2012 Reading List Update

Last December, I wrote up a list of books I wanted to read in the new year. Now that the new year is almost the old year, how did I do?

Books on Writing:

• On Writing by Stephen King--the one book I didn't get too, now a high priority in January
• Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury--reviewed here; full of excellent advice (using examples from his own life) for writing

Books on Faith, where I focused on the Psalms:

• Reflections on the Psalms by C. S. Lewis--reviewed here; a bit rambling but quite excellent; I may reread this in Lent.
• Singing in the Reign by Michael Patrick Barber--reviewed here; fulfills the promise of a clever title.
• The Psalms of David illustrated by James Freemantle--reviewed here; a book I intended to read and then donate but it is too beautiful not to look at again and again.

Fiction:

• Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander--reviewed here and here and here and here and here* and here; an excellent fantasy series that I should have read when I was ten. My children will be encouraged not to make the same mistake!
• Chaos Trilogy by John C. Wright--reviewed here and here and here; jam packed with lots of mythology, science, pseudo-science, adventure, and erudition. I know I didn't follow it all but I had fun reading it.
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien--reviewed here--a classic which is now available in theaters in almost as many formats as The Avengers on DVD (I did not get the 3D Blu-Ray/Regular Blu-Ray/Regular DVD/Digital Download/Extra-Special Packaging (ESP!) edition)...where was I? Oh yeah, The Hobbit is great as a book but I haven't seen the movie yet. Maybe a dual/duel review to come?

So I think I did pretty well, just one shy of what I hoped to read. I did read a lot of other books in addition to these. The best surprise of the year was reading Jane Eyre, which is a fabulous book and probably the best I read this year.

The new ambitions for 2013? I'll have to mull that over, though I am thinking of English classics and catching up on the zombie books that have been accumulating in my collection. And the birthday and Christmas gifts in the past two months have a lot of good stuff (including Robert Alter's translation and commentary of the Psalms!). I'll probably post after January 1!

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*Okay, so this review hasn't posted as I post this post. But I did read the book in 2012 and wrote the review, just other more Christmasy things are being posted first!