I love to read. There's a level of peace my mind achieves when giving it's entire focus to words printed on a page. I don't find it in conversation, nature, watching films or many other pursuits. It's not that I don't find rest in those things, it's simply a different kind. One of the joys of the last month has been the unanticipated but much relished time I've had to read. The more I do the more I want to. As I traded booklists with friends for the coming year my mouth is almost watering in anticipation of the wisdom and adventures I would find in the dozen or so titles currently piled by my bed. So I've made a decision... I aim to finish a book a week in 2011. I can't wait.
I'm sort of cheating this week as I'm probably going to finish a few books I've been reading over the last month but hopefully it'll give me a buffer as I head into the new year. The fiction titles are (no surprise) dominated by Sci Fi and fantasy, and the Christian titles range from commentaries to manifestos to teaching.
Book one of my potentially overambitious challenge is from the latter category. Acts for Everyone Part 2 by Tom Wright. For the last two years Wright's Bible for Everyone series has dominated my regular study time so the end of this excellent book marks a bit of a shift for me. In 2011 I aim to read the Bible from cover to cover. Shockingly, I've never done this before. I always get a bit bogged down in the prophetic books of the Old Testament and skip over chunks. This year no more skipping; I will read it all! Book one of my 52 was a brilliant walk through the lives of the apostles Peter, Paul and others, and an amazing, inspiring and challenging account of the early days of Christianity. I took a lot from studying it and Luke and Wrights words have filled the pages of my journal with thoughts, realisations and prayer. As I put it down and change tack in my study (gone will be the ten-ish verses a day to look at in some detail - now begins the gauntlet of several chapters at once) I feel energised to approach God's word afresh.
So I know what book one is, I aim for the whole Bible to be book number 52 but what titles will fill the 50 between? Any recommendations? What's on your book list this year?