"It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should read at least one old one to every three new ones."This is a good rule that I don't follow. Last year I read maybe one old book for every ten new ones, and only one of those, Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front (though a book published in 1929 isn't really that old) was a non-theological book.
I want to change my reading habits. I don't think I can aspire to Lewis' one old book per every 1-3 new ones, but I think I can manage a more modest one classic per quarter. If I get the hankerin' to read more than that then I will.
But which ones? Several book series and anthologies have provided a sort of "essential reading" (in the editors' eyes) for Western literature, such as Great Books of the Western World and the Harvard Classics. My list will be a hybrid. I'll start with the reading list for Biola University's Torrey Honors Institute. Some of those books I've already read and some are theological works which I plan on reading otherwise. For these I'll replace with books not on Torrey's list, perhaps from categories and time periods that don't have as much representation on Torrey's list (e.g. non-theological medieval literature). In a later post I'll publish my official list. I'll be happy to take suggestions.
For my summer classic reading I'll start at the beginning with Homer's The Iliad. Anyone want to join me?
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