52 Books in 52 Weeks, 2007

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris: Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; Year: 2007; Pages: 400; №21

Love, Poverty, and War by Christopher Hitchens: Publisher: Nation Books; Year: 2004; Pages: 475; №22

A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage: Publisher: Walker & Company; Year: 2005; Pages: 320; №23

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen: Publisher: Picador; Year: 2002; Pages: 576; №24

The Buried Book by David Damrosch: Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.; Year: 2007; Pages: 336; №25

Boomsday by Christopher Buckley: Publisher: Twelve; Year: 2007; Pages: 336; №26

It's Superman! by Tom de Haven: Publisher: Chronicle; Year: 2005; Pages: 384; №27

Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel by Scott Adams: Publisher: Collins; Year: 2003; Pages: 368; №28

Love and Other Near-Death Experiences by Mil Millington: Publisher: Villard; Year: 2006; Pages: 368; №29

The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson: Publisher: Viking; Year: 2007; Pages: 400; №30

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13 Comments by Ben / January 1, 2007 / Posted in: general

Tagged: 52 Books in 52 Weeks, Bill Bryson, books, Christopher Hitchens

13 ResponsesLeave one →

Horizon
/ Monday, January 1st, 2007

I see you’ve got World War Z planned. Awesome book. I bought it a few weeks ago and just got around to finishing it. If you’ve never read his Zombie Survival Guide I’d recommend that too. :D

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Ben
/ Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007

If I like World War Z, I’ll definitely think about it.

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Josh
/ Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007

Just thought I’d let you know that I”m going to try and do this this year as well. Hopefully it’ll help me break my bad habit of attempting to read 15 books at once.

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Dave
/ Sunday, January 7th, 2007

What is the best way to do this and still keep up with your business/career based reading (and love of magazines!)

Or do you count books that are part of your career based learning (including textbooks, which we all know are difficult to devour in 1 week!)

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Heliologue
/ Sunday, January 7th, 2007

I’ve never really had a problem, as my particular field doesn’t require too much book reading. For the occasional English course which requires me to read novels, I do count those, yes—I’ve never seen the point in the rule which says that only voluntary books can be counted.

There’s no easy answer as to how you can best balance your workload and/or family life with a reading meme like this. It really just depends on your situation. My suggestion to you, however, would be to set a goal that’s realistic: it isn’t necessary to read 52 books a year if you’re really too busy to do so, and you read other material as well. Start with a number that’s more than you currently read—perhaps a book every two weeks—and spend the year doing that. If it’s a success, you can increase it next year, if you feel like it.

Remember, too, that this meme isn’t simply about reading the books. It’s also about reviewing them, meaning part of the goal is to do a bit of writing as well, putting your thoughts about the book down in permanent form. It’s a double-whammy.

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ozlady
/ Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

Dave – I’m in! This sounds like just the thing to get me writing more… reading I do – usually can knock off a book in a couple of nights! This sounds just super cool.

Can’t promise they’ll be literature worth reading – my tastes run to some pretty weird and wonderful!

Thanks for the inspiration!

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ozlady
/ Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

Sorry – I called the site owner Dave… :( How embarrassing. Sorry – it’s early where I am and I’m reading cross-eyed… not a good way to start! LOL

Thanks again!

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