For several years now
I’ve looked longingly at reports that friends post on books they’re currently
reading or recently finished reading. And I’ve wondered: How do they manage to read so much – and especially on such a variety of topics?!
I, too, love to
read; however, I currently find myself challenged in several specific ways. But I
keep thinking about needing to read more – like I used to do! So I recently
had this (liberating!) thought: Why not create a Reading List for 2016 (for myself) that
takes my specific challenges (and current interests) into account?!
Not too long ago, I
learned (from a friend who presents workshops on developing better reading
skills) that what I’d considered a weakness – i.e. starting several books at
once – is actually considered a strength! So I plan to turn one of my main
challenges (that of actually finishing books I start reading!) into a tool
to help me achieve my reading goals for this next year...
Two days ago I sat down and started compiling a list; I ended up with 13 books (two of them in both English and Spanish) plus parts of two
book sets that I plan to read (or finish reading!) during 2016. The list is
comprised of four categories that address my current challenges and interests.
These book titles also
highlight four main emphases for me right now: spiritual challenge; family
relationships; general education; and Uruguay, specifically our cultural, historical,
and political contexts, in an effort to develop even greater cross-cultural
understanding, while also developing greater appreciation for the phenomenon of
TCKs (third-culture kids).
Most of my list is available in Kindle format.
Books to Read:
No Hope but God: Featuring The
Christian Checklist
(“Claude L. Fly’s own story of his 8-month ordeal as a political prisoner”)
Books to Finish Reading!
I invested in the audio book, too, and have been listening (and re-listening!) as I follow along with the
print version (studying and questioning!) on the public bus to and from church
on (most) Sunday afternoons (i.e. those trips when JM and I aren’t “catching
up” while the kids listen to Patch the Pirate via earbuds). J
A Grief Observed (C.S. Lewis)
Eternity in their Hearts (Don Richardson)
He’s undoubtedly one of our most famous (albeit controversial) actors on the world stage. (In June, I wrote an extended post on why we love him!)
Books to RE-Read:
Peace Child (Don
Richardson)
Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors (Piers Paul
Read)
The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis)
I’ve loved these ever
since I first read (and re-read) them in third grade! (I read them that second
time in chronological order!) Although I caught snatches here and there as JM read them all with E (and DJ) this year, I’ve been moved more powerfully than
ever as I’ve started re-reading them as an adult. (I’d also like to
start reading these in Spanish.)
Books to Read with The Little People:
Pictorial Pilgrim’s Progress (John Bunyan)
(Joanne Brubaker, illustrator)
My Book House (Olive Beaupre Miller, editor)
I dearly loved
this 12-volume set as a child and young teen! And while I do not
plan to read the entire set during this next year, I do hope to read the
age-appropriate volumes for E and DJ.
I’ll undoubtedly be reading many more books with The Little People...
And I hope to post book reviews as I go along. And I’ll undoubtedly
add to this list, but penning these goals gives me a realistic (attainable)
plan, especially for finishing books that I’ve already started. And I hope that this post can be encouraging to other (would-be) readers, specifically in 2016!
2 comments:
I got Alive at a thrift shop recently. Tell me when you're going to read it, and maybe I'll join you. ;o)
Great! I will! (Thanks, dear friend!)
Alive is probably the one book, other than the Bible itself, that (in high school and university) most increased (and informed) my burden for Uruguay...
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