A Resolution Update

A little over a month ago I posted a list of books I'd started and needed to finish.  I decided I was going to read at least six of the eight books before starting a new book.

To date, I have finished reading the following books:
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Gospel Medicine by Barbara Brown Taylor

I am still in the process of reading:
Home by Another Way by Barbara Brown Taylor

I gave up on these two (for now):
Right Here, Right Now by Alan Hirsch and Lance Ford
Home: A Memoir of my Early Years by Julie Andrews

And I just started reading The Authenticity of Faith by Richard Beck.  Yep, that’s right.  I started another book before I finished six from my list.  I really tried, but Right Here, Right Now is just not what I need in the here and now.  And as much as I love Julie Andrews, I am going to wait and try her book again when I'm more in the mood for a memoir.

I could have easily finished Home by Another Way by now, but it is my current church service.  Reading Barbara Brown Taylor is my Sunday morning ritual before the boys and I do our scripture and discussion, so I decided not to rush through it just for the sake of meeting my six-book goal.  And really, no matter how wonderful the sermons, they aren't meant for reading an entire book of them straight through in a day or two; it is important to take time to reflect on each one. I decided that rather than waiting till I finish the book of sermons on my Sunday schedule and not reading anything in-between, I'd start The Authenticity of Faith.  It has been on my reading list since I finished Unclean a few months ago and I feel ready to tackle it after finishing several lighter reads.

I guess maybe I should feel a little disappointed that I didn't make myself finish one of the other books to meet my resolution, but I'm not.  It will only take me a few more weeks to finish Home By Another Way and I'm already being challenged by the Beck book, so I think I made the right choice.  I'd rather adjust my goal and keep my reading momentum than take too long of a break and have to struggle to get back into it.  Plus, who really keeps all the terms of their New Years' resolution anyway?