I’ve now finished 40 books since my last birthday. Here they are:
- Fear and Trembling, Soren Kierkegaard (11.10, philosophy, Lowrie trans.)–A
- Troilus and Criseyde, Chaucer (11.20, classic, Windeatt trans.)–D
- Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Richard Bushman (11.22, biography)–A+
- Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche (11.23, philosophy, Kaufmann trans.)–C
- Backwards and Forwards: A Technical Manual For Reading Plays, David Ball (11.25, literary criticism)–A+
- Candide, Voltaire (12.2, satire, classic)–A
- It’s All Relative, A.J. Jacobs (12.8, genealogy, humor)–B
- The Best American Short Stories 2017, Heidi Pitlor, ed. (12.16, literature)–B
- The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories, P.D. James (12.19, mystery)–B
- Rameau’s Nephew, Denis Diderot (12.21, satire, Leonard Tancock trans.)–C
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling (1.20, fantasy)–A
- The Way Things Are, Lucretius (1.24, philosophy/poetry, Humphries trans)–C
- A Life Without Limits, Chrissie Wellington (2.9, memoir, sports)–A
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling (2.13, fantasy)–A+
- Praise of Folly, Erasmus (2.17, satire, Radice trans.)–B
- Lightning, Dean Koontz (3.2, suspense)–C
- I Will Lead You Along: The Life of Henry B. Eyring, Robert I. Eaton & Henry J. Eyring (3.5, biography)–A+
- 40 By 40: Forty Groundbreaking Articles from Forty Years of Biblical Archaeology Review, volume 1, Hershel Shanks, ed. (3.10, history)–A+
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling (3.20, fantasy)–A
- 40 By 40: Forty Groundbreaking Articles from Forty Years of Biblical Archaeology Review, volume 2, Hershel Shanks, ed. (3.30, history)–A
- What Have I Ever Lost By Dying?, Robert Bly (4.5, poetry)–B
- A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes, Adam Rutherford (4.20, science)–A
- Talking into the Ear of a Donkey, Robert Bly (4.20, poetry)–C
- Godsong: A Verse Translation of the Bhagavad-Gita, with Commentary, Amit Majmudar (5.3, religion, poetry)–A+
- Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years, Sue Townsend (5.14, humor)–A
- Dust Devils, Robert Laxalt (5.23, Western)–B
- The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, John Le Carre (5.28, fiction)–C
- Seven Men and the Secret of Their Greatness, Eric Metaxas (6.5, biography)–A+
- The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, Margareta Magnusson (6.8, living well)–B
- Educated, Tara Westover (6.18, memoir)–A+
- Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card (6.23, science fiction)–A+
- Things That Matter, Charles Krauthammer (6.28, commentary)–A
- Thomas Cole, Matthew Baigell (7.2, art history)–A
- Wonder, R.J. Palacio (7.4, young adult)–B
- The Selected Poems of Donald Hall, Donald Hall (7.6, poetry)–A+
- Between Planets, Robert Heinlein (7.6, science fiction)–B
- Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, Bobby Fischer (7.11, chess)–A
- The Annotated Mona Lisa, Carol Strickland (7.19, art history)–B
- Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie (7.20, mystery)–A
- Art Explained, Robert Cumming (7.23, art)–A+
- Based on a True Story, Norm Macdonald (7.24, humor)–A
Also, I revised an original goal to write 40 poems, which just seemed like a chore as I tried to start it, with reading poetry for 40 straight days, which made me smile as soon as I thought of it. I reflected on the point of the goal in the first place–what did I want to get out of it?–and realizing that the experience here was more important to me than creation, I decided to delve into appreciation a bit more.
I started mostly by using the poem in each day’s Prufrock email, supplemented with other sources I know and like. Most of them were OK, but rarely did one really grab me. During this time, though, the great poet Donald Hall died, and as I saw eulogies online, along with quotes from his work, I was intrigued and picked up his self-selected greatest hits, and it was perhaps the greatest book of poetry I’ve ever read. Absolutely amazing. Can’t recommend it highly enough.
After that, I tried bits and pieces of other books and authors I’ve liked, but nothing really stood up to Hall. One awesome new take away from a project like this is more than worth it, though!
- Richard O’Connell, “Prospero” 6/11
- Morri Creech, “The Sentence” 6/12
- Elizabeth Knapp, “After the Flood” 6/13
- Charlotte Mew, “The Farmer’s Bride” 6/14
- Joseph Mirra, “Who Are We Not to Judge?” 6/15
- Rachel A. Lott, “The Parting” 6/16
- Jason Guriel, “My Father’s Stamps” 6/17
- Richie Hofmann, “Pictures of Mozart” 6/18
- Edward Hirsch, “The Unveiling” 6/19
- Scott Cairns, “Adiáphora” 6/20, A+
- Dana Gioia, “The Stars Now Rearrange Themselves” 6/21, A
- Maryann Corbett, “Creed,” 6/22
- Rachel Hadas, “Cold Prose” 6/23
- Joshua Hren, “The Lesser Angels of Our Nature,” 6/24
- Donald Hall, “The Man in the Dead Machine,” 6/25, A
- Micheal O’Siadhail, “Conversation with Messiaen,” 6/26
- Donald Hall, “The Reasonable Nap,” 6/27
- Richard Wilbur, “On the Marginal Way,” 6/28
- Elizabeth Poreba, “Kenosis,” 6/29
- Eduardo C. Corral, “To the Angelbeast,” 6/30
- Derek Otsuji, “The Ditch Kids of the Maui Sugar Company,” 7/1
- Geoffrey Brock, “The Day,” 7/2
- Donald Hall, The Selected Poems of Donald Hall, 7/3
- Donald Hall, The Selected Poems of Donald Hall, 7/4
- Donald Hall, The Selected Poems of Donald Hall, 7/5
- Donald Hall, The Selected Poems of Donald Hall, 7/6
- Ernest Hilbert, “Until the Sea above Us Closed Again,” 7/7
- William W. Runyeon, “Church Bells,” 7/8
- David Yezzi, “Learning the Piano at 50,” 7/9
- Thomas Cole’s Poetry, 7/10
- Thomas Cole’s Poetry, 7/11
- Thomas Cole’s Poetry, 7/12
- Thomas Cole’s Poetry, 7/13
- Thomas Cole’s Poetry, 7/14
- Sara Teasdale, “Afterwards,” 7/15
- Sara Teasdale, “The Answer,” 7/16
- Sara Teasdale, “Autumn Dusk,” 7/17
- Sara Teasdale, “Blue Squills,” 7/18
- William Wordsworth, The Essential Wordsworth, selected by Seamus Heaney, 7/19
- William Wordsworth, The Essential Wordsworth, selected by Seamus Heaney, 7/20