Reading Project

I’ve been thinking for a while about starting another long-term reading project. I know about myself that I don’t necessarily need to complete a reading project to enjoy it, but I like the idea of planning it out and following as long as it remains enjoyable.

As an example of what I mean, here’s a list of reading projects I’ve had going in the past (I doubt this is a complete list):

  • Century Project (one book published each year 1920–2020, read in order); COMPLETED
  • 20th-Century Project (one book published each year 1900–2000, read in order); not completed, lost interest
  • Willa Cather’s novels (read in order of publication); COMPLETED (though I DNF two that I didn’t like at all)
  • John Steinbeck’s novels (read in no particular order); not completed, willing to revisit
  • States Project (one book set in each of these United States); not completed, willing to revisit
  • World Project (one book set in each UN member states); not completed, willing to revisit

As I think about it, I’m probably not willing to commit to just one project, but I do appreciate having some structure when I’m not sure what to read next. I saw this idea on Reddit that the poster has a spreadsheet and cycles through categories. Tweaking that person’s list a bit, here’s what I’m thinking (for as long as it stays fun; this might work brilliantly and it might not work at all):

  • Pulitzer (most recent winner that I haven’t yet read)
  • PEN/Faulkner (most recent winner that I haven’t yet read)
  • Women’s Prize for Fiction (most recent winner that I haven’t yet read)
  • Nobel Prize Recipient (most recent winner that I haven’t yet read)
  • Time Magazine 100
  • On My Shelf (random number generator for shelf, then first from the left I haven’t read)
  • National Book Award (most recent winner that I haven’t yet read)
  • NPR Books We Love (need a way to narrow it down, maybe random number generator for year and book #)
  • Strong Sense of Place (first random one I haven’t read; they have a random generator)

Plus: I’m thinking of making my way through War and Peace and/or Les Mis one chapter a day (War and Peace is 361 chapters and Les Mis is 365 chapters, but I’ll start now-ish, not wait until January 1).

reading