Happy New Year

2016

Nancy Pearl in her book "Book Lust" writes this:
"Reading has always brought me pure joy.  I read to encounter new worlds and new ways of looking at our own world.  I read to enlarge my horizons, to gain wisdom, to experience beauty, to understand myself better, and for the pure wonderment of it all.  I read and marvel over how writers use language in ways I never thought of.  I read for company, and for escape.  Because I am incurably interested in the lives of other people, both friends and strangers, I read to meet myriad folks and enter their lives- for me, a way of vanquishing the "otherness" we all experience". 

Great comment as we enter 2016.

After a busy holiday season, I have had time to look over the titles of books that I read in 2015.  I track my books on a website called 'librarything'.  Since 2002, I have recorded  each book with a description and a rating. There were only three books this past year that I considered five star books:
"Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
"Falling Upward: a Spirituality for the two halves of life" by Richard Rohr
"Indian Horse" by Richard Wagamese
This pretty well sums up my eclectic reading habits- one classic, one spiritual, and one contemporary novel.

In 2002, when I began keeping records, I read 80 books.  Every year since then, I have fluctuated from 45 to 80.  This year I read 62 books.  I have recorded 926 books in total, so my goal this year is to reach 1000 books.

While reading another blog that I follow, "Giraffe Dreams", I realized that her favourite books for 2015 included my all-time favourites.  And I remembered how much I had enjoyed those books.  So I determined to re-read them this year.
That is how I am beginning the new year.
Happy New Year!