When I was a kid, when we put more on our plate than we could eat, my dad would say, “Guess your eyes are bigger than your stomach.” That’s the way I feel when I survey my bookshelf and plan what books to move to the top of my reading list. I want to read them ALL! And I want to re-read my favorites. So making a list is an exercise in delusions of grandeur. Although I desperately want to devour them all, I have to narrow it down to a few dozen choices, knowing that there will be new releases and “hot” books hitting the bookstore shelves again this year. And that one-click button on Amazon is sooooo easy.
So this list is a loose outline of what I hope to read in the next twelve months, words that will nourish my spirit, give me a laugh or two, and prod me to be a better writer myself.
- When Sparrows Fall by Meg Moseley (I’ve already started this one and am loving it)
- The Bungalow by Sarah Jio
- Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls (on last year’s list – didn’t get to it)
- There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones
- From This Day Forward by Margaret Daley
- Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (also one I didn’t get to last year)
- The Girl Who Chased The Moon and Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (recommended by a friend whose literary taste I trust)
- Mother of Pearl by Kellie Gilbert (will have to wait as this is a September release)
- Lilacs in Bloom and The Daughter’s Walk by Jane Kirkpatrick
These are the books I have or know about. Charles Martin has a new one coming out and will likely move to the top of the pile the minute I get my hands on it. I also have three of Elizabeth Berg’s books that I want to sink into – I love her voice and lovely stories.
I also want to revisit my Anne Tyler collection – I’m thinking The Accidental Tourist and Back When We Were Grownups. It’s been too long since I’ve enjoyed one of her books.
Now for a fun surprise:
What books were on the NYT Bestsellers List on this week in January, 1952?
No. 1 – The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
No. 8 – From Here to Eternity by James Jones
No. 12 – The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
Sixty years and these are still beloved. Classics, I suppose, by now. I’ll think I’ll add The Catcher in the Rye to my 2012 list.
How do you choose what books you want to read? Friend recommendations? Best-seller lists? Classics? Do you ever read books more than once?
2012 is off to a great start! What’s the first book you want to read?