Tuesday, January 01, 2008

WooHoo!

Yay! Bill O'Boyle is the 2007 DII Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year. Go Eagles!

Reading for 2008

I'm not posting my resolutions, since they mostly all hinge off one thing: STOP PROCRASTINATING. The details I'll keep to myself for now. Instead, I've decided to post my provisional reading list for the year.

Most of my reading for the first part of 2008 involves finishing books I've already started reading. Most of the ones I haven't started were Christmas gifts (or bought with gift cards I received as gifts).

These are in no particular order, since I never know which one I'm going to feel like reading by the time I finish one, but I'll break them into sections:

Library books which need to be finished ASAP:
The Now Habit by Neil Fiore - how ironic is it that I've procrastinated on reading this one?
Body Language by Julius Fast - recommended by a writer friend. It's been good, but keeps getting interrupted by other things (like Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)

Books I've started and which must be finished (tagged "Reading List 2008" in LibraryThing):
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy : Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale by James B. South - I've popped around in the essays in this book, but I'm going to finally just read it straight through.
Close-up Photography by Michael Freeman - I like playing with the macro setting on my camera, so this looked like a good choice. Luckily, it was already on my husband's shelf.
The Conversation Begins : Mothers and Daughters Talk about Living Feminism by Christina Looper Baker and Christina Baker Kline - Another book of essays I need to finish.
Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life by Alison Weir - I sat down and read the first chapter one day, but I've put off reading the whole book until some others were finished.
I Thought It Was Just Me: Women Reclaiming Power and Courage in a Culture of Shame by Brené Brown - got this ARC for free a couple months ago and also read the first chapter, but put it aside for another day.
John Adams by David G. McCullough - I've now been reading this book for seven years! I don't know why I don't just sit down and finish it. Luckily, I've absorbed and retained it well enough that I don't have to go back each time I pick it up again. This year I WILL just finish the darn thing!
The Joy of Writing Sex by Elizabeth Benedict - Nearly done with this one, but just haven't gone back to finish it yet. Yes, it has a pretty blunt title, but it's mostly addressing the issue of "When you can say anything, what DO you say" in love scenes.
The Key : How to Write Damn Good Fiction using the Power of Myth by James N. Frey - Mostly based on Joseph Campbell's Hero of a Thousand Faces, but boiled down to the basics for the purposes of plotting.
Nikon D40/D40x Digital Field Guide by David D. Busch - so I can understand all the little do-dads on my camera. Using it on Auto is fine, but it feels a bit like driving a Ferrari in second gear.
Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher - I keep putting this one down because it's a bit depressing and scary, but I feel it's something I should read as the mother of a girl.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King - Given to me by a writer friend, and I just never have finished it for some reason, despite the fact that I'm not far from the end.
Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style by Arthur Plotnik - Looks like a good read, but I've been saving it for another day. Need to get it read!
To Kill an Eagle : IndianVviews on the Death of Crazy Horse by Edward Kadlecek - Borrowed from my brother many years ago. I need to buy my own copy and give his back. :)
Women Who Run with the Wolves : Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés - Another book I've been poking around in, in sort of a random way. I need to just read it straight through.

Not started yet:
Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University: 91 Days to Beat Debt and Build Wealth!
Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey
The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey - These three were a gift from my parents, one of my brothers, and his girlfriend. I know we need it, and I know we need to read it soon.
Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass - Friends have been telling me for years that I need to read this. I finally bought it the other day.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling - Haven't got this one yet, but I need to read it before I encounter any more spoilers!