I probably wouldn't have posted this until January if Megan hadn't requested that I do it earlier, but she did! So here it is.
My reading theme for next year is threefold: for fiction, a different country each month; for nonfiction, feminist / Mormon studies / political philosophy books; and for spiritual things, the Bible. (Don't laugh at me for having three different themes; I'd be reading the nonfiction even if they didn't fit in, so I figured I'd acknowledge that from the beginning. And the Bible was actually going to be something I did this year, and then I didn't start on time so I didn't do it. I haven't read it through since high school and I want to again.)
Based on my suckiness at reading this year (since I discovered so many blogs to follow), I'm not going to be ambitious with the number of books. I figure I'll have one fiction and one nonfiction going at any given time, with the Bible going along in the background; and since I no longer read as fast as I used to, I'll probably pick only one book for each country and anything I read beyond that will be a bonus. (Which is kind of a shame, and makes me think that I might end up wanting to repeat this theme again another year since there's so much good stuff out there.)
I made a starter list already a couple months ago, so I'll be using that as well as looking for new things to add. I haven't decided yet what the country will be for January, and that's been holding up the actual publishing of this post, so I'm going to let it go now and add an update when I decide. Feel free to make recommendations, whether from my starter list or my Goodreads to-read shelf or your own reading. One of the criteria I'm using in my decision is how easily I can get a copy of it, so just keep that in mind if I don't take you up on your suggestion.
Is your reading for 2012 going to have a theme or goal? (As usual, let me know if you want any suggestions!)
I definitely seeing 2012 as having a non-fiction focus for me. Political, social issues, feminism, and parenting books are overloading my to-read list.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to read feminist classics this year. Right now I'm working on The Awakening by Kate Chopin. I read The Bell Jar and really loved it and it made me consider how much feminist fiction I haven't read. I think I'm going to do some Virginia Woolf essays next and then some Toni Morrison. I'm also thinking about some non-fiction. I've been wanting to read The Beauty Myth for awhile and perhaps Mother Wove the Morning. (Although I'm not super enamored of Sue Monk Kidd's fiction, so we'll see on that account.
ReplyDeleteI don't always read thematically, but it's nice to have a list handy when you're stuck with nothing to read. As always, I'll have to read for school as well and I'll pick up whatever is around. Very excited because I got a kindle for Christmas!
As far as suggestions, you would probably love Reguge by Terry Tempest Williams. She's Mormon and a feminist (ecofeminist would also be appropriate) but the book is about her dealing with her sense of place as the Great Salt Lake rises in conjunction with her mother's cancer diagnosis. It's absolutely wonderful and I'm always shocked that it isn't more popular because it's one of the best books I read this year.
That sounds really interesting, Lauren. In fact, I think I might remember having heard it mentioned in a couple posts in the Bloggernacle about feminist reading? They all said the same thing, that it's not as popular as it should be. I'm definitely interested in checking it out.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I was actually starting to wonder if I should just skip a fiction theme and make 2012 about feminist reading--which is pretty much what it's going to be anyway. I've been really excited about the different country every month thing, but if next year is anything like the second half of this year has been, fiction is going to get totally thrown under the bus in favor of all the amazing feminist / Mormon studies that's on my list, so maybe I should save that theme for when I can really do it justice... 2013? I hate to put it off that long, especially because I know in that time I'll come up with other themes I want to do, too. But it might be the most practical thing to do. I'll have to think about it.
I can't give up fiction entirely. There's tons of great feminist fiction and I just don't enjoy non-fiction as much. I need character. I keep my themes pretty loose. I don't like feeling confined and come summer I'll need a trashy mystery.
ReplyDeleteOh, I wouldn't be giving up fiction. I could never do that and I wouldn't want to! I would just be giving up the theme, just for this year, because I know the stronger emphasis is going to be on nonfiction reading and I don't want to waste such a good theme on a year when I'll maybe only be reading one fiction book a month or something like that. I need to check out feminist fiction, too--it actually only just occurred to me yesterday that that exists! I came across this list on Goodreads and got really excited to check some of this out. The Bell Jar has been on my list for probably six or seven years now, and I really need to get to it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your reading list/theme this year. I took a class on Mormonism in college and still have the book from it- you can glance through and do a quick read thru next time you're up, or just borrow it and bring it back some other time. The teacher was great- he was always testing Mormon culture, like taking the Sacrament with his left hand- threw a lot of people for a loop, but it's not a bad thing.
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