Final 2011 Reading List

I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that I read 35+ more books than I read in 2010.  The bad news is that I didn't make it to 52.  I have a couple lame excuses for this: 1) I got pregnant, which made me more tired, so I started napping during my usual reading time (Nathan's naptime); and 2) we moved in September, and all of the sudden I could do noise-making things after 7 p.m. (e.g. wash dishes).  I was trying to catch up in December by finishing a lot of books I had started, but I decided about a week ago that I would only make it by staying up way too late every night reading (and this was the week after staying up way too late every night knitting).  And if I didn't finish, then I could get off to a good start in 2012 by finishing all the books I didn't in 2011.  So, I decided to give up and settle for a little bit less.

I wanted to read a lot of books that have been on my bookshelves for awhile this year, so a lot of these are the same type of book.  I'm hoping to diversify next year and get more books at the library from different genres and authors.  Here is my final list

1. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
2. The Paideia of God by Douglas Wilson
3. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
4. The Vaccine Book by Robert Sears
5. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 
6. Future Men by Douglas Wilson
7. Serious by John McEnroe
8. Start Your Family by Steve and Candace Watters
9. Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
10. Raising Children God's Way by Martyn Lloyd-Jones
11. The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer
12. Wise Words by Peter Leithart
13. The Facts on the Mormon Church by John Ankenberg and John Weldon 
14. My Life for Yours: A Walk through the Christian Home by Douglas Wilson
15. The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
16. Evangelical Ethics by John Davis
17. Reforming Marriage by Douglas Wilson
18. The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare
19. The Baptized Body by Peter Leithart
20. Holiness by J.C. Ryle
21. Robert E. Lee on Leadership: Executive Lessons in Character, Courage, and Vision by H.W. Crocker
22. Black and Tan: Essays and Excursions on Slavery, Culture War, and Scripture in America by Douglas Wilson
23. Face to Face: Meditations on Friendship and Hospitality by Steve Wilkins
24. The Family at Church by Joel Beeke
25. Let Your Life Speak: Listening to the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer
26. Clean Water, Red Wine, Broken Bread by Douglas Wilson
27. Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis
28. Generation Me by Jean Twenge
29. Based Upon a Lie by Robert Beaudine
30. The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers by Elizabeth Pantley
31. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
32. The Mantra of Jabez by Douglas Jones
33. The Fruit of Her Hands by Nancy Wilson
34. Seinlanguage by Jerry Seinfeld
35. Miserly Mom by Jonni McCoy
36. Husband-Coached Childbirth by Robert Bradley
37. The Wit and Wisdom of Robert E. Lee by Devereaux Cannon
38. Is Christianity Good for the World? by Douglas Wilson and Christopher Hitchens
39. Utopia by Thomas More
40. Much Ado about Nothing by William Shakespeare
41. Puritan Evangelism by Joel Beeke
42. Persuasions by Douglas Wilson
43. To a Thousand Generations by Douglas Wilson
44. Persuasion by Jane Austen
45. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
46. Family Practice edited by R.C. Sproul Jr.

(Not sure if I typed something twice - I'm only coming up with 45 on my paper.)  At the beginning of the year, I focused on reading one book at a time.  Sometime in February, perhaps when I was stuck on Pilgrim's Progress, I started reading at least two books at a time.  On the one hand, I think it was necessary while reading tough books like Pilgrim's Progress and Holiness.  But on the other hand, I ended up being totally unfocused and picking up way too many books at a time.  I'm hoping to figure out a happy medium for this problem in the coming year.