•6:45 AM
I love lists. A lot. And, I make them all the time. It is part of me - the list-making, that is. In fact, I have even made a list of the lists I need to make. I always have a list - a grocery list, a to-do list, a laundry list, a cleaning list. Recently I had a Christmas baking list and a very specific Christmas to-do list. My list is always organized and/or categorized, and if I do not have one, I feel a little lost and scattered. And one of the best things about a list is crossing stuff off.
Either you are reading this, saying to yourself, "Of course you have a list. Who doesn't?"; or, you are staring in disbelief, trying to comprehend what you have just read. Wondering if you want to get involved with a woman who becomes unhinged without a list to hold herself together.
In any case, I'm sure that you can understand my excitement in trying to come up with a reading list. I took to the Internet in search for a list of books to read. I love researching almost as much as I enjoy lists, so the thought of researching for a list was almost more than I could handle.
I looked at lots of different lists - top 100 books of the last decade, best 100 novels of all time, an all-time list by Time, and there was even a list of the 1001 books you should read before you die. But, after much self-imposed deliberation, I chose Entertainment Weekly's New Classics. It is described as the 100 best reads from 1983 to 2008 and I chose it because it is current. There is fiction and non-fiction, and some are written about present day, some take place in the past and some are a collection of short stories. The books may not be the most literary acclaimed, but they seemed interesting and a couple had already caught my eye.
I have posted the list in the side bar and encourage you to look through it. I bet there are some titles you have already read, or some you have considered reading but never did, for whatever reason. I can hardly wait for Joyce Carol Oates, Black Water; but I have to get to number fourteen on the list. I have picked up The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls several times and put it back for several different reasons; but this time, I get to pick it up and take it home.
There are a couple of selections that cause me to take pause. For instance, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is a series of three books and it is literature. It is not a light, easy read. I bought His Dark Materials about a year ago because I read some wonderful things about it. When I started to read it, it quickly became apparent that it was something I would have to put some effort into and I only read the first chapter. Not because I did not like it, but because three small children got in my way and I ended up reading some "Her Parenting Materials" instead. Anyhow, although the three books are a series, they only count for one heavy, involved read on my list. I may have to skip this and replace it with a selection of my own. I will wait and make that decision when I get to number forty on the list. There are a couple of other selections that I feel the same way about and I'll make that decision when I get to them.
I am going to begin at the bottom of the list, with Jon Stewart's America (the Book), which I am dying to read. I love Jon Stewart and think it will be a great way to start the challenge. But, will Cormac McCarthy's The Road be a great way to end? Guess we'll have to wait and see.
I am excited to get started but in the meantime, I need to make a shopping list. Look out Chapters-Indigo ... here I come. If you are there, I'll be the one looking over her list with the three children - one complaining about having to come shopping, one excited just to be shopping and one running around pulling books off the shelves, not listening to her mother. Am I crazy to do this? Yep, but that is what makes it fun for me. Why don't you join me? And, if you don't like my list, pick your own.
Come on ... you know you want to.
Either you are reading this, saying to yourself, "Of course you have a list. Who doesn't?"; or, you are staring in disbelief, trying to comprehend what you have just read. Wondering if you want to get involved with a woman who becomes unhinged without a list to hold herself together.
In any case, I'm sure that you can understand my excitement in trying to come up with a reading list. I took to the Internet in search for a list of books to read. I love researching almost as much as I enjoy lists, so the thought of researching for a list was almost more than I could handle.
I looked at lots of different lists - top 100 books of the last decade, best 100 novels of all time, an all-time list by Time, and there was even a list of the 1001 books you should read before you die. But, after much self-imposed deliberation, I chose Entertainment Weekly's New Classics. It is described as the 100 best reads from 1983 to 2008 and I chose it because it is current. There is fiction and non-fiction, and some are written about present day, some take place in the past and some are a collection of short stories. The books may not be the most literary acclaimed, but they seemed interesting and a couple had already caught my eye.
I have posted the list in the side bar and encourage you to look through it. I bet there are some titles you have already read, or some you have considered reading but never did, for whatever reason. I can hardly wait for Joyce Carol Oates, Black Water; but I have to get to number fourteen on the list. I have picked up The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls several times and put it back for several different reasons; but this time, I get to pick it up and take it home.
There are a couple of selections that cause me to take pause. For instance, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is a series of three books and it is literature. It is not a light, easy read. I bought His Dark Materials about a year ago because I read some wonderful things about it. When I started to read it, it quickly became apparent that it was something I would have to put some effort into and I only read the first chapter. Not because I did not like it, but because three small children got in my way and I ended up reading some "Her Parenting Materials" instead. Anyhow, although the three books are a series, they only count for one heavy, involved read on my list. I may have to skip this and replace it with a selection of my own. I will wait and make that decision when I get to number forty on the list. There are a couple of other selections that I feel the same way about and I'll make that decision when I get to them.
I am going to begin at the bottom of the list, with Jon Stewart's America (the Book), which I am dying to read. I love Jon Stewart and think it will be a great way to start the challenge. But, will Cormac McCarthy's The Road be a great way to end? Guess we'll have to wait and see.
I am excited to get started but in the meantime, I need to make a shopping list. Look out Chapters-Indigo ... here I come. If you are there, I'll be the one looking over her list with the three children - one complaining about having to come shopping, one excited just to be shopping and one running around pulling books off the shelves, not listening to her mother. Am I crazy to do this? Yep, but that is what makes it fun for me. Why don't you join me? And, if you don't like my list, pick your own.
Come on ... you know you want to.
The List
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4 comments:
Good luck, Jill --- hope you can find the time you need for this latest "challenge".
I love your list, but it will take me 100 years to read them in English!! :) Grietje
And Eva Luna is one of my favorits!!! Grietje
Jill, I love to read as well, and I feel like I'm a fast reader, but for me, 100 books in a year is quite a feat. I'm lucky to work with 5 people in a small department, 4 of whom love to read books, so we all share, which is wonderful. I've read several on your list and have yet to read some. I read The Road, Cormac McCarthy and I liked it although it was dark and depressing at times. My favourite on your list was the Kite Runner...........I bawled my eyes out!!! I must say you should add A Thousand Splendid Suns by the same author, Khaled Husseini. Excellent. The Glass Castle was okay, as well as Practical Magic. Atonement was so-so which is why I never watched the movie; same with The Reader... if the book is always better than the movie than the movie can't be that great. I loved the DaVinci Code (being Catholic and all)Tried The Poisonwood Bible a few times and it seemed okay but maybe the time wasn't right for me to read it. Have the Brief Wonderous Life Of Oscar Wao but haven't read it yet. Loved And The Band Played On ( and suprised to find out that my son, who's in grade 9, is reading it in school) Have you ever read Rush Home Road by Lori Larsens? Excellent . And I love Fall on Your Knees and As the Crow Flies by Ann Marie McDonald.
My daughter, Megan has read The Giver at school and loved it so Santa brought her the next two.
Are these in order? Or just random?
Just finished The Time Traveller's Wife.........not so crazy about it. At the moment I'm reading The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas. The worst book I've read so far this year is The Englishman's Boy. Torture... I thought it would get better but it never did,terrible waste of time.
I must give you credit for such an endeavour; I think I stopped reading for years when my kids were little because I had no time and felt overwhelmed and tired. I feel like I just resumed reading in the last few years and am so happy. Although I took a 2 year hiatus when I went back to school. And I'm so happy that Jake loves to read; Megan is so-so on reading. Marv doesn't read much but I keep buying him baseball stories hoping he'll get interested.(He tries)
Looking forward to following your blog and good luck.