What I am doing here

I am a reader.  I started at the age of four and never looked back.  As I get older I find that I read less for pleasure and more as a part of a personal search for wisdom.  I see my reading now as a response to the Lord's commandment to diligently seek "words of wisdom."  I am also conscious of the fact that the commandment was given in a social context - "ye" not "you."  It is a collective search and we Mormons are to "teach one another" what we find.  This blog is an attempt to share the results of seeking learning both by study and by faith as I attempt to make my way through the "best books."

So what are the best books? 

I know of no infallible guide.  As a starting point I'm beginning with the idea of seeking after things that are "of good report."  The backbone of my project will come from two sources.  The first is Philip Ward's A Lifetime's Reading.  The second is Utne Reader's Loose Canon (Parts One and Two).  Ward's book is divided into 50 years, each with 10 items on that years reading list.  500 suggestions in all.  Utne's two lists total 300 suggestions, mostly books but also some films and musical recordings.  To make my way through the list will require that I read at least 16 books a year.

Given my past reading habits, it's likely that the "backbone" project will represent about half of the total reading for a year.  I suspect I will find just as much to share on this blog from my unplanned books as from my scheduled reading.