read two books a month

“Next to Godliness: Finding the Sacred in Housekeeping”, edited by Alice Peck is what used to be known in the 18th century as a commonplace book, a compilation of book excerpts with commentary from the person reading and choosing said excerpts. It is very inspiring.

“Los 10 mandamientos del matrimonio” is a Spanish translation of a book written by Ed Young. It details the most important rules or “commandments” from a Christian point of view to achieve a long-lasting and healthy marriage. There are lots of good information in this book and I would recommend it in a heartbeat. Beware, however, that it IS written from a Christian viewpoint, so if you don’t like to read anything having to do with the Bible or God, don’t read it. On the other hand, I think you will be missing out ;-)

“Life’s Greatest Lessons: 20 Things that Matter”, by Hal Urban, and

“Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity”, by David Allen.

Both highly recommended.

The list:

1. “The Year of Magical Thinking”, by Joan Didion

2. “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding”, edited by La Leche League International

3. “Jo Frost’s Confident Baby Care”, by Jo Frost

4. “Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: the Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contemporary Faith”, by Marcus J. Borg

5. “13 Ways of Looking at the Novel”, by Jane Smiley

Now, I have to be straight here… I didn’t start to read all these books in the month of August. The only one I started and finished in the same month was Didion’s book. The other four I had started several months before, one before my pregnancy, a couple when I confirmed my pregnancy, and another a couple of months ago.

They’re all great on their respective areas, but the ones I enjoyed the most were Didion’s and Borg’s books. “The Year of Magical Thinking” started kind of slow, and for a time I thought it was going to be one of those books about yet another author wallowing in depression. Actually it made me think about the nature of grief but without “sounding” like self-pity.

The book by Borg was a further eye opener for me. I had already read, twice, another Borg book, “The Heart of Christianity”, and it made me realize that I can enjoy the Bible, and take it seriously, without taking literally, like when I was a child, what it says. I can also focus on what being a Christian is really about: having a personal relationship with God and developing compassion so I can carry out the second biggest commandment: Love thy neighbor like yourself. Both books are highly recommended.

Smiley’s book I recommend to any person who loves “serious” literature, and even more to those who fancy themselves “novelists” or at least “writers”. Her list of 100 novels is totally idiosyncratic yet helpful to those who want to become better writers and/or novelists.

“Keeping House: The Litany of Everyday Life”, by Margaret Kim Peterson; and “The Self-Esteem Trap: Raising Confident and Compassionate Kids in an Age of Self-Importance”, by Polly Young-Eisendrath, PhD.

Loved both books.

I decided to try to raed two books a month because a read few the last month and as I don’t have to study or to work until October I thought it’s the perfect time to start.

Well, yesterday I finished the second book for the month of June, “One True Thing”, a novel by Anna Quindlen. There are still five days left, and it is possible to finish a third one. Let’s see.

My initial goal was to read 52 books a year. That’s a book a week. I have realized that so far the most I can read in that time are about 40 books, and that’s neglecting other important stuff (like studying for my bar exam). So this is my new commitment: two books a month, and if I can, then more. But two books a month is the absolute minimum.

I need to read more books as many as I can.

i have to really crunch down with this. only a few more days this month and i am only half through 1 book. so tonight i will finnich the one book and focus fully on another

Read two books a month.