I saw this Reading Challenge from Callapidder Days at Piseco Mom’s place — I am REALLY intrigued by Piseco Mom’s reading selections. I couldn’t resist getting in on this one, so without further ado, here are my…

Reading Goals for Spring, 2009 (March 20 – June 20):

25 Books to Read this Spring

Books I’ve Read So Far (Links are to my reviews)

1.  Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today’s Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter by Steven Johnson — Hat Tip to Adesa — Maybe all these T.V shows and video games AREN’T dumbing us down.

Books Still in the “To Be Read” Pile (Links are to online reviews; I haven’t read them yet. I’m saving them until after I’ve read the books)

2.  Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi — My friend Jen loaned me this book and assured me that once I get into it, I won’t be able to put it down. I love books that open windows into other cultures, and this one is also about female friendship and literature. What could be better?

3.  In a Patch of Fireweed: A Biologist’s Life in the Field by Bernd Heinrich — This has been on my shelf for almost a year, since it caught my eye on a list of living science books. It promises to give a glimpse into a naturalist’s work in post-World War II Europe.

4.  March by Geraldine Brooks — I was introduced to this author by JoVE, when she reviewed Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague, a historical novel about 17th century England, which I read and loved. March takes place during the American Civil War, and focuses on the fictional father of the four March girls in Little Women. It won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize.

5.  The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly — I am a lover of murder mysteries, especially police procedurals. My mom turned me on, many years ago, to the Connelly’s Hieronymus Bosch series (yes, the detective is named after the medieval artist). I was thrilled to get the newest book in this series FREE through Paperback Swap. Great mystery series — not for the squeamish.

6.  Winter Study by Nevada Barr — My daughter bought me this novel by one of my favorite mystery writers. Each of Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon mysteries takes place in a national park. This one concerns a wolf conservation study in Isle Royale at Lake Superior.

7.  Angel Trumpet by Ann McMillan — I stumbled upon this historical fiction/mystery series through Paperback Swap. It takes place in Virginia during the Civil War. These books combine two of my favorite genres, and they are set in Virginia — how could I resist? I found the first book in the series, Dead March, very interesting. I learned more than I ever expected to know about how medical colleges obtained cadavers for study before legal means became available.

8.  Angels and Demons by Dan Brown — ‘Cuz Adesa recommended it. And she offered to take me to the movie when it comes out. Another mystery/suspense novel.

9.  The Known World by Edward P. Jones — This novel, winner of multiple awards, looks at slavery in 19th century Virginia. It won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize.

10.  A Widow for One Year by John Irving — Because it’s one of those books I’ve always meant to read. I hope I like it better than I liked The World According to Garp.

11.  The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell — Who WOULDN’T want to read about Jesuits in outer space? I learned about this book from JoVE; it looked too intriguing to pass up. It looks like a thought provoking, respectful look at the Catholic faith, as well as an interesting science fiction novel.

12.  The Ape and the Sushi Master: Cultural Reflections of a Primatologist by Frans De Waal — This looks like it might be fascinating. From the Amazon review: “Our culture and dominant religion have tied human dignity and self-worth to our separation from nature and distinctness from other animals,” he writes, arguing that this dualism prevents us from recognizing how similar human and animal behavior can be.

13.  Chance or Purpose: Creation, Evolution and a Rational Faith by Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn — I saw this on one of Willa’s blogs, months ago, and have had it on my shelf for a while. It looks like an interesting discussion of creation and evolution by a Catholic theologian.

14.  Ever Since Darwin: Reflections on Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould — Essays on evolutionary biology.

15.  A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray — I picked this up at the Book Fair. A bright red sticker on this book promises “If you like Harry Potter, you’ll love this book!” In this one, the protagonist is a girl. Definitely worth a try! (There’s a movie coming out in 2010)

16.  Freefall by Anna Levine — This YA novel focuses on a young woman about to do service for the Israeli army.

17.  Moral Minority: Our Skeptical Founding Fathers by Brooke Allen — I think I learned about this book through Sara’s blog. I always wondered why there was so much emphasis placed on our nation being founded on staunch Christian values when I’d learned in college — and from my agnostic philosopher father — that most of the founding fathers were deists. This book looks intriguing.

18.  Math Power: How to Help Your Child Love Math, Even If You Don’t by Patricia C. Kenschaft– O.K. — you knew there had to be something about education on my list. This seems to be aimed at parents of schoolchildren, but many home educators talk about it.

19.  Writing to Change the World by Mary Pipher — Because what wanna-be writer could resist this title?

20.  The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry — Because it’s time to read this wonderful book again.

21.  A Child’s History of England by Charles Dickens — I pored over by grandma’s antique copy of this book when I was about 13 and was fascinating with English history. I think it’s time to re-read it.

22. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt — ‘cuz Frannie recommended it.

23. The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Civil War by H. W. Crocker III — another one from Frannie

24. Burn Out by Marcia Muller — Hat Tip to VeggieMomof2 at Insanity, Table for 4

25. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin — Hat Tip to Jenny at Books, Just Books

Other Goals: I want to get back to read-alouds with the older kids. Reading aloud definitely doesn’t end when a child becomes a fluent reader. It just gets more interesting! The possibilities for discussion — about themes, character development, Big Ideas — expand as kids get older.