So Goodreads is telling me I’m behind in my 2012 reading target – 16% behind, to be precise – and I don’t like it one bit. Plus, it’s December already!

Since I’m an engineer, I can’t help obsessing about numbers. My target for the year is to read 50 books. I finished 38 already and I’m now working on book #39 and #40. I’ve read more than 38, actually, but I exclude some from the list because they’re too light or short. That leaves me with 10 more books to go this month. Last year, I read the most books in December, so there’s still hope for me.

I think I can do it. No. I know I can.

noseinabook2

I just have to alter my strategy a bit. Maybe I’ll target books that range between 150-300 pages, and leave those 500+ pages biographies for next year. But then again, biographies have a way of sucking me into their world, accelerating my reading speed. The biggest problem, though, is that I don’t have enough medium-sized books to make 50 yet. Right now, this is my list for the rest of the year:

Currently reading:

39. On Writing Well by William Zinsser

40. The Prophets by Abraham J. Heschel (which I may have to ditch and pick up next year since it’s like…700 pages long!)

To read:

41. Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller

42. The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller

43. The Prince of the Marshes by Rory Stewart

I’m very excited about #41-43, so there should be no problem finishing them (#41 and #42 are arriving today via Amazon shipment. Woohoo!). But now it gets trickier, and the rest is still tentative.

44. A Governor’s Story by Jennifer Granholm

45. William Wilberforce’s book (long, old English)

46. John Newton’s biography (long)

47. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

And I still don’t have good candidates for #48-50. Need help. Any recommendations?