The Book Project is an ambitious and perhaps partly insane project which I have undertaken for 2008. It was spurred by a conversation I had with a friend in late 2007, in which my friend asked me how many books I read every week, and I couldn’t come up with a solid answer. So I thought it would be interesting to look at my reading habits for an entire year, coming up with statistics along the way.

Starting on 1 January, I will write about every single book I read this year, without any exceptions. This means that when I read a trashy novel because I’m sick, you’ll hear about it. When I plow through an incredibly dense tome on food politics, you’ll hear about that too.

A project of this scope would not be any fun without reader participation, so I welcome suggestions of books to read, and I hope that people engage in the comments to talk about the books I read. Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments on any Book Project post, or email them to me, if you’re feeling shy.

I also agree to read any books which are sent to me this year. This may be unwise and even foolhardy, especially if I get Slashdotted or something, but I will take that risk. I am also happy to read and return books, if you want to lend me an out of print or hard to find book. If you want to join in the fun, mail books to:

s.e. smith

PO Box 2764

Fort Bragg, California, 95437

The complete archive of entries in the book project is here. You can check out a complete list of recommendations and mailed books here, if you’re interested.