Reads in 2013

Here, a list of books I read in 2013. Looking it over, this is a fairly accurate sampling of the type of books I like to read, which is mostly young adult literature (being an English teacher I just can't help it!) and memoirs.

I'm hoping this year to spread my horizons to different kinds of non-fiction and more adult fiction. I guess I just haven't been ready to read about having kids and getting divorced and paying taxes and all that grown-up stuff. But who am I to judge what adult fiction is or isn't? Perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised!

Anyway, here it is:

January:

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin *

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson *

Growing Up Amish: A Memoir by Ira Wagler

February:

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell *

March:

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, and Broke by Suze Orman

April:

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

May:

The City of Dreaming Books by Walters Moers

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick *

Bossy Pants by Tina Fey

June:

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

July/August:

 None. Can you believe it? :( I'm blaming sweet corn season and wedding planning on this one. Camping, bachelorette parties, and planning for school might also be culprits? Fun, but yikes!

September:

Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

October:

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

Unmeasured Strength by Lauren Manning

November:

Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly *

The Alchemist by Paulo Choelo

December:

Paper Towns by John Greene

The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon

Gaining Ground by Forrest Gaines *

* Denotes my six favorites, although quite honestly, there aren't many on this list that I didn't enjoy.

Cheers to a wonderful 2013 and for a new year of reading!

Prologue

“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must make time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” -Confucius

The beginning of each year, in the minds of the majority of Americans, is a time of new beginnings, rebirths, and fresh starts. As a highly goal-oriented person, I am among the millions who create lists of resolutions, determined to be “harder, better, faster, stronger” (as the Daft Punk song goes). But one thing I always want, and never seem to attain, is more time to dedicate to people and things that matter to me most. So as a newly and happily married, childless, and (mostly) stable person, the question is: what are those things?

Some answers are obvious: my family, my husband, my friends, my cat, my job.  And then we have other passions. These are passions that became hobbies that become "when did I last do that" things which are often pushed to the side for the sake of goals like working out, organizing, eating healthier, and so on. For me, I always think, gosh, if I had more time in the day, I would read more. But since I don’t have a time turner like Hermoine and Julius Caesar isn't around to create a new calendar, I suppose this year is as good any to truly and honestly find the time to book it.

To be honest, I feel like I’m always booking it. Matt, my husband, rolls his eyes at how I tend to book it in the morning: I sleep in as late as humanly possible and am therefore forced to rush through my entire morning routine, usually losing important papers, burning my bagel, and forgetting to feed the cat in the process. And after a long day of teaching and coaching, I book it home to make dinner, shove laundry in the washer, and grade papers before I zonk off to sleep.

But I’m hoping this blog will bring out a new type of “booking it”: a type that allows me to breathe, focus on my most important tasks in life, and give me the chance to read the books I choose. Hopefully I am reading these books while snuggled up with some hot chocolate and Wilson, my gray tabby cat. Or maybe I am stretched out on the hammock at our family farm, waiting for a sweet corn customer. Or very likely I am sitting at my desk at school, reading my Friday away with my English 10 students.

People always say reading is a chance to “escape from reality.” And while this is true, I also think it allows us to ground ourselves more deeply in our reality in a way that thus far in my quarter century life I have not found anywhere else. It gives me a new lens to see my world and how I connect with the people in it. I love talking about books and sharing and receiving recommendations. I love trying to make my world and the world of others a better place because of what I choose to read and perhaps, choose not to read.

So here is my blog. Whether through the blog, because of it, or in spite of it, I hope to read more than I did last year. In 2013, between planning a wedding, moving twice, earning a full-time job and coaching position at my high school, and numerous other adventures, I was able to finish twenty wonderful books. Can I double it for 2014? Maybe. But what I hope for most is the chance to learn about myself and connect with others through the books I read and continue to create a life that I deem worth living. And this, my friends, requires making the time to book it.

This is a blog about books and how they can make us better people. I am confident it is a journey worth making.