What is it about a new year that fills us with excitement and fresh resolve and the idea that anything is possible? I couldn't tell ya, but this is what I know: I love making a new book list. It's like when I pull those books off the shelves and write them down in my journal, I'm giving myself permission to fully enjoy them without any guilt about the 600 other unread books sitting on my shelf. And this year, we are back to basics. No challenges, no bingo cards, just a straightforward list of books from my personal library that I want to get through. This is the longest list I've made since that very first year in 2015 when I started this whole thing (and subsequently failed to read even a third of the books on that list). My goal is to read 36 books so I wanted to keep my list to under 24 books to give myself plenty of freedom to choose re-reads when I need them or dive right into that new book I will inevitably bring home. With the help of my best-friend-turned-sister-in-law and nieces, I culled it down to 28, but that's the best I could do. Without further ado, here's what I plan to read in 2022.
President Without a Party: The Life of John Tyler : Christopher J. Leahy
Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency : Walter R. Borneman
Zachary Taylor : John S.D. Eisenhower
I Am a Church Member : Thom S. Rainer
Church Membership : Jonathan Leeman
What Is a Healthy Church Member? : Thabiti M. Anyabwile
Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions and Advice to Young Converts
The Knowledge of the Holy : A.W. Tozer
Present Concerns : C.S. Lewis
In His Image : Jen Wilkin
Measure for Measure : William Shakespeare
Antony and Cleopatra : William Shakespeare
The Hobbit : J.R.R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring : J.R.R. Tolkien
The Two Towers : J.R.R. Tolkien
The Return of the King : J.R.R. Tolkien
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes : Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
David Copperfield : Charles Dickens
The Optimist's Daughter : Eudora Welty
The Inimitable Jeeves : P.G. Wodehouse
Housekeeping : Marilynne Robinson
Skating Shoes : Noel Streatfeild
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory : Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator : Roald Dahl
Pardonable Lies : Jacqueline Winspear
The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag : Alan Bradley
Hum If You Don't Know the Words : Bianca Marais
I'm finally pulling the trigger on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I don't actually anticipate these being that difficult to get into, but for some reason they've always intimidated me. The Hobbit is one of my all-time favorite books, but I've never made it very far into the Lord of the Rings. A couple of these have been on past book lists, but I didn't get to them. (Looking at you, David Copperfield.) And as you can see, I added three books on church membership as Cody and I are right in the middle of joining a new church and now seems like the best time to read them. I'm excited to break into some authors I've been collecting (Welty, Wodehouse, Robinson), and I'm continuing two series that I've already started and really love (Maisie Dobbs and Flavia de Luce). All in all, it's shaping up to be a great reading year. I'm looking forward to settling into a routine after The Year of Chaos and getting the blog caught up.
I'd love to hear about books you want to read in 2022 or New Years' resolutions you've made for yourself. Don't be shy about posting those lists, short or long, in the comments, and if any of the books on my list grabbed your attention, let me know. I'm not the greatest buddy reader in the world, but I'll let you know when I start the book and I'm always ready for a good bookish discussion once I finish it.
From me and mine, the happiest of New Years to you and yours.
