My Reading Goals: 2009
8 Jan
I thought I would lay out a few goals for 2009 so that I don’t have another pathetic reading year.
- 48 books total (4 books/month)
- Finish my Jane Austen goal from last year (basically, read Northanger Abbey and re-read Pride and Prejudice)
- 12 “classics” (1/month)
- Specific books:
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
- Peony in Love by Lisa See
- The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
- Something Rotten and First Among Sequel by Jasper Fforde
- The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
I think these are broad enough to meet with a few required books thrown in there. I figure I can make myself read one really daunting classic each year. 2009′s choice is obviously War and Peace.
These are interesting goals
I know I always feel that I leave the classics out too much. You´re really brave, wanting to read War and Peace! 
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I really liked Anna Karenina and it wasn't as bad as I had imagined it. I figure that if I read one of those overwhelming classics each year (like War and Peace, Swann's Way, Les Miserables, etc), I can start to get through them and then they won't scare me anymore.
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Those look like great goals! I hope you enjoy The Handmaid's Tale, it's one of my favorites. (Yay for dystopian literature).
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That´s a great strategy, Michelle! I´m a bit intimidated by the Russians
And dystopian lit rocks! 
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Well, now that you are officially an English major, maybe you can focus on dystopian lit).
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The Russians used to intimidate me but I've found that I love them. I've read probably 5 or 6 Russian novels now – Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Gogol. If you want a nice short Russian novel to start with try The Double by Dostoevsky. I really liked it.
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I´m reading The Master and Margarita at the moment, maybe that´ll get me into them. I´ll look for the double in the library
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I'm going around leaving comments on older posts trying to catch up from vacation and post-vacation business.
This is a very good list of goals. Good luck with War & Peace! This is silly but I've been tempted to buy and it and read it just because of how pretty the new translation is – it's out in paperback now with a gorgeous new red cover, and the blue version is still very nice too. 
You may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but that doesn't mean the cover won't make you want to own it.
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I have a very old copy of War and Peace but I'm ordering a new one to read. I think I'm going to get the Modern Library version because I want the Constance Garnett translation. But I actually think this cover is pretty cool, too. http://www.amazon.com/War-Peace-Modern-Library-Classics/dp/0375760644/ref=pd_bbs_sr_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231785625&sr=8-5
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That is a nice reading goal. Wish you all the best! I have 'War and Peace' in my reading list for this year too
I have the paperback edition with the red cover by penguin. But I think the Constance Garnett translation is a classic. And the Modern Library editions are cool.
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