Tag Archives: How to Read Literature Like a Professor

My Top 15 Books from 2013

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Looking for suggestions to start off your reading resolutions? Here are my top 15 choices out of the 59 books I read in 2013 (as always not in any real order). They are all good ways to spend some time.

My Top 15 Books from 2013
  1. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
  2. Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
  3. The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
  4. Revolutionary Summer by Joseph J. Ellis
  5. The Malice of Fortune by Michael Ennis
  6. How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
  7. Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
  8. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
  9. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
  10. A Cookbook Conspiracy by Kate Carlisle
  11. Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
  12. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
  13. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
  14. Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron by Michael A. Stackpole
  15. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

52 Books in 52 Weeks – RECAP

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Ahh… part of me still can’t believe I finished this. Thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions and encouragement! This project started out as just a motivation tool for myself but it turned into something with a life of its own. Not only did this exercise force me to read more, it also expanded my horizons. I discovered some really great books that I wouldn’t have ordinarily picked up and learned a lot of different fascinating things. Many people have asked me what I’m going to do next and if I’m going to do another 52 in 52. Well, while I haven’t ruled doing another book a week, I’m not planning on it just yet. I will admit that at some points during the past year it was a struggle to keep up pace and a few times I sacrificed other entertainment and/or sleep in order to finish a book. That being said, I wholeheartedly enjoyed the entire journey and feel an immense sense of accomplishment. I will, of course, continue to read. Reading has, and always will be, one of my favorite pastimes.

If anyone would like to discuss anything from my last year of reading or what I’m reading or planning to read, please don’t hesitate to ask. I assure you that I’ve thoroughly overthought & obsessively documented these 52 books.

Stats:

  • Total pages read: 17,938
  • Total hours read: 209
  • Average pages per book: 344.96
  • Average hours per book: 4.02
  • Average pages per hour: 85.83

MY TOP FIFTEEN (couldn’t pick just ten):

  1. The Disenchantments
  2. The Mark of Athena
  3. The Fault in Our Stars
  4. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
  5.  Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares
  6. Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead
  7. The Night Circus
  8. How to Read Literature Like a Professor
  9. Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?: Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World
  10. The Martian Chronicles
  11. The Power of Parable: How Fiction by Jesus Became Fiction about Jesus
  12. The Boys of Summer
  13. The Woman Who Died A Lot
  14. The Violinist’s Thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code
  15. Peril in Paperback

52 Books in 52 Weeks – Week #40

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How to Read Literature Like a ProfessorHow to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

Total Reading Time: 3.5 hours

Review: I really liked how accessible this book felt. I knew it was trying to teach me something but it wasn’t boring and I didn’t feel liked I was sitting in a lecture. It also doesn’t just espouse one view and lets readers have their own opinions, which I appreciated. Overall, very well done and I wish my high school lit classes explained symbolism & irony like Prof. Foster. Maybe then I would have understood “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and actually liked it as so many people seem to.