Reading Tally at Midyear

It's the end of June - midpoint in the year. Given that I'm not likely to finish reading any more works today, it's time to see how I'm doing with my reading goals for 2025. 

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At the beginning of the year I set these as my goals: 

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, Have His Carcase - by Dorothy Sayers

A Dickens novel (Little Dorrit or Our Mutual Friend)

Lord of the Rings (reread)

Kristin Lavransdatter 

Apologia  Pro Vita Sua (reread)

Bio/Study of Newman

The Poet and the Lunatics by G. K, Chesterton

Some Mystery Novels

Some Encyclicals

60-70 work, with about 15,000 pages (those number goals are not rigid).

So how have I done? Goals met:

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, Have His Carcase by Dorothy Sayers

Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset

Apologia  Pro Vita Sua by St. John Henry Newman (reread)

Bio/Study  of Newman - John Henry Newman: Snapdragon in the Wall by Joyce Sugg

The Poet and the Lunatics by G. K. Chesterton

Some Mystery Novels - Six so far (including the two by Sayers)

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers  

Have His Carcase by Dorothy Sayers

Murder in the Lincoln White House by C. M. Gleason

Murder at the Capitol by C. M. Gleason

The Vanishing Woman by Fiorella De Maria

See No Evil by Fiorella De Maria

Some Encyclicals - Two so far

Peace on Earth (Pacem In Terris) by Pope St. John XXIII

Mater et Magistra by Pope St. John XXIII

All told, 34 works, with a Page Count of 7,596

So right on target. 

I still have to read at least one more encyclical, The Lord of the Rings, and a Dickens novel. 

I have started Little Dorrit. (I'm also currently reading All the Poems of Stevie Smith and The Real Story: Understanding the Big Story of the Bible by Edward Sri and Curtis Martin.)

In the second half of year I'll be reading at least one more encyclical. On the pile awaiting are two rereads: The Lord of the Rings and The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. 

I also plan to read at least one book by Michael O'Brien, one by Dostoevsky, and some mysteries. Perhaps another Chesterton? Maybe City of God by St. Augustine?

Plus, I'm feeling the need to read more biographies of saints. I'll start with Sigrid Undset's Catherine of Siena, so add that to the list of works I plan to read.  

Here's some of works so far:

Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography by Holly Ordway

John Henry Newman: Snapdragon in the Wall by Joyce Sugg

Apologia Pro Vita Sua by St. John Henry Cardinal Newman

The Epistle of Barnabas

The Epistle to Diognetus

The Didache

Letter to the Corinthians by Clement of Rome

Simplicity by John Michael Talbot with Dan O’Neill

Peace on Earth (Pacem In Terris) by Pope St. John XXIII

Mater et Magistra by Pope St. John XXIII

St. Thomas More by E. E. Reynolds

The Poet and the Lunatics by G. K. Chesterton

The Surprise by G. K. Chesterton

The Judgement of Dr. Johnson by G. K. Chesterton  

Descent Into Hell by Charles Williams

Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset 

     The Wreath

     The Wife

     The Cross

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers  

Have His Carcase by Dorothy Sayers

Murder in the Lincoln White House by C. M. Gleason

Murder at the Capitol by C. M. Gleason

The Vanishing Woman by Fiorella De Maria

See No Evil by Fiorella De Maria

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne

John the Balladeer by Manly Wade Wellman

The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells

The Food of the Gods by H. G. Wells

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Selected Poems  

Christmas Presence: Twelve Gifts That Were More Than They Seemed 

     edited by Gregory F. Augustine Pierce

Making the Best of What’s Left by Judith Viorst

Onward!

Pax et bonum