I love books. To the dismay of anyone who has ever helped me move, I have a huge collection. I could realistically open a book store in my living room.

I’ve tried borrowing books from the library to save money and space. During grad school, I picked up the habit of highlighting, making notes in margins and dog earing pages. Libraries frown upon those behaviors.

Part of the problem is that I impulsively buy books. Every time I’m in Chattanooga, I make a special trip to McKay’s Used Books and generally spend $50 or $60 on a huge box of books. Unlike clothes or shoes, how do you turn down a book? Books feed your brain.

My impulsive buying creates a backlog. I easily have 300 or more books in my apartment that are waiting to be read.

Last night, I found myself at Sam’s Club and thumbing through Sean Hannity’s new book, Conservative Victory. Normally, I wouldn’t have picked it up, but Red State reviewed it favorably. At only 200 pages and $8, I couldn’t resist.

As I walked to my car, the realization hit me that I had just bought another book that I don’t have time to read. I still had my two previous book impulses in the car. Even though April is a busy month, I decided to challenge myself to work on the reading backlog. If I commit it in a blog post, I’m more likely to follow through since I fear that someone will call me out. Hence, my April reading list is below.

The first seven books are half-way read. Some of them are part of reading lists, such as NeW’s Book Club or Read to Lead. I highly recommend both lists.

1. Why Women Should Rule the World, Dee Dee Myers
Part of my feminist reading list (created by me based on reviews from feminist blogs). It’s much better than I thought. The first chapter was bad. Actually, it was terrible, but the book has improved. As long as Myers doesn’t explain gender politics solely through her own experiences in the White House, she’s interesting.
Update: Completed 4/2/10

2. Marketing in the Groundswell, Charlene Li & Josh Bernoff
Finished last night, 4/1/10!

3. Letters to an American Lady, CS Lewis
I’m reading a few letters every night as part of my devotions.
Completed: 4/24/10

4. The Mermaid Chair, Sue Monk Kidd
I’m a sucker for Southern literature and recently watched The Secret Life of Bees, which I also need to read.
Update: Completed 4/7/10

5. Primal, Mark Batterson
Yes, this was written by my pastor, and I got a free copy. It got misplaced after I started my new job and needs to be finished.
Update: Completed 4/24/10

6. Last Night in Paradise, Katie Roiphe
Feminist reading list book, and written in 1999 about how AIDS inspired a new sexual morality. Viewed from a post-9/11 world, Last Night in Paradise comes across as self-indulgent and presumptive. I believe that books from the 90s will be viewed as a second Decadence Era, such as literature from the 1920s and 1930s.
Update: Completed 4/2/10

7. Elizabeth & Mary, Jane Dunn
Reading biographies of monarchs, particularly Tudors, is a hobby. I’ve read at least 10 biographies on Elizabeth I. Until now, I’ve read very little on Mary, Queen of Scots.

8. Sign Me Up! A Marketer’s Guide To Email Newsletters that Build Relationships and Boost Sales, Blumberg & Miller
Reading it for work, but I also enjoy reading marketing books.

9. Conservative Victory, Sean Hannity
See above. Again, $8.
Completed: 4/12/10

10. The Truth About Email Marketing, Simms Jenkins
Also reading this for work.

11. Unhooked, Laura Sessions Stepp
This book seems to make feminists angry, so I must read it. It’s also on the NeW list.

12. Liberal Fascism, Jonah Goldberg
Recently, I listened to a podcast with Goldberg about his book and was fascinated. Since I spend so much time writing about feminism as the gender version of Marxism, this should be intriguing.

13. Writing to Change the World, Mary Pipher
It’s from the left, but any book on writing is helpful. Tactics are neutral, which is why I recommend reading Rules for Radicals by Alinsky.

14. Courage and Consequence, Karl Rove
I bought this simply to piss liberals off. Rove is a controversial figure, so I look forward to reading it.

15. Game Change,  Heilemann & Halperin
Everyone in DC but me has likely read this book by now.

16. Unleashing the Idea Virus, Seth Godin
I haven’t read anything by the ultimate marketing guru in a while.

17. Liberty and Tyranny, Mark Levin
I think my conservative street cred is questionable since I haven’t read this. I also mooched it from the parents the last time I was in Chattanooga, so I need to read it before they realize it’s gone…or they read this post. Liberty and Tyranny was also added to Blackwell’s Read to Lead recently.

18. Meltdown, Tom Woods
Recommended by my libertarian friends. The Obama Administration is driving me towards becoming a fiscal libertarian.

19. Blink, Malcolm Gladwell
Is Gladwell the guru of pop psychology/feel-good management books or a true genius? I’m undecided.