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Help Me! Reading Challenge 2016

Dear Internet-

Being a PhD student means a variety of things. In particular, it means that I spend a lot of time reading. Sadly (or happily on some days) it means I read a lot on a very, very narrow topic. And as much fun as reading about theology and the Holocaust and politics is (sarcasm loosely applied- some of it is actually fascinating, albeit maybe not fun), it means that in my scant free time I've stopped reading much else. Instead I spend a majority of my free time either on the computer or watching TV, neither of which is good to do before bed for an insomniac.

So here's my new plan for 2016: In the hour and a half before I go to sleep, I'm going to be "screen" free, relatively speaking. In this time I'm working on journaling and reading through the Bible via a 365 Day reading plan. But I also just want to read- and I have a plan.

What if I read 10% of a different book every night for 10 weeks? I can read about 20-30 pages per hour, but have a hard time concentrating on a single book, probably because I have to concentrate on one thing for so much of my day in general. My thought was that at any given point, I will be reading 7 different books for 10 weeks each.

And here is where I need your help- I need book recommendations. I have the first 10 weeks already planned out. My long read for the year is The Brothers Karamazov which I have been trying to read for years but keep getting disheartened by because it's soooooooo long.

The first 10 weeks look like this:

Sunday- The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoyevsky)
Monday- Discernment (Nouwen)
Tuesday- The Gospel According to Heretics (Wilhite)
Wednesday- The Trick is to Keep Breathing (Galloway)
Thursday- Yes Please! (Poehler)
Friday- Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
Saturday- Things a Little Bird Told Me (Biz Stone)

As you can see, this is a fairly diverse list of books, from fiction to historical theology to memoir to business (thanks to a recommendation from Jack). What else should I read??

Please tell me what I should read. Here are some basic guidelines:

- 300 pages or shorter (that's realistically how much I can read with this plan)
- not graphic novels
- I prefer non-science fiction and fantasy, although I've been surprised by some before
- I don't mind Young Adult fiction
- Kindle books are okay
- In general, not self-help books, the last thing I need while trying to fall asleep is a list of things I could be doing better with my life.
- Not a book I would read for my thesis (I have a long enough list of those)

Okay- I need roughly 24 books. Go!

Comments

  1. AprilDecember 31, 2015 at 4:52 PM

    Someone recommended UPSTAIRS AT THE WHITE HOUSE: MY LIFE WITH THE FIRST LADIES by J.B. West to me this year, and I really enjoyed it. I also liked OUTSIDE THE BOX: WHY OUR CHILDREN NEED REAL FOOD, NOT FOOD PRODUCTS by Jeannie Marshall. Both of these are non-fiction but read like a great story and a memoir.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AprilDecember 31, 2015 at 4:53 PM

    Oh, and for some real light and super enjoyable reading: Unabrow. It's a memoir from someone who grew up reading Sweet Valley High too.

    http://www.amazon.com/Unabrow-Misadventures-Bloomer-Una-LaMarche/dp/0142181447

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