"Why isn't my life like a situation comedy?
Why don't I have a bunch of friends with nothing better to do
but drop by and instigate wacky adventures?
Why aren't my conversations peppered with spontaneous witticisms?
Why don't my friends demonstrate heartfelt concern
for my well being when I have problems? ...
I gotta get my life some writers."
~ Calvin & Hobbes, Watterson

The 2010 List of Contenders first draft, no particular order. There are 87 books in my to-read "shelf" at Goodreads. DISCLAIMER: Books will be added to this list. Books will be deleted. I won't get to all of them. It is theoretically possible that I will finish this list. But then again perhaps not. Do not stand up while the ride is in process. Library books have cooties. I really tried. Back to Amazon.
Non-Fiction
The Artist's Way
, Cameron
The Creative Habit, Tharp
An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration from the Private Sketchbooks... Gregory
Finding Flow, Csikszentmihalyi
Freaks of Fancy: Artistic Printing and the Ethics of Ornament
On Writing, King
Kitchen Confidential, Bourdain
Altered Surfaces, Kozen
Rethinking Acrylic, Brady
Brave on the Rocks, Harrison
Letters of Ayn Rand, Rand
Parenting with Love & Logic
Understanding Exposure, Peterson
Learning to See Creatively, Peterson
Fiction
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier + Clay
, Chabon
The Yiddish Policemen's Union, Chabon
The Third Option, Flynn
The Help, Stockett
The Stone Raft, Saramago
The Middle Place, Corrigan
Flipped, Van Draanen
Stones from the River, Hegi
A Short List of Books I've Enjoyed, Non-Fiction
The Creative License
, Gregory
Spilling Open, Harrison
Finding Your Own North Star, Beck
1,000 Artist Journal Pages: Personal Pages and Inspirations, Sokol
Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children About Their Art, Carle
The Decorated Page AND The Decorated Journal, Diehn
The Right to Write, Cameron
Bird by Bird, Lamott
The Improvisational Cook, Schneider
A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, Wizenberg (Orangette)
Kaleidoscope: Ideas And Projects to Spark Your Creativity, Simanaitis
More...
Questions...
- What is on your reading list for 2010? <see above>
- Do you keep track of the books you read? <yes, for decades>
- How many books (fiction + non-fiction) do you read each year? <about 25>
- Has the number of books per year increased or decreased over the last 5 years? <decreased since I am doing more art>
- Do you read more than one book at once? <always 2-4 books going>
- Do you read more fiction or non-fiction? <more non-fiction, but love fiction so want to read more!>