Summer Reading Achieved

10 books is a lot in a summer. At least for my schedule. I tried reading about 20 minutes a day, at least, and would often read for an hour or so. But there were a few days when I just couldn't bring myself to pick up a book - if only because I was doing other things, I was sleepy, or needed a break.

10 was an ambitious goal when I started on June 9. But, I made it before Labor Day! I think a tradition of mine might be 10 books between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Here they are, in order of completion:

1. The Green Mile by Stephen King
2. My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
3. Room by Emma Donoghue
4. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
5. What is the What by Dave Eggars
6. Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools by Glenn Singleton and Curtis Linton
7. In the Deep Heart's Core by Michael Johnston
8. Fist Stick Knife Gun by Geoffrey Canada
9. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
10. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

I enjoyed each book in its own way, with my clear favorites being The Green Mile, What is the What, In the Deep Heart's Core, and The Outsiders. I would recommend any of these books to my friends, though, knowing that each has its own purpose and diverse qualities.

I really like the experience of setting a reading goal and working to achieve it. It sometimes made reading seem like a chore, but I would always quash that feeling with the knowledge that finishing a book feels so good! Therefore, I think I will set goals for myself each season to keep my reading going.

My other "reading seasons" will be marked by holidays...

Fall: Labor Day to Thanksgiving
Winter: Thanksgiving to St. Patrick's
Spring: St. Patrick's to Memorial Day

For the fall, I only want to finish two books:

"A Game of Thrones: Book One of A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R.R. Martin
(because I want to watch the TV show and I've heard this series is amazing)
"The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver
(because I want another read like Poisonwood and Kingsolver will surely deliver)

I will probably read more than these - but I set the goal just around them because they are so lengthy and I want to make myself finish them. I hope to finish at least a couple of the books on my shelf I have bookmarks in halfway through, like "American Gods" and "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman.

But my goal will be to get through Martin and Kingsolver, with any other finished books being purely coincidental.

Here goes!

~MJ

10 Books in a Summer - Will I make it?

If I don't have enough time to blog about reading, can I really read 10 books by the end of August?

I hope so.

Reading continues to be a joy. I have read four books since the beginning of June and I'm about to complete a 5th.

"My Name is Memory" by Ann Brashares was one of those frivolous, escapist reads. I needed something lighter after "The Green Mile" and thought this paranormal romance (which, despite what reviewers said, is nothing like "Twilight") would be a good fit. It worked. I definitely enjoyed it for what it was - not a profound or stirring read, but a nice gateway to thinking about other-worldly things while not letting reality cloud anything.

"Room" by Emma Donoghue was the complete opposite. It was a story ripped from the headlines Law & Order style, except told from the perspective of a five year old boy. I read it in a few short days mostly because during the middle I couldn't put it down.

"Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall was a random book I found while aimlessly wondering Barnes and Noble one weekend. I was immediately intrigued by the author's focus on a native tribe in Mexico of ultra runners - a people who run for days without rest and are some of the healthiest people on the planet. The book also details some of America's super-athletes, ultra marathon races through the highest points of the Rockies and in the depths of Death Valley, CA. Every chapter had some story that blew my mind and it ultimately convinced me not that I will master the skill of running but that that we, as humans, can be capable of anything as long as we love what it is we want to do.

And now I am 100 pages shy of finishing "What is the What" - a gripping account by David Eggers of one of Sudan's lost boys. The lost boy actually worked with Eggers on the book. It is one of the most powerful texts I have ever read - so many short passages that leave me stunned, emotional, breath-taken, or simply taken aback. Eggers brilliantly weaves history, personal and gripping accounts of Deng's life in Sundan, alongside very modern American issues, conflicts over human rights, and the age-old literary arch of growing up. Simply, I still have not finished, but I love this book. In terms of how it has affected me, it is on par with "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver. Not only did it open me to a story about Africa, but connected me explicitly to history not spoken of in textbooks and affirmed to me why everyone else in my life has told me I need to read these books. Yes - both Poisonwood and What should be required reading.

And with that, I encourage you to read my next post, where I will simply relay two of my favorite parts of the book because they are most salient to my personal and professional life at the moment.

To reading,

~MJ