One of my goals for 2009 is to read at least 1 book per month. In 2007, I read a total of 17 books that I can remember. Many of those were assigned reading for school, though. Early in 2008, as I was finishing up my manuscript, I was totally exhausted and just stopped reading for a little while. As a result, I only read 11  books this year. Sure, I read lots of magazines, web sites, news articles and so forth, but there is something important about a book. Because it’s a single work that has some continuity, it carries more weight than a lot of small, unrelated pieces. However, the books I did read this year were mostly good.

What I read in 2008

• Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi 
• The Florist’s Daughter by Patricia Hampl 
• The Things They Carriedby Tim O’Brien 
• Holy Cow by Sarah Macdonald 
• The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup by Susan Orlean 
• Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi 
• Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez 
• Intimate Journalism by Walt Harrington 
• Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Al Sanie 
• Letter to my Daughter by Maya Angelou 
• Comic Book Tattoo by Tori Amos and a horde of comic book and graphic novel authors and artists

There have been some pretty obvious trends in my reading in the past year. First of all, I only read two books  by men, and one was assigned reading. I’ve had a real craving for books by women. The literary world is so often viewed as being shaped by big name male writers, but the regular world is made up of men and women and quite a few people in between. So, while my teachers throughout high school and college assigned mostly male authors (not through any sexism of their own but because their works were considered classics), I’m sortof making up for that lack of femininity in my education by gorging myself on female writers. In 2009, I can’t say if I will seek out more male authors or not, but I will make an effort to be open to them if their books have something to offer me.

Another trend for me in 2008 was that I read several books by women with experiences in Eastern and Middle Eastern societies. As you may know, I’ve really struggled to understand the issues of the Middle East and religious conflict in general. This has involved learning some history about countries like Iraq and Iran. But history is taught and recorded as a series of facts, and it’s essential to have a multi-faceted view if you’re really going to understand anything. Nothing is ever as simple as a history book can make it look, so I’ve found a lot of value in reading about the experiences of women who have lived in these societies that I can’t experience first hand. I still can’t say I really get everything that goes on in the Middle East, but I do have a context for it now, and I feel like that’s a pretty good step toward contributing to a solution in the future.

When I lay it out this way, I can see that I’ve learned a lot in 2008. Now, what do I want to learn in 2009?I’ve decided to try and make my reading list for 2009 jive with my other goals for the year. For example, I want to build on my work as a freelancer so I can eventually bring in all my income via writing and/or editing. To that end, I am going to look for books by and about accomplished contemporary writers. Second, I want to have a really fun year, so I’m going to keep an eye out for books that reflect the kind of attitude I want to develop. Third, I want to always be learning, so I’m going to read books that offer a new perspective on whatever the topic may be, whether it’s more about the Middle East, yoga, health, travel, romance or pets. The more I learn, the more exciting life gets.

Today, I went out looking for the first book I’ll read in 2009, and I found Two Lives: Gertrude and Alice by Janet Malcolm. This book fits my idea of what to rea this year in several ways. First, it is nonfiction, which isn’t exactly a requirement for me, but it’s by far my favorite type of book. Second, it’s by Janet Malcolm, an accomplished writer who has written about one of my all-time favorite poets, Sylvia Plath (and that book is another one I might pick up later this year). Third, it’s about two authors who are also both women. Fourth, it calls into question the assumed facts of history, which I believe is an essentiall function of creative nonfiction. It is our job to question, to look harder, and to tease out the truth, especially when the truth is that there is no rock solid truth.

So, what are you planing to read in 2009?

Check out the updated Notitles Booklist.

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