Thanks so much for the link! What a cool service. And thanks for the comment. Reading good fiction/literature is something I struggle with too, and I find these kind of automated services and bite-sized portions help a lot.

- Jeff

If made New Year’s resolutions–I know myself too well to do so–this would be at the top of my list.

From childhood I’ve read good literature avidly–sometimes five solid books a week as a young adult. It’s disheartening to accept that I’ve been on a virtual fiction fast for years now.

But your post gives me new impetus. I love your list with its suggestions of manageable, regular reading. Busy as I am, I CAN manage a chapter a day of challenging fiction, revisit Tennessee Williams or Chekov or pick up King James (for beautiful language) or New Jerusalem (for great exegesis).

For an online resource for the psalms and liturgical readings, you might want to check out Universalis.They list morning, evening and night Daily Office readings in a handy format. http://www.universalis.com/readings.htm

Thanks for the comment and sorry to hear of your professional reading load. It’s a challenge for sure. I think the smart move is to take the vitamin approach: you know your diet probably isn’t as healthy as it could be, but the vitamins help to make up for some of the difference – or at least keep the damage to a minimum.

Heck, I used to keep a copy of Pascal’s Pensee’s in my bathroom. That’s one can’t-miss way to sneak in a bit o’ quality nutrients into your reading diet ; )

- Jeff

For me it will be fiction and song lyrics. I’ve never been a fan of “Dummy” books but the songwriting for dummies blew me away, and still does after several reads. So, I’ll going to try and conquer the elusive song, and some fiction, and some books on persuasion and direct response.

This is my goal.
I predict 2010 will be a good year for you Jeff. You seem to be making friends rather quickly.

Rock on,
Shane
Shane Arthur´s last blog ..shanearthur: @soniasimone due to your recent Creative Copy Challenge submission, you are my #ff2009 (follow for 2009) !

Whatever you read, I’d say pick stuff you find enjoyable. No sense in slogging through a classic just because… I’m currently reading some Steven King short stories and loving them.

And try reading from a writer’s point of view. If you find a particularly moving passage, deconstruct it. Try to figure out what makes it tick.

Finally, here’s some science behind the advice, just to give you a little persuasive encouragement:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19826621.700-the-science-of-fiction.html

- Jeff

First, there’s Sonnet-A-Day, an e-mail service that sends one of Shakespeare’s Sonnets to your in box each day.

Second, there’s Today In Literature. You have to pay to gain access to the archives but every day’s article is free on that day. It’s not literature, but it’s great motivation for reading more literature.

And believe it or not, there’s also a twitter account that tweets the psalms one verse at a time.

All good ways to ensure you get a Flinstones Vitamin’s worth of the good stuff each day.

- Jeff

Yes, I am making the Scout Sign. I promise this year to read 1 classic, 1 text in my area, and 2 novels. Maybe you can turn me around