2011's Literature List

Like I discussed in my last post, and like I'm sure you are aware without my informing you, 2011 is now complete. It was...a lot of things. In my world, one of those things, when looked at through a literature point of view, was productive.

I started this list fairly late in the year, so when I did, I had a lot to add to it at once. Because there was so much from the start, I fostered grand visions of reading at least 52 books before the last day of December passed and everyone in Times Square started kissing their neighbors. I figured an average of one a week, especially since I was unemployed with a degree in book-reading, would be a fairly easy yet admirable goal to achieve.

But, like it tends to do, life had other agendas which were obviously too pressing to let pass, and I didn't have so much time on my hands. I still managed a final total of 44, however, which is pretty near 52, if my math skills are still any good. I'm pleased. I can't really tell, though, to what degree my pleasure should extend. I didn't make my goal, which leaves me feeling like there's something left undone. I also am unsure if I would have even made my goal had I not been so busy and could have devoted more time to reading. And I really don't know much about the reading habits of most people to be able to compare. For all I know what I accomplished could just be a'ight or it might be super human. (I'm really not leaning toward either one, not being given to extremes. I think I'm in the middle?) Not that how the population's reading habits stack up to each other really matters, but it's nice sometimes to know where you fit with other people, you know? And not that the quantity of books I read in a given period matters either. What matters is I did read something and my life was enriched.

Enough finger jabbering. I read 44 books in 2011. I'm happy about that. The aforementioned year is now only a memory, which means two things:

1. It's time to get reading and start a list for 2012.
2. It's also time to archive the list from 2011.

I've already begun #1 with Herodotus' Histories. And here we are with #2. My list of books read in 2011 archived in full. With commentary added. The post I present as it was the last time I updated it, with the added commentary in parentheses.

Happy reading!




Here is presented a list of books, or anything that I consider closely resembles a book, I have read this year. For the first five months of the current year, I was still an undergraduate. Therefore many of them were read with the fear of not graduating if I failed to do so, but I'm nerdy enough that I enjoyed them nonetheless. So much so that I want to read some of them again, outside of a classroom, where I can come at them from a different perspective. I will keep adding to the list as books are finished.

In alphabetical order:

1. Areopagitica by John Milton 

(Treasure free expression, truth, or books? This is a work for you. You'll fall in love with him just as much as I did.

Here's a quotation to tickle your fancy: "For books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul whose progeny they are; nay, they do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them."

Oh, what they hey, here's another: "I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary but slinks out of the race, where that immortal garland is to be run for, not without dust and heat."

And another one (I can't resist): "Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties."

Ah, Milton.)

2. The Beggar's Opera by John Gay

(After (or before) you read this, listen to a recording of a performance of it, because it is, after all, meant for performance. It will enhance the reading experience. The first person who needs to follow this advice is me. I haven't ever heard the whole thing. I studied this in one of my music history classes, but in the class we didn't study the whole thing. So I've heard only a portion. (On a side note, the English professor whose class I read this in really, really downplayed its relation to the wildly popular Italian opera of the time. He mentioned that it is often seen as a kind of rebellion against its more popular sister, but kind of shooed it away as being mostly irrelevant. It was one of the few times I wanted to say, "Wait a second, the bulk of what you're saying is quite fascinating and has plenty of merit, but on this one point, you're wrong! What do you know about opera?" I didn't challenge him, though. Here's to not rocking the boat.))

3. Belinda by Maria Edgeworth

4. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

(This book was published in '03. Like, everyone and their brother (amongst people who read books and who have any interest in the church or Jesus) read this book sometime in the 7 years between then and now, mostly within the first 5, I expect. But I didn't read it until this year. For the longest, after hearing about this book everywhere I turned and realizing that the circle of people who hadn't read it was growing ever smaller, I called myself a bad postmodern Christian. Which on the one hand, the larger hand, if you're in my head and are acquainted with my sense of humor, was really just a joke. An attempt at humor. On the other hand, though, the smaller hand, the scholarly and culturally conscious hand, was a bit of a critique. As much credence as I don't give to trends, I still wanted to read it. Because that's what I do. And a lot of people whose opinions I respected said good things about it. So I vowed to give it a shot. And that vow was kept this summer.

By the way, I liked it.)

5. Daisy Miller: A Study by Henry James

6. Deathtrap by Ira Levin


7. East of Eden by John Steinbeck

(This just might make you think about the first couple chapters of Genesis in a different way. If you're like me, you'll probably take those considerations and store them away in the back of your mental filing room when you're done, but it's always good to think new thoughts. Oh, and Steinbeck was a really good storyteller.)

8. Equus by Peter Shaffer

(This play was both less and more disturbing than all of the hubbub I had heard led me to expect. That being said, if you really like horses - or really hate them - you might want to keep this one at arm's length.)

9. Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, But Nobody Wants to Die by David Crowder and Mike Hogan

(Eschatology and bluegrass all wrapped up together in a quirky little metaphorical package. It was delightful.)

10. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

(Abandon all notions you have received from movies/popular culture. And prepare for your sympathy genes to kick in.)

11. God, the Devil, and Harry Potter: A Christian Minister's Defense of the Beloved Novels by John Killinger

(This is, I think, the third book of its type that I've read. You could classify it as a mix between literary criticism and well-meaning Christians wanting to reassure the world that J.K. Rowling isn't a minion of Satan. I appreciate their efforts. This Mr. Killinger has doctorates in both religion and literature, so he seems to be quite qualified to discuss the subject. The book itself is pretty outdated, as it was written after only four books in the series had been published. If you're not familiar with the world of HP, this could be a gateway to help you learn more. If you're like me, though, the plot summary may bore you. There's a lot of it. But on the whole, if the subject is close to your heart, a worthy read.)

12. Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott

(The first book by Anne Lamott I've read. I'm a fan.)

13. The Hidden Hand by E.D.E.N. Southworth

(Rollicking good fun. You won't find it on any classics lists, but it just might hold your attention and make you smile.)

14. The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding

15. Homegrown Democrat: A Few Plain Thoughts from the Heart of America by Garrison Keillor

(I'm not particularly politically polarized. But I do have a soft spot in my heart for Garrison Keillor. I liked reading what he had to say.)

16. How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel

(Don't be fooled by the title. This play isn't really about driving. It's about something much more sorrowful and frightening than driving. If you're fragile when faced with mental perversion, this may need to go on a 'don't read' list.)

17. Iola Leroy by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

18. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

19. John Milton's Epic Invocations: Converting the Muse by Philip Edward Phillips

(The professor who taught the class I took on Milton wrote this. Imagine that, a professor teaching with his own books and requiring his students to buy them. Don't mind my sarcasm, though. He's insightful. And the only English professor I had twice. I like him.)

20. King Arthur and His Knights by Sir James Knowles

(No, this isn't Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, but if you really like knights and jousting, it's worth your time.)

21. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

(I'm in love. And can't stop asking myself why I didn't read it sooner.

Here's a taste (English translation, of course): "The pupil dilates in the night and at last finds day in it, even as the soul dilates in misfortune and at last finds God in it.")

22. The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens


23. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

(Most women who read read this when they actually are a little woman. I didn't. Why? I don't know. Now that I have read it, I love it.)

24. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane

25. The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg by Mark Twain


26. Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

27. A Mask Presented At Ludlow Castle, 1634 by John Milton

28. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller

(I really love Don's affection for and the attention he gives to story. I'm a fan.)

29. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself by Frederick Douglass

30. Oedipus the King by Sophocles; translated by Robert Fagles

31. Paradise Lost by John Milton

(Had I not been a John Milton fan before I read this, I would have been convinced with this epic. The man's a beast. And really smart. And it's fun to see how he took the biblical story of the creations of the earth and hell and filled in the gaps with his imagination.)

32. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

(Oh, I love Oscar Wilde. He was kind of twisted (who isn't?), but he was bang-up writer.)

33. Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

(Western culture has been irrevocably tinged by this and I think most people don't even know it. I'm happy to be in the loop at last.)

34. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

35. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller

(Good book. I wanted to read it in 2010. I had heard a little about it, and I figured I could quote the man in a paper I was writing, which would have been great, because I needed another source. I looked for the book all over the place, but I couldn't find it. And I didn't have time to buy it online. So I scrambled at the last minute to find a different source. I found (a questionable) one that I was able to tie in and it all worked out. But after I read this over a year later, I almost wanted to rewrite my paper. I haven't done that yet, but I just might. I really liked that paper.)

36. Rees Howells: Intercessor by Norman Grubb

(If you don't have a solid handle on how God provides (and really, nobody does), you should read this book. Even if you've witnessed provisional miracles in your own life, it's always good to hear stories about God's faithfulness.)

37. The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells

38. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

(Think you know Robinson Crusoe? Do you know how long it takes for him to get stranded on that blasted island? Longer than I thought.)

39. School of Christ by T. Austin-Sparks

(The words in this little book, which is basically a transcription of sermons, are really good at helping to put Christ at the complete center of your life. Of everything. It might rock your world.)

40. Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller

(This year, I actually read this book for the second time. I read it the first time in 2008. When I read it previously, I borrowed it from a friend. But I bought a copy for myself this year, and remembered I liked it, but couldn't really remember why I liked it. It had been a while. So I refreshed my memory. Now I know. This book kind of blew my mind the first time I read it, and kind of did the same thing again when I read it this year.)

41. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

42. Song of Myself by Walt Whitman

43. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

(Umm....not what I expected. And not really in a good way. But Mr. Maguire is a great writer. And seems to love classic literature as much as I do. I'll leave it at that.)

44. The World of Music - 7th Edition by David Willoughby

(This is a textbook. A run of the mill one. For an introductory music class. But I read the whole thing (which is kind of rare for most textbooks of its type used in a college setting), so it made the list.)