14. About a Boy by Nick Hornby

Hornby, Nick. About a Boy. New York: Riverhead, 1998.

The thing that must be understood from the out set is that Nick Hornby is a good writer. He's funny in a dry way. His characters are, in a way, gross exaggerations of realistic behavior. So, when one reads About a Boy it is important to understand that the main character Will isn't meant to be everyday ordinary shallow. He's meant to be a a clever exaggeration that moves right through shallow and self absorbed and into something almost redeemable.

That being said, it is sometimes difficult to read a book like this. It's always immediately obvious why the character's decisions are going to end in nothing but pain and it's often painful 'watching' them make those decisions. What ultimately saves the book is the contrast between the two main characters. On one side is Will; the self-centered, indulgent, aimless man living in a vacuum. On the other is Marcus; the strange child of a suicidal hippy who is surrounded by equally strange people. Both characters are completely out of touch with the world, but in totally different ways. Somehow, they meet in the middle. Somehow that is beautiful.

13. Flatland by Edwin Abbott

Abbott, Edwin. Flatland. New York: Dover, 1952.

Flatland is a book that ended up on the list because multiple people recommended it to me. 'Multiple' meaning more than four. As much as I talk books with people, it is still rare to get more than two recommendations on a book not on the best sellers list in the last couple of years. There are a lot of books out there that satisfy a variety of tastes. Compound with that, that I know a variety of people with highly diverse interests. So, when I get more than four different recommendations for a book originally published in the 1880s it does peak my interest.

The way Flatland was always described to me was a 'geometric proof in novel form.' To that I'm adding it's a study in dimensionality and, for lack of more education in math, 'mathematical perspective.' These things are true. Lots of diagrams.

However, it is a mistake to say that this is simply a creative way of writing a mathematical proof. Unfortunately, that's all anyone ever seems to remember. This was written during the height of the Victorian Era: women are supposed to be fragile stupid flowers, a high importance is placed manners, men are the authoritarian heads of their households, and careful observation of expectations. So when I was about half way through and I encountered what a woman was in shapeland, I was shock and pissed. (see how I don't tell you what actually pissed me off, enticing yes?)

Anyway, I wasn't pissed long. Soon, it was pretty clear that Abbott was satirizing his entire culture: rules, expectations, everything. For such a short book there's a lot to it.

12. The Tattooed Map by Barbara Hodgson

Hodgson, Barbara. The Tattooed Map: A Novel. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1995.

During the summer, when I'm not teaching, I work at a used book store in Decatur. Most people who work there spend time talking to customers, running the registers, kibitzing with coworkers, or, if they have to, shelving. I'm different in this. I love shelving. All I do is sort and shelve books for five to seven hours, one day a week, usually Sunday, and I'm happy with that. In fact, when asked to run the register, it usually ends in disaster with the register squealing at me and the customer looking at me as though they wish they could figure out a way to snatch their cash out of my incompetent hands without seeming rudeness. (It's the South you must remember. That rude consideration causes all sorts of problems.)

So yeah, I'm pretty useless. Unless you want to find something. There is a tendency these days to organize a used bookstore like mega-chain would be organized. Nice neat computer database, organized inventories, and aseptically clean shelving mixed with clearly delineated sections with mass produced signage. A very useful trend if the goal is to force things into easy to locate pigeon-holes. However, I've noticed it kills the inherent charm of the dusty sleepy used bookstore where I used to lose whole afternoons finding weird books wedged into odd corners. The place I part-time still has it's 'inherent charm' intact. Great if you want to browse, but a disaster if you are desperately in search of something. That's where I come in. When I sort and shelve books, I can't help but turn them over in my hands, open them up, flip through pages, read a couple lines, and notice interesting things. I don't think I ever walked out of the place without forfeiting my paycheck to the increase of my ever growing book collection.

All of this eventually works around to The Tattooed Map which was acquired more or less on a whim. It was one of those books that people picked up, carried to obscure corners of the store, and left lying on the floor or in a random bookshelf. There was a period of time where I was shelving that same copy of the book every shift that I worked. It was understandable actually. Everything about the way it looks makes a person want to pick it up: it's an odd size, has tantalizing middle east photos on the cover, and is full of pages chaotic photo collages interspersed with text and handwritten notes. In short, it's a fantastically laid out piece of work.

The story is laid out in the style of journal entries. In the beginning they are written by a woman named Lydia who is exploring North Africa with her boyfriend Chris. Chris buys and imports furniture and art. Lydia seems to be a photo journalist. Over the course of the book a mysterious map begins to appear on Lydia's wrist and arm. Eventually she disappears and the narrative is picked up by Chris.

It's an odd story and a quick read. The photo-ephemera adds to the narrative instead of distracting. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. Disappointed that it's over, of course. I feel confused about how it ended although I feel sure that was intentional. There's a tantalizing sense of something missed, like a puzzle to be unraveled if only I could figure out the pieces.

11. The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle

Beagle, Peter S. The Last Unicorn. New York: ROC, 1968.

Like many people my age, my first exposure to The Last Unicorn was the 1982 animated movie. I loved it. I watched it over and over. I think my parents got sick of it. It was this wonderful sad story of loneliness and bravery. It's full of magic and grand gestures. A young charlatan magician and beauty challenged shrew the only defenders of the magical unicorn against the evil red bull, who they eventually triumph over in beautiful bittersweet moment.

The book is much better.

While the movie did manage to maintain the spirit of the book, it failed to convey the multiple story lines and many of the more interesting facets. The unicorn is meant to be something ethereal and eternal; the spirit of spring and innocence. Innocent but not naive. Something completely immortal but of a place and only that place. And yet, curiosity and bravery pull her from her place and thrusts her out in the world where she is vulnerable. The wizard, Schmendrick, has a story line of his own, as does Molly Grue. All of these threads twined together in a fantastical story that is one part fairytale, one part morality play, and one part self-aware analysis of story structure.

10. Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite

Brite, Poppy Z. Lost Souls. New York: Dell, 1992.

Ok. I'll admit it. I had never heard of Poppy Z. Brite until Ryan said I might like her writing. He's never read any of her books and isn't terribly sure about what she writes other than 'she writes vampire novels.' He was basing his recommendation on A) knowing that I like to read vampire novels [of the romance variety] as mind candy and B) many people who also have my shameful taste in mind candy also seem to like her books.

*ok, deep breath*


Positives:

• Brite's writing style is highly polished
• the characters are well described
• the pacing supurb
• the narrative is layered and the multiple layers work well together
• a non conventional interpretation of vampires
  

Negatives:

• apparently vampires are all gay, although there's some form of reasoning behind it
• explicit drug use and sex scenes (which I wouldn't mind but it felt like shock value)

It's possible that I'm not being fair. It's possible that I would revise my opinion on some of the explicit content if I read more of Brite's books. Lost Souls was remarkably well written and I definitely enjoyed it. I just worry about escalation.

9. Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

Clarke, Arthur C. Rendezvous With Rama. New York: Ballantine, 1973.

Ok. I'm going to come right out and admit that I actually read this in September but never got around to reviewing it. Now I'm sitting here, two months later, with the book at one elbow and a coffee cup in hand. I'm sitting here and staring at the screen trying desperately to remember why I liked the book so much. (Which is ultimately why I do a book blog to begin with.)

I know that I liked it. Liked it a lot, actually, but I can't remember precisely why. It's classic sci-fi and I always enjoy noting which ideas are still relevant and which have become quaint with time. Rama's ideas have actually remained current (see I'm starting to remember). The idea of physiology dictating the form of artifacts I think is still very interesting consideration. It's probably the fault of Star Trek type popular sci fi that many of us take it for granted that if we encounter extraterrestrial life that it'll be of a similar layout to ours; they will be two-armed bipeds with opposable thumbs etc. Heck, we can't even assume hands let alone the rest. I think Rama did a good job of pointing this out without going over board with theorizing.

Additionally, with sub-lightspeed travel the distances involved implies such a vast amount of time that the idea what interstellar ships would have to look like and how people would survive the travel is not often consdered. It ends up being one of the central mysteries of the book and, therefore, fascinating.

8. The Witches by Roald Dahl

Dahl, Roald. The Witches. New York: Puffin, 1983.

The last time I read The Witches I was about 12. Needless to say, my memory of it doesn't match what I just read. In some ways, I think it's better than I remember. The action moves so fast that it is difficult to put down. The characters are universally fun full-fleshed creations without be saccharine like so many kid's book characters. The kids feel real. Real things happen to them. Parent's die. The future is uncertain. I find it refreshing.

However, I've also noticed that there is something appalling about the idea of kids reading Roald Dahl. Nothing overt, but his kid's books are almost as dark as his adult fiction. Almost as though Dahl creates his characters so realistically that they almost inherently become sinister. I didn't notice it when I was young so perhaps they don't either, but the ending of The Witches is not entirely happy and a little awful. Fun, but awful.

7. Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book by Shel Silverstein

Silverstein, Shel. Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1961.

More widely known for his children's poetry (Light In the Attic, etc), Silverstein actually has a deliciously subversive sense of humor. I love it. It's like being in on an 'in-joke.' However, if you haven't read any of Silverstein's other poetry yet, go read either A Light In the Attic or Where the Sidewalk Ends before attempting this book. So much of the humor is dependent on being familiar with his other work.

My personal favorite is 'M'

6. Candide by Voltaire

Voltaire. Candide. Trans. Lowell Bair. New York: Bantam, 1981.

Candide is one of those books I always thought I ought to read, although I admit I thought it was just a Bernstein musical for a long time. It's like if one likes literature they should read, Moby Dick, Wuthering Heights, Ovid's Metamorphosis, Plato's Republic, etc. Somehow these books get lodged in our awareness regardless of their individual merits. This is how it ended up on my list.

Candide is probably the only time I ever have had to directly use information I learned in my college philosophy course. Candide is a young man who believes in philosophical optimism, i.e. this is the best of all possible world so the bad things that happen are ultimately for the best. The entire book is horrible things happening to Candide and all of his friends in the most unlikely of ways. After a series of triumphs and sudden reversals where Candide clings to his philosophical optimism, it finally resolves at the end with a revision of his beliefs which essentially boiled down to 'keep your head down and don't think too much.'

Clearly, Candide is a satire that attacks philosophy and religion. I found it amusing mainly because it was attacking many of the same things I've butted my head against over the years.

5. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

Russell, Mary Doria. The Sparrow. Toronto: Balantine. 1996.

A few years ago I bought a book called Book Lust. A book consisting entirely of themed lists of books. Under the science fiction list was The Sparrow. Of all the books that I read because of Book Lust, The Sparrow is the only one that I fell in love with. It's a speculative work of science fiction about the ramifications of humans encountered life in space. The way Russell handles it is thoughtful and neither overly pessimistic nor overly optimistic. The idea and implications of the sheer number and types of mistakes possible in such a situation is sobering. All in all a truly excellent work.

4. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Goldman, William. The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure. Orlando: Harcourt. 2007.

When the movie version of this book was made in 1987, it flopped. Heck, it didn't just flop. It fell on its face in the playground and then got beat up by the other kids in the playground. Specifically: 3 Men and a Baby, Beverly Hills Cop II, Fatal Attraction, and Good Morning Vietnam. (I heard Beverly Hills Cop II kicked it in the knee). Definitely a case of 'released at the wrong time' syndrome since the Princess Bride has since gone on to be a cult favorite and popularly recognized by 2/3's of my highschool students.

Ok, so that's the movie. Now for the book. The movie version actually did a good job of capturing the spirit of the book. Goldman creates a Florinese writer named Simon Morgenstern whose book he then is going to abridge. What this creates is a book wherein the writer, Goldman, gets to insert comments about the story and anecdotal stories about his relationship with his son (probably fictional as well)

It's an interesting effect.

Some of the longer Goldman family sections drag a bit, but the overall effect of the premise makes up for it. I enjoyed it. I feel like I probably need to read it again, though, to fully appreciate the technical aspects of the structure. (that's writer speak for 'gosh, I couldn't have pulled that off. ;)

3. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot

Eliot, T.S. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. New York: Harcourt Brace & Co. 1982.

Apparently this is the basis for Cats the musical. Mr. Weber really screwed it up. This is a collection of somewhat silly poetry on stray cats. It's fun, it made me chuckle a few times. The poetry itself is well written, playful. The themes are not depressing or morose. Yeah, thanks Weber. :-P

My previous exposure to Eliot consisted of being forced to read The Wasteland in college. It didn't go well. I was left with impression that Eliot was an obnoxious elitist with too much time on his hands. I still don't like The Wasteland, but I'm willing to give the rest of his poetry a shot.

2. Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore

Moore, Christopher. Practical Demonkeeping. New York: Avon, 2000.

My dear soon-to-be husband has had this book on our bookshelf almost the entire time I've known him. He hasn't read it yet, but any time I was looking for something to read he'd suggest this book. Now I'll be recommending this book to him.

It's Moore's first book, published in 1992. While his style is rough around the edges and his trademark humor is yet to emerge, I still somehow found this a much more memorable book than You Suck, the only other book of his that I've read. It's not high literature. It won't change your life, cause you to rethink your values, or illuminate the world we live in. What it will do is entertain you, bring on a few chuckles, and dole out a few minutes of escape.

1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Carroll, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. Ed. Hugh Haughton. Centenary ed. London: Penguin, 1998.

I have read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland so many times that I have large sections of it memorized. When I was young, I got sick often. In particular, I seemed prone to ear infections and strep throat. When I was sick, my Dad would drop me off at my grandparents' house and they would take care of me for the day. Now, I've never been one of those people who sleep well when they are sick. I wasn't allowed to watch TV so my options for entertainment were limited to either homework or reading. My options for reading were Heidi and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Heidi has never interested me much so I read Alice's Adventures many, many times. I even wrote a book report on it once. I always suspected as a child that as much as I enjoyed it, I was still missing something.

If you've never seen the Penguin Classics series, I heartily recommend them. The introductory material offers a pretty interesting overview of Carroll's life as well as discussions on identity and childhood. Carroll's background in both religion and mathematics colors many aspects of the story. The annotations in the back aide in the unraveling.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has earned it's place as a classic of English literature. Re-reading it was a delight.

The List

Expect the list to grow somewhat. My goal is to have a full list of 200 to pick from. However, as it stands:

1. Flatland by Edwin Abbott

2. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebee

3. A Miss Marple by Agatha Christie 4. Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler 5. The Biodiversity Crisis: Losing What Counts by American Museum of Natural History

6. Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

7. Total Recall by Piers Anthony

8. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

9. The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw

9. Thinner by Richard Bachmn 10. Servants of the Map: Stories by Andrea Barrett

11. Jennifer Government by Max Barry

12. The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter

13. The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle

14. Folk of the Air by Peter Beagle

15. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett 16. The Long-Legged House by Wendell Berry 17. A Continuous Harmony by Wendell Berry

18. the Demolished Man by Alfred Bester

19. Valiant by Holly Black

20. Ruby by Francesca Lia Block

21. A Man For All Seasons by Robert Bolt 22. The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges

23. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

24. Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle 25. Audrey Hepburn's Neck by Alan Brown 26. Heat by Bill Buford

27. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

28. Running With Scissors by Augustine Burroughs

29. Possession by A.S. Byatt

30. The Postman Always Rings Twice by James Cain

31. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

32. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis, Carroll

33. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

34. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Micheal Chabon 35. Hide-and-Seek with Angels: A Life of J.M. Barrie by Lisa Chaney 36. Ward No. 6 and Other Stories by Anton Chekhov

37. Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

38. Arsonist's guide to Writers' Homes in New England by Brock Clarke

39. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

40. King Rat by James Clavell 41. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

42. Microserfs by Douglas Coupland

43. Five Patients by John Crichton

44. Tales of the Unexpected by Roald Dahl

45. The Witches by Roald Dahl 46. Only Revolutions by Mark Z. Danielewski

47. White Noise by Dan DeLillo

48. The Isalnd Under the Earth by Avram Davidson

49. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

50. Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick

51. Florida Road Kill by Tim Dorsey

52. Hammerhead Ranch Motel by Tim Dorsey

53. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

54. The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

55. Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

56. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

57. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot

58. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich

59. Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

60. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

61. The Corrections by Jonathan Fanzen 62. Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

63. Dark Desire by Christine Feeman 64. Dark Prince by Christine Feeman 65. The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde 66. White Oleander by Janet Fitch

67. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

68. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg

69. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

70. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

71. Dreaming in Cuban by Christina Garcia

72. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons 73. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

74. Princess Bride by William Golding

75. Tin Drum by Gunter Grass 76. Starting With Ingredients by Aliza Green

77. Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

78. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

79. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

80. The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman

81. Maltese Falcon by Dashell Hammett

82. Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy

83. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris 84. The Island of Lost Maps by Miles Harvey 85. The Medieval World: Europe 1100-1350 by Friedrich Heer

86. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller 87. Sex With Kings by Eleanor Herman 88. Sex With the Queen by Eleanor Herman

89. Tourist Season by Carl Hiassen

90. The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos 91. Seeds of Wealth: Four Plants That Made Men Rich by Henry Hobhouse 92. The Tattooed Map: A Novel by Barbara Hodgson

93. About a Boy by Nick Hornby 94. Inner Voices by Richard Howard

95. Point Counter Point by Aldous Huxley

96. Turn of the Screw by Henry James

97. The Black Tower by P.D. James 98. Unnatural Causes by P.D. James 99. Shroud for a Nightingale by P.D. James 100. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James

101. A Mind to Murder by P.D. James

102. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

103. The Game by Diana Wynne Jones

104. The Trial by Kafka

105. Girl, Interupted by Susanna Kaysen

106. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

107. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

108. Joust by Mercedes Lackey

109. The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey

110. White as Snow by Tanith Lee

111. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

112. A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle

113. A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle

114. Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle

115. An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L'Engle

116. Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard

117. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

118. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis 119. Just Enough Liebling by A.J. Liebling 120. The Company by Robert Littell

121. The Missing World by Margot Livesey

122. Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire

123. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

124. Love In the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

125. The Rowen by Anne McCaffrey

126. Swansong by Robert McCammon

127. Asylum by Patrick McGrath

128. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

129. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

130. Becoming Madame Mao by Anchee Min

131. Lost Girls by Alan Moore

132. Lamb by Christopher Moore

133. Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore 134. 69 A.D.: The Year of Four Emperors by Gwyn Morgan

135. Beloved by Toni Morrison

136. South of the Border, West of the Sun by Murakami 137. I Am a Cat by Soseki Natsume

138. The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit 139. Sex Collectors by Geoff Nicholson

140. Beyond Good and Evil by Nietzche

141. Witch World by Andre Norton

142. The Borrowers by Mary Norton

143. Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates

144. 1984 by George Orwell

145. Animal Farm by George Orwell 146. Sea of Faith by Stephen O'Shea

147. Metamorphasis by Ovid

148. Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palanuk

149. Microbrewed Adventures by Papazian

150. Marriage of Meggotta by Edith Pargeter

151. Complete Stories by Dorothy Parker

152. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

153. Collected Short Stories by Edgar Allen Poe

154. Gateway by Frederick Pohl 155. The Omnivore's Dilema by Michael Pollan 156. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

157. Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite 158. William Faulkner by Carolyn Porter

159. Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter 160. Monster of God by David Quammen

161. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

162. Something by Ruth Reichal 163. Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins

164. The Anvil of Ice by Michael Scott Rohan

165. Sewer, Gas, and Electric by Matt Ruff

166. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

167. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

168. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

169. Lucky by Alice Sebold

170. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

171. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

172. Pygmalian by George Bernard Shaw

173. The Shape-changer's Wife by Sharon Shinn

174. We Need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver

175. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

176. Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko

177. Uncle Shelby's A.B.Z. Book by Sheil Silverstein

178. On Beauty by Zadie Smith

179. White Teeth by Zadie Smith

180. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield

181. The Hunger by Whitley Strieber

182. A Suitable Boy by Seth Vikram

183. Candide by Voltaire

184. A Man Without Country by Kurt Vonnegut

185. Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

186. Big Fish by Daniel Wallace

187. The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin

188. Madam Blavatsky's Baboon by Peter Washington

189. Porno by Irvine Welsh

190. Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde by Oscar Wilde

191. Imaginations by William Carlos Williams

192. A Writer's Diary by Virginia Woolf

193. Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel 194. Our Mothers' War by Emily Yellin

195. Bone

196. The Invisibles

197. The Filth

New Challenges

In the beginning there was an AJC article about a man who read 500 books. A woman who worked with me, being a fairly competitive person, was challenged by her husband to read 200 books. Secretly, being a fairly competitive person myself, I thought to myself "if she can do it, why certainly, I can as well." And although I never made my goal of 200 books, I got close enough that first year to know that I could do it, but I wouldn't enjoy the reading much.

Part of what stood in my way was my choice of reading material. Much of it came from these long lists that other people wrote, and while I found many things that I enjoyed greatly, they didn't inspire me to sneak in reading time. So over time, my reviewing petered out and this site was more or less abandoned.

The time of the new challenge has come. 15 months & 150 books. Starting now and going till the end of 2009 I'm going to read 150 books. I will be working from a list of about 200 that I put together based on things that I've heard of, things that I always wanted to read, and things I found on other lists that sounded truly interesting. I am currently compiling this list. I'm at 141. When it's done, in a few days, I will post it.

Wish me luck, I hope to be writing you all much more soon.

Musing on Lists

It is probably my obsessive compulsive nature that make lists appeal to me. I list to organize myself. I enjoy reading other's lists. Any purging of my desk yields dozens of lists, written and almost immediately forgotten. So, it's no surprise to me that I keep getting drawn back to books of lists when I'm working on this book blog. I keep coming back to Nancy Pearl's books, but I also have the New York Library's recommendations, a British book called 1000 Books to Change Your Life, and more that I've forgotten for the time being.
A list of books represents dozens of opportunities to discover new worlds that I would possibly have never otherwise stumbled on. It's like being presented with hundreds of short cuts. Every list is a mystery. It's dizzying and somewhat disappointing that I have so many more books than I can possibly read at any given time. But I won't forget them, I have a list. So let's hear it for lists.