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Day 358: My 2017 Reading Goals

These are the only ones I actually have in my possession. 

I have never planned my reading before, and I know better than to try to tackle a whole bunch of books, or lay out a month-by-month plan. That would mean sure failure, because lots of books will come up throughout the year that shoot right to the top of my list. So I picked eight (but actually 14) from my extensive Pinterest board and semi-committed to them by writing them in my planner. In pencil. I haven't included any audio books, but I have a large Audible wishlist and I'm sure I could find some from my list on audio book at the library. 

Without further ado, here are my book goals for 2017:
  • Little Women - Lousia May Alcott. I had hoped to finish this one in December but I have probably 250 pages left heading into Christmas Eve, so let's be real. I love it, though! 
  • The Family That Overtook Christ - M. Raymond. This is the favorite book of my super-holy priest friend and he basically commanded me to read it and assured me it would change my life. So I'm a little terrified, but also excited. It's the story of St. Bernard of Clarvioux, written in the style of a historical novel, which is totally my jam. I can't wait to get started on this one! 
  • Peter: The Keys to Following Jesus - Tim Gray. I picked St. Peter to be my patron saint for 2017 (or did he pick me?). This book just came out, and has 10 chapters, so I'm hoping to read about one per month and try to meditate on it a bit as part of my personal prayer. 
  • Pioneer Girl - Laura Ingalls Wilder. How did I not know this existed until recently? I'm sort of counting on getting it for Christmas and devouring it with enthusiasm. 
  • Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling. I counted this as one of the eight I wrote down, but there's really 7 in the series. I think. I've never read them. They didn't interest me at all when they came out, but I keep hearing from both real life and online friends about how great they are and how they contain great Christian themes. I'm reading them as a screening for hopefully reading them with the boys in a few years. My friend who says I have to like them or lie to her claims that I'll whip through the first few very quickly, and so I hope endeavoring to read the whole series along with several other books this year isn't too large an undertaking for me. 
  • Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery. I am certain I read this as a girl but honestly don't remember it. Every. Single. Person. I follow online loves the Anne books and so I am going to give her another try. I bought the Kindle version a couple weeks ago for $0.81 and added the Audible version for an additional $1.99, and you can't beat that price for a classic. I think it should be a pretty quick and enjoyable read for me. 
  • The Extraordinary Parents of St. Therese of Lisieux - Helene Mongin. The parents of St. Therese of Lisieux were recently canonized together and I find them both relatable and intriguing. This book is available as an ebook from my library and I can't wait to learn more about them. 
  • You Will Know Me - Megan Abbott. This was a free gift for purchasing The Book of the Month club as a gift this Christmas. Subscribers can pick one from a handful of recommended books. I'd never heard of any of them or their authors, so I picked this one, which was described as a "breathless rollercoaster of a novel" about a murder that rocks a close-knit gymnastics community. It was free so I can't lose. 
That's it! What do you think? It may be silly to qualify this as a gratitude item, but maybe not really because I'm super excited about it! At the risk of adding more books to my list, what are you planning to read this year? 

Comments

  1. Keep us posted on how it goes throughout the year. I would love to hear which ones you like and/or recommend.

    ReplyDelete

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