Nocole Egger
- How to Have a 48-Hour Day by Don Aslett
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
- In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen
- The Introvert Advantage by Marti Olsen Laney
- Irish Fairy Tales by Philip Smith
- Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip van Winkle by Washington Irving
- Let the Baby Drive by Lu Hanessian
- Life Is So Good by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman
- Luke's Story by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
- Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
- Manalive by G. K. Chesterton
- Mark's Story by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
- A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
- Miracles by Tim Stafford
- No, We Can't by Robert Stearns
- Quiet by Susan Cain
- Scaling Down by Judi Culbertson and Marj Decker
- Scottish Fairy Tales by Donald A. Mackenzie
- The Skin Map by Stephen Lawhead (audio book)
- Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley
- Spiritual Formation by Henri Nouwen
- Summer at Fairacre by Miss Read
- The Stories of Emmy by Doris Smith Naundorf
- Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
- When to Speak Up and When to Shut Up by Michael D. Sedler
- Wonderful Fool by Shusaku Endo
- The Xenophobe's Guide to the Americans by Stephanie Faul
- The Xenophobe's Guide to the Canadians by Vaughn Roste
- The Xenophobe's Guide to the Japanese by Sahoko Kaji, Noriki Hama, and Jonathan Rice
- The Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss by Paul Bilton
Well done! I await your thoughts on Leaving Microsoft. I am curious as to how you would compare it to Mortenson's books. I found I liked Mr. Wood's book better, perhaps because he seemed more organized, I'm not sure. It's been awhile.
Sarah
In advance of the official review, I would say that in the main I like Wood's book -- or at least his work -- better, for the reason you state. It is too rare to find both great vision and solid business sense in the same person.
I find both authors to be rather too much full of themselves, however. John Wood does not seem like a pleasant person to live or to work with. I was particularly bothered by his abrupt decision to drop all commitments both to his co-workers and to his girlfriend, with whom he was ostensibly serious enough not only to live with but to follow when her job moved her to China. No attempt to work things out, to give her time to adjust to the radical idea and catch his vision -- just "my way or the highway" (never mind that his way was the highway). No giving his employer a reasonable amount of time to find a replacement and make a smooth transition -- just "Goodbye."
But one does not have to be good in all aspects of life to accomplish good things, even great things. And it may be said that full-of-yourself, aggressive personalities are much better at getting certain types of things done. Wood (and Mortenson, recent problems notwithstanding) certainly have done/are doing amazing work.
Do you want me to keep David Nichol Smith's collection of three lectures entitled “Some Observations on Eighteenth Century Poetry” for when you visit? It's short (about 80 pages), congenial (Nichol Smith says plenty of favorable things about people and few negative things), and easily read in an afternoon.
Note that I've updated this post to include a list of my top-ranked books for the year.
I may have read 71, but I don't do a very good job of retaining what I read. Something I need to work on.
That's why I post reviews -- I need the memory aid. :)
