The Goal: 52 books in 2010

A 2008 Harris poll found that 37% of Americans claimed to have read at least ten books in the previous year. 9% stated they had not read a single book all year. In a world of new media, maybe the real argument to make isn't that people aren't reading or that we're reading less, but what we're reading and how we're reading it has changed. I don't need to digest the entire book, I can get a summary off of Wikipedia, Amazon.com book reviews, or even a simple google search. Why buy the book itself when online libraries, a Kindle, a pirated copy, or an iPhone app can substitute for the feeling of physical paper in your hands or the off-white color striking your eyes?

I used to be an avid reader, but then life caught up with me. Reading all the time in college (at one point I was averaging a book a day for about 2 months), the day-to-day routine of life and work have put reading on the back burner for me. So this year, I am giving myself a challenge. A book a week. Every week. For the year. Here's the plan-
Every Thursday, I want to have finished a book. Blog about that book. Comment on it, recommend it, critique, just brag how much I loved it, etc... Since variety is the spice of life, I'm looking for reading to come from five categories:
1st Thursdays: Political Non-Fiction. Preferably something political or extemp related (since that's where my interest lies).
2nd Thursdays: New York Times Fictional Best Sellers. Either hardcover or paperback, I'll pick a title from the top 10 for the preceding week. Gotta keep up with the masses, how else will I relate to the rest of America?
3rd Thursdays: Something I Should Have Read. I can honestly say I have only read maybe a fifth of the College Boards' recommend titles for the AP Literature course. And let's be honest, I didn't really 'read' those that I was exposed to back in high school. Now's the time to catch up- here I'm dedicating a week to tackling some cannon of English literature that I probably should have read at some point in time.
4th Thursdays: Readers Choice. Whatever I'm in the mood for at the time. Who knows, maybe I'll put this up to a vote or take a recommendation from a friend.
5th Thursdays (for months that have these): A Re-Read. I have stacks upon stacks of books at my house, many of which I keep around under the presumption that "Sure, I'll re-read that. Eventually...." and I never do. With the exception of some Harry Potter novels.

So there it is. A book a week. For a year. This is going to be interesting...
I'm open to suggestions: books you think I should read, books you think I shouldn't. But this is really a personal challenge. Can I do it? What kinds of things will I learn? What ideas will I be exposed to?