what are you reading next year?

A handful of the books are ones that I’ve read or skimmed through before but which require another (and closer) look; others are ones which have been recommended; others are classics, which – to my shame and regret – I ignored when in high school and college.

I’ve tried to get a descent blend of subject matter and literary genre: from books dealing with the flapper generation in the 20s (I’m looking forward to that one!) all the way to the “relation without relation” type philosophy of Alain Badiou.  Some books wax about cultural theory, others are historical, a couple deal with economics, some are essays, several are plays, some are fictional novels, there are a few biographical ones thrown in, and still others are theological and religious.  Admittedly, most of the books on my list are philosophical, but since I plan on getting my PhD in philosophy and teaching one day you can understand that I have to be on my game with that subject matter.  Also, the list includes works which may be no more than 80 pages to long, 1000 page behemoths.  In the end, I think there is a decent variety

I will say that there are two great drawbacks to my list.  Firstly, there is too much Western literature.  My reading of Eastern literature has been quite scant over the years, and I want to expand.  Secondly, it doesn’t have enough female writers – only Arendt, Plath, and Nussbaum.  Alas, the 2013 list will have much waiting for it.

But enough about my list…

-What will you be reading next year?

-What books are you excited to indulge?

-What books are your all time favorites and which you would recommend to me (my list is always up for revision)?

Enjoy the list…well…as much as a book list can be enjoyed.  Maybe you’ll find some books which interest you.  By the way, comments on my list (negative, positive, or otherwise) are encouraged.

I and Thou by Martin Buber
Darkwater by W.E.B. Du Bois
Being and Time by Martin Heidegger
Godless Morality by Richard Holloway
Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Economic Consequences of Peace by John M. Keynes
Christianity by Dairmaid MacCulloch
Mind, Language, and Society by John Searle
Sacred and Profane Beauty by Gerardus van der Leeuw
Saint Paul by Alain Badiou
The Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber
The Republic by Plato
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant
The Human Condition by Hannah Arendt
The Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov
A Theology of Liberation by Gustavo Gutiérrez
Justice in Love by Nicholas Wolterstorff
Ethics by Alain Badiou
Either/Or by Soren Kierkegaard