The 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge 2017 - My Sign-Up

How's that for some numbers? ('Tis the season to be ambitious, right?)

I read lots of non-fiction; it's a nice break from fiction, especially when I'm ready for some pictures and practical knowledge that can be taken (more or less) at face value. This 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge is my effort to capture those books in a meaningful way, and maybe clear out some of my TBR backlog in the process. If you're interested, the challenge includes a lot of mini challenges to keep things interesting (book bingo and whatnot), but I'll probably just keep my eyes on the goal.

For a while I was hot on the trail of a challenge that involved books supporting one's 2017 resolutions, but when I discovered it only ran through early February, I knew better than to apply that sort of pressure so early in the year! Even though it involved only 4 books -- um, no thanks. (Saying "no" more often is one of my resolutions. Yay! I'm off to a good start.)

Still, I have lots of books that represent what I want to do/learn/improve upon this year, so here goes: a longer list in a longer time frame, with lots of room for future books to be added. They're a fairly even mix of long-term TBR books and merry-Christmas-to-me recent purchases. I'm still feeling ambitious!

1. May All Be Fed: Diet for a New World -  John Robbins
2. Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better: Wise Advice for Leaning into the Unknown - Pema Chödrön (review)
3. The Art of Communicating - Thich Nhat Hanh (review)
4. Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in without Going Crazy - Joanna Macy
5. Communing with Nature: A Guidebook for Enhancing Your Relationship with the Living Earth - John L. Swanson
6. Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do - Wallace J. Nichols
7. Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds - Carmine Gallo (review)
8. Earth Wisdom: A Heart-Warming Mixture of the Spiritual and the Practical - Glennie Kindred
9. Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations - Thomas L. Friedman
10. Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection - Jessica Prentice
11. Human Heart, Cosmic Heart: A Doctor’s Quest to Understand, Treat, and Prevent Cardiovascular Disease - Thomas Cowan, MD
12. Fit to Ride in 9 Weeks!: The Ultimate Exercise Plan: Achieve Straightness, Suppleness, and Stamina In the Saddle - Heather Sansom
13. How to Be Alive: A Guide to the Kind of Happiness That Helps the World - Colin Beavan (review)
14. The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Room by Room - Terah Kathryn Collins
15. Walking and Light Running - Dr. Klaus Bos
16. Water: The Element of Life - Theodor Schwenk and Wolfram Schwenk
17. Don't Think of an Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate - George Lakoff
18. Love Where You Live: Creating Emotionally Engaging Places - Peter Kageyama (review coming soon)
19. Wild Earth, Wild Soul: A Manual for an Ecstatic Culture - Bill Pfeiffer
20. Staying Put: Making a Home in a Restless World - Scott Russell Sanders (review)
21. Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility - James P. Carse
22. Hope, Human and Wild - Bill McKibben
23. Kissed by a Fox - Priscilla Stuckey (review)
24. Water: The Element of Life - Theodor Schwenk and Wolfram Schwenk
25. The Flame Trees of Thika - Elspeth Huxley (review)
26. How to Re-Imagine the World: A Pocket Guide for Practical Visionaries - Anthony Weston (review)
27. Holiday - Stanley Middleton (review)
28. The Sellout - Paul Beatty (review)
29. Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness - Edward Abbey (review)
30. Deceived - Randy Wayne White (review)
31. Life and Times of Michael K - J.M. Coetzee (review)
32. Call of the Rainbow Warrior: An Environmental Fable - Twyla Dell (review)
33. Rites of Passage - William Golding (review)
34. A Brief History of Seven Killings - Marlon James (review)
35. The Art of Non-Conformity - Chris Guillebeau (review)
36. Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life - Karen Maezen Miller (review)
37. Brokeback Mountain - Annie Proulx (review)
38. Life Studies and For the Union Dead - Robert Lowell (review)
39. The Sun My Heart - Thich Nhat Hanh (review)
40. Advise and Consent - Allen Drury (review)
41. No Self, No Problem - Anam Thubten (review)
42. To be determined!
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