The Autumn Challenge is done, and the Winter Challenge is here. The goal? To read some books that have been collecting dust, whether in my mind (as in “I’ve been intending to read that…”) or on my bookshelf (as in “That one’s been there a while“). This list isn’t so long as the winter days are short, but I’m leaving room for spontaneity – and I’m trying to be realistic about what I can actually get done. (Though with a Christmas Trip planned, there’s a possibility that I will be able to splurge and binge in a way I’m not planning for here…see, there’s that optimism creeping in…)

  1. Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux – Currently reading…a carryover from the Autumn Reading Challenge
  2. Pope Fiction: Answers to 30 Myths and Misconceptions about the Papacy, by Patrick Madrid – Another carryover from the Autumn Reading Challenge
  3. The End: Book the Thirteenth, by Lemony Snicket – We’ve been eagerly awaiting this book. The library didn’t have it on audio yet, and we’ve especially enjoyed listening to this series. We started reading it earlier in the year, and have made our way through all twelve of the other books. I’ve been trying to pepper my reading with kids/youth books, since I have all these nieces who are reading now (and I’m trying to raise my own bibliophile too!). One of Toddler-tron’s nicknames, in fact, is Sunny Baudelaire, after the youngest of the orphans. So this book sits tucked underneath Pope Fiction, beckoning me, tempting me, perhaps talking me into switching the order (so Hubby can read it while we’re on our Christmas Trip…ah, an excuse…).
  4. The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis – I have “tripped” across this book enough in the last month to have it sitting on my desk, fresh from the library, waiting for me to devour it (probably during our Christmas Trip).
  5. Perelandra, by C.S. Lewis – Second in the Space Trilogy
  6. The Masks of God, Volume 1: Primitive Mythology, by Joseph Campbell – My aunt and I are going to read this together. She’s excited, because she is an atheist and values my input as a Catholic. I’m excited, because I haven’t picked Campbell up since becoming Catholic (though he did have a part in opening my eyes to Catholicism as the Christianity that got it “right” – call it ridiculous, and you’re probably right, but the Holy Spirit isn’t too proud to use what He can!) and my aunt has amazing insights.
  7. That Hideous Strength, by C.S. Lewis – Third and final in the Space Trilogy
  8. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, by James W. Loewen – I tried reading this during the Autumn Reading Challenge, but I just couldn’t dig it. But I’m sure it’s interesting, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it. So I’m going to put it near the end of the Winter Challenge and see how it works. Maybe a hot mug of cider or a steaming cup of cocoa will help it settle in and become appealing…

There are a bunch of books my sister-in-law (the only person I know other than Julie who reads the way I do – and actually she kicks my hiney on reading!) lent me and one that a guy from church asks me about every other week if I’ve read yet (and I want to – Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods – I just haven’t made time), so I will supplement with those and with audiobooks. This is a pretty light list, in part because I’m not sure how the Primitive Mythology discussion will go with sucking all my reading time. There’s also this need to leave a cushion for spontaneous reading…and a suspicion that the Spring Reading Challenge will be starting far sooner than it feels like today, with first snow and high temp somewhere around 30.

Tags: Catholic, Christian, Book Reviews