I’m so easy to buy presents for. Just get me a CD or a book and I’m happy. Get me something computer-related and I’m ecstatic.

Every once in a while, though, my book-buying tendencies come back to haunt me. A lot of times it’s when I’m just plain running out of room. I certainly don’t need anymore bookshelves. I don’t really have room. But I have books coming out of my ears.

The pathetic thing about my books is that I haven’t read a large percentage of them. I buy them, plan to read them, and then don’t touch them again. Well, enough of that.

I have instituted the 50 Book Challenge. Livejournal had it for 2003, but obviously I’m not on Livejournal (nor would I want to be) so I was out of the running. Next year, though, will be a completely different type of year for me.

First and foremost, 2004 will be a year of the dollar. Yes, I am going to (try to) live on a cash basis. This means no credit cards, no extra spending, and no new anything. It’s not like this will change my “social” life much, because I don’t really party and spend lots of money on the weekend anyway. But what it will mean is that I will have more time to do basic things - things I already have and own and have planned to do … one day.

The 50 Book Challenge is a very selfish “contest.” I have too many books that are crying to be read. 2004 will be different. I swear. Although 2003 was a lovely year, 2004 will be better. That’s the way I’d always imagined life worked. Right?

On the list:

• 
  The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
  


• 
  Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
  


• 
  Best Evidence by David S. Lifton - on the assassination of JFK
  


• 
  Paul: A Novel by Walter Wangerin Jr.
  


• 
  Under the Influence by Hernon and Ganey - on the Anheuser-Busch dynasty
  


• 
  Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox
  


• 
  Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts
  


• 
  The Power of Mother Love by Brenda Hunter
  


• 
  Emma by Jane Austen
  


• 
  The Scarlett Mansion by Allan W. Eckert - on our country’s first serial murderer
  


• 
  Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
  


• 
  Lying on the Couch by Irvin D. Yalom (on Carol’s recommendation)
  


• 
  A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
  


• 
  Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
  


• 
  Jane Eyre by Charlote Brontë
  


• 
  The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
  


• 
  Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov
  


• 
  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  


• 
  Faith on Trial by Pamela Binnings Ewen
  


• 
  Slander by Ann Coulter
  


• 
  The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
  


• 
  Cause Celeb by Helen Fielding (’cause I got it for Christmas from Kristi!)
  


• 
  The Sacred Romance by Curtis and Eldredge (since Doug recommended it a long time ago)
  


• 
  Joshua and the Children by Joseph F. Girzone
  


• 
  All Things Possible by Kurt Warner (yeah, that one)
  


• 
  The Collected Poems - Sara Teasdale
  


• 
  Heirs of the Covenant by Susan Hunt
  


• 
  Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts
  


• 
  The Devil in the Shape of a Woman by Carol Karlsen - on the Salem witch trials
  


• 
  Pretending to be Normal by Liane Holliday Willey - on Asperger’s Syndrome
  


• 
  The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey
  


• 
  The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
  


• 
  The Wonder of It All by Bryan Chapell, the president of Covenant Seminary
  


• 
  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
  


• 
  The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
  


• 
  Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
  


• 
  The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
  


• 
  The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
  


• 
  The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
  

Okay, so that’s lots of books. The sad thing is, I own them all, and I’ve never made it all the way through any of them. This is a great project. I’m going to get started soon! (Huh. Just as soon as Javi’s site is done.)

Looking forward to the new year,

michelle