December 18, 2003

The 50 Book Challenge

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

Posted by Michelle at December 18, 2003 11:00 AM | TrackBack

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