Long ago, I used to have a long reading and viewing list at the beginning of each year. I dedicatedly worked my way through them. I posted them as my book and movie challenges.
I was heavily influenced by the blogging world in that way because that wasn't my natural way of doing things. My natural way was to skip, hop, and jump through what attracted me at the time. I've fallen back into that over time. However, my family has fallen into a few directed ways of watching movies and I have a few reading ideas for this year.
OSCARS — Our family enjoys things like picking a director (Billy Wilder, William Wyler) and working our way through their filmography. That's what led to our leisurely purusal of Oscar winners and nominees. Since September of 2024 we've covered them from 1931-1942. We're continuing with that viewing, which is occasional.
JOHN CARPENTER — round Chrismastime we got interested in John Carpenter because of an overlap with watching 1970s and 80s science fiction movies. Rose loves that crazy time in sf films because it is a transition period which results in some of the most iconic "of their time" sf. And it takes Tom and me back to when those were just some of the movies that came out when we were in high school and college.
In watching Escape From New York, we thought of Halloween (love it) and Carpenter's work as a top B-movie director of sf/horror. A new goal emerged — we're watching Carpenter's films from Dark Star on. Also occasionally as one can only take so much John Carpenter in a row. We are discovering him to be a very efficient director with a particular way of telling a story that we do enjoy. Also fun is seeing the "regulars" who are cast — beginning with Donald Pleasance.
POPE BENEDICT XVI — Last year I read John Paul II's complete encyclicals. It was really wonderful. It was a slow process but completely worth it. That made me want to read more from Pope Benedict XVI. Last year I read, In the Beginning and that also rekindled my desire to read more of his writing.
I've read a number of his works a while back, most specifically the Jesus of Nazareth trilogy, his encyclicals as they came out, and some of his teaching homilies published in book form. I read his Apostles book last year as a start to my focus and am now reading about the Fathers of the Church. I'm also interested in rereading the encyclicals and other works — for example, I am now reading a selected collection of his Advent, Christmas, Marian, and saint homilies. That will be going on through the year.
BIG BOOKS — I've meant to reread Middlemarch for some time. I think this year will be that time. I also am going to attempt The Brothers Karamazov for a last time. I've now read just enough Russian novels that I might be able to get my head in the right space. No guarantees on this — I do not love Russian novels. But I at least understand them a little more.
There will be other big books because Scott and I are going to discuss Kristin Lavransdatter on A Good Story is Hard to Find. Also I've gotten interested in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell again — this will be the third time.
We'll see what else I find as I hop, skip, and jump through 2026.
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