Reading life review

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Number of books since last review: 7
Number of books read in 2012: 125Complete list here.
■ Teaching Hamlet and Henry IV, Part I (Peggy O'Brien) Non-fiction. Technically, this belongs in my September review, but I neglected to include it. Folger's "Shakespeare Set Free" series is a wonderful resource.

Each book includes:

•Clearly written essays by leading scholars to refresh teachers and challenge older students
•Effective and accessible techniques for teaching Shakespeare through performance and engaging students in Shakespeare's language and plays
•Day-by-day teaching strategies that successfully and energetically immerse students of every grade and skill level in the language and in the plays themselves—created, taught, and written by real teachers

■ The Essential Voter's Guide (TIME) Non-fiction. And technically, this belonged in my October review. It was so utterly forgettable, though, it's no wonder that I forgot it. What a disappointment! The slim volume is simply a collection of rather dated articles on the candidates, their families, and their campaigns. Discussion of the issues was superficial, at best. What were you thinking? you ask. Really? I was just hoping for a survey to complement some of our discussions.

■ Sweet Tooth Vol. 5: Unnatural Habitat (Jeff Lemire) Graphic fiction. This volume collects Issues 26 through 32.

■ Black Watch (Gregory Burke) Play. Related entries here and here.

■ The Birding Life: A Passion for Birds at Home and Afield (Larry Sheehan) Non-fiction. It would be easy to dismiss this as a coffee table book, what, with its large format and sumptuous photographs. 'glad I didn't make that mistake.

■ Watership Down (Richard Adams) Fiction. This was my third pass through this deceptively simply novel. As Sawyer says, ""Helluva book. It's about bunnies."

■ One for the Books (Joe Queenan) Non-fiction. The much linked and shared WSJ article "My 6,128 Favorite Books" (October 22) was adapted from One for the Books. Since books about books and the reading life are some of my favorites, this was a delight.

In progress:

■ Dracula (Bram Stoker; fiction) Completed Chapter 10 of 27. With the Misses. We'll be done by November 20, after which we'll tackle The Misanthrope (Molière), in anticipation of The School for Lies at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

■ Moby-Dick (Herman Melville; fiction) Completed Chapter 4 of 135. The Misses and I are doing the Moby-Dick Big Read, a chapter a day, so we'll be on this into 2013. We're also enjoying Matt Kish's wonderful art book, Moby-Dick in Pictures: One Drawing for Every Page.