Rules were meant to be broken

With officially one month till The 2011 Read It 52 Challenge begins I thought this would be a great time to share the rules. These are the guidelines that I am going to follow for the year of 2011 and hopefully, if anyone decides to join me they might follow the same ones. However, since rules are meant to be broken, following them is not a life or death decision. Read It 52 is around to encourage everyone to read a little bit more, and a little bit more frequently.

2011 Read It 52 RULES

1. Read 1 Book Every Week for 52 Weeks = 52 Books

2. Books don't need to be long, or complex. Any book will do.

(However, reading a whole year a Children's book would be kind of cheating)

3. You can reread a book, but it must be started during the 2011 Read It 52 Challenge

4. Fiction, Non Fiction... doesn't matter.

5. Keep to a minimum of one book a week

5. Have fun!

So there you have it. Simple rules. Easy to follow. Later this week I will share some strategies to keep this challenge going. Remember: Do what you can, and then PUSH yourself farther. 

Bibliophilia... That's ME!

I love books, I am a book worm... my roommate might say that I am a slightly obsessed (which would be using the term bibliomania, which I am not) I love libraries, I check out books all of the time. However, there is nothing quite as nice as owning books that you love to read! Knowing you can dog ear it, and fold the cover back, which I just don't feel comfortable doing with library books. I try to only buy books that I love, but I do enjoy a good trip to the thrift store or bargain section and buying a few books. Some of my favorites have come from there. The best reason for me of owning a book is this it is always there, I can reflect, I can lend it out, I can revisit it, also I am horrible about returning library books on time!


I just wanted to let you know that you will see my reference the fact that I need to "put an order in" or go "visit Borders"... Yes I will visit the public library... but owning if fun too!!!

3 Book Added to the Challenge

If you haven't check out the Read It 52 Book List or the Read It 52 Calender you may not have knows that I have picked my first 3 books for the Read It 52 Challenge! I am really excited for 2011 to get here!!! I've got to place a few orders for books, check the availably of my local library, and find some books that I own. I want to pull every book that I've decided that I am to read so that when 2011 is here I can jump right in! Make sure to share you sections with me and check out mine!

Tuesday Tops

Today is Tuesday and it is also the first installment of "Tuesday Tops". Every Tuesday I will check out the books that are on top of the New York Times Bestseller List and other Bestseller Lists. From there I will investigate these book and I will add those book that look interesting to my List of Possible Reads for the 2011 Read It 52 Challenge.

From the New York Times Bestseller List:

(all descriptions came from New York Times Bestseller List)

**All books are in the number one (#1) spot this week**

Hardcover Fiction: THE CONFESSION, by John Grisham
     "A man who committed a despicable crime but allowed another to be sent to death row in his place now wants to admit his guilt, but must convince the authorities he’s telling the truth."
My thoughts: I've never read any of John Grisham's books. I know that many people enjoy them, I guess I just see them as Grocery Store Books. I know that is wrong. I pledge that I will read at least one of his books during the Read It 52 Challenge.





Hardcover Non Fiction: LIFE, by Keith Richards with James Fox
     "The Rolling Stones guitarist’s revealing autobiography is also a portrait of the era when rock ’n’ roll came of age, with the music itself as the book’s core."
My thoughts: I can't say that I am a big Rolling Stones fan, so I am not sure I would find this interesting. On that note, I would like to say that I will read anything once, and while I will give this book that same cutesy I will not be trying to fit this in to my challenge







Paperback (Trade) Fiction: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, by Stieg Larsson 
     "A hacker and a journalist investigate the disappearance of a Swedish heiress.

My thoughts: I have been wanting to read this book for a long time! My friends say that it is very good. I am going to make a commitment here and make this the first book in my Read It 52 Challenge!!!!!!







Paperback Non Fiction: EAT, PRAY, LOVE, by Elizabeth Gilbert
     "A writer’s journey in search of self takes her to Italy, India and Indonesia."
My thoughts: I have read this book when my sister gave it to me as a birthday gift in 2006. I LOVE IT! I would recommended it to anyone!!!!!!!!

Books I Love - The Pillars of the Earth

     I thought that this morning I would share one of my favorite books. One thing you should know about me is that I am not a very good book reviewer, so many times when I share a book with you I will share some information form various sources followed by some thought from me.


The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
     "In a time of civil war, famine and religious strife, there rises a magnificent Cathedral in Kingsbridge. Against this backdrop, lives entwine: Tom, the master builder, Aliena, the noblewoman, Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, Jack, the artist in stone and Ellen, the woman from the forest who casts a curse. At once, this is a sensuous and enduring love story and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a passionate age".-From Ken Follett's Page
     "The Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel by Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England. It is set in the middle of the 12th century, primarily during the time sometimes called the Anarchy, between the time of the sinking of theWhite Ship and the murder of Thomas Becket. The book traces the development of Gothic architecture out of the preceding Romanesque architecture and the fortunes of the Kingsbridge priory against the backdrop of actual historical events of the time."-From Wikipedi
      At 973 pages this book can be intimidating. Heck, the book is about a cathedral, but before you make judgement hear me out. When you are reading the book you don't think you are sitting through a history class on the architecture, you see the character experience life. There is mystery, adventure, suspense, even romance! This book keeps you attention and before you know it you've finished the book and it is 3am and you have to be at work at 6am. You know a book is good and that you enjoyed it when you finish it and you feel like you have lost a friend. I lost a friend that night, but at least I can always read it again!

My Bookshelf

One thing that is important to every book collection is the bookshelf. It holds all of these great adventures just waiting to be read. A great bookshelf makes our books standout and acts as a showcase. I felt that if I am going to share this trip into my love of books I should share where I keep some of my books. I have more then fit on this one bookcase, but the rest are around my apartment and the majority of them are still at my parents house until I find I move to an apartment where I will be at for more than 1 year. I mean have you ever tired to move books? 10 or 100 books... it is a pain in the BUTT!!

I love this bookcase because of it's color (John Deere Yellow) and it's staircase shape. I think it is unique and fits perfectly with my room. It isn't really big, and as you can see I have to stack my books on every shelf. I have many books on it that I have read, and still more that I have not made it too yet. Hopefully that will change in 2011!

What makes a good bookcase?

What is Read It 52?

What is Read It 52? Well, Read It 52 is my new project to read one book per week in the year 2011. It's not 2011 yet you may say. I know it isn't, but it is better to get all my ducks in a row now than in a hungover state on January 1, 2011. What is the purpose of this project? I LOVE BOOKS! I LOVE READING! Sometimes I just don't make enough time to read. I also find the statistics in regards to how many books people read in one year disgusting! This news article from April 2007 is always in my mind. I am scared for our country.

I know that some people just don't like to read or that it makes them sleepy. I get it! I have a sister who hates to read and a  roommate who hasn't read a book since she was a freshman in college in the year 2005 (not counting textbooks). I even asked her when the last time she read a book just for the pure enjoyment. Her answer? "I don't know? A very, very long time ago." I'm not asking anyone to read as many books as Sarah Weinman, but reading that much would be SOOOO cool to brag about! I think everyone should read at least one book about every month. 12 stinking books! These 12 books don't even have to be War and Peace, even a small book can be amazing.


Just getting away from the Internet, TV, and our busy schedules to allow our imaginations to run wild is all I'm asking for. 


So here I am inviting you to join me in a 2011 full of adventure and imagination. You can choose to join me and read a book a week, or just try and fit more reading into your schedule. Anything has got to be better than having 1/4 of people reading 0 book in 365 days.


Over the next 8 weeks I am going to be preparing my reading list and adding the book into my Google Calender over on the right. Make sure to check in out. I am going to share books I like, tips I think might work, and other tidbits to get myself excited for this project.