Sunday, November 2, 2008

#25 - Read Every Book I Own

When I moved out of my old apartment and into my new house, I remember going through all of my books as I packed. There are some great books in my little collection, some of which have been read multiple times. As I was looking through them I realized how many of them I have not even read. I made a pile of unread books and they made up about 20% of my collection. It's a little embarrassing. I am not looking forward to the day when someone sees a book, asks me my opinion on it, and having to admit that I haven't a clue - even though it's been sitting on my shelf for 3 years.
I have this habit of starting a book and never finishing it. I will have time to read a chapter or two, put it down and then I'll get "too busy" to read and it will be months before I pick it up again. By that time, I would have forgotten what I read before and I have to start from the beginning again, and the cycle starts over.
I have set aside all of the unread/unfinished books and placed them in a neat pile by my nightstand. I am hoping this will remind me to pick one up and read it every now and then. I just wish all of them were the type of books you just can't put down. I love books like that. I found a great one this summer - Just Checking: Scenes from the life of an obsessive-compulsive by Emily Colas - just a random find while browsing around Barnes & Noble. It was fascinating and hilarious and I was reading every free moment I had. Definitely a re-read.



Unread/Unfinished Books:
A Long Way Gone / Ishmael Beah
Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences / Abraham Maslow
The Problem of Pain / C. S. Lewis
Mere Christianity / C.S. Lewis
The Screwtape Letters / C.S. Lewis
Possible Side Effects / Augusten Burroughs
The Case for Faith / Lee Strobel
MacBeth / William Shakespeare
The Five Love Languages / Gary Chapman

Currently Reading:
The Jungle / Upton Sinclair


Photo Courtesy of Montcopa.org