"I hate book lists. Who cares if lots of other people think it's good? I barely have time to read the books I've decided I want to read, let alone trying to complete some upperty list full of Jane Austen."
And for a long time I agreed. My 'to read' pile is large, and I keep stumbling across new books to add to it. Books that friends recommend, books that I like the cover of, the next book in a series I started once and always meant to read the sequal. However, whilst lurking around bookish sites on the web I stumbled across a list. I've mentioned this a couple of other times in other posts: The BBC's Big Read top 100 list. Way back in 2003, a poll/survey/something happened, and the BBC compiled a list of 100 best books as voted for by the general public. Two things appealed to me about the list:
1) I had read and enjoyed at least 10 books on the list already. This was appealing a) because I'm lazy, and if I'm already 10 books down, all the better and b) because if I had read and enjoyed at least 10 of the books on the list, perhaps my reading taste mirrored that of whoever was surveyed and I would enjoy more of the books on the list.
2) I was sadly lacking in 'classic' reading. I read what I had to for school, sixth form and university and so far not much had appealed to me and from then on I avoided the classics like some suspicious looking stain on a hotel mattress. I decided that I was now an adult, therefore a) my reading tastes may have also matured a la some tasty french cheese and b) I work in a library and people keep assuming I've read everything by Thomas Hardy and Charlotte Bronte. Which I haven't and it's embarrassing to tell people much younger than myself this awkward fact.
When I'm asked if I've read all the books in the Library
Another reason to complete these lists full of classic books, is that they're usually fairly easy to get hold of from a library. Because they're classics. And everyone loves them, right?
I have now read almost 50 of the titles on this list, and I HAVE ACTUALLY ENJOYED SOME OF THEM. They're books that I would never usually go near if I had the choice, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. Who the hell would known that I would actually love that book. Like...I could not stop turning the pages. Jane Eyre.
Okay it hasn't been all sunshine and daisies. I tried Perfume by Patrick Suskind, number 71 on the list over Christmas and considered it possibly the most ridiculous and unnecessary piece of asshattery that ever made it to print. I honestly felt slightly nauseous the whole way through. They made a film based on that book. Who would do that? But on the whole things have been surprising. I am slightly dreading reading more Jane Austen - I keep ignoring it but I suppose I'll read it one day, if only to say I have read all 100 on the list.
Most challenging length-wise on the list so far has probably been Gone with the Wind by Margeret Mitchell, clocking in at 1011 pages. Most disliked (aside from Perfume) probably Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (see my grumbless in a post I did at the time). Currently reading The Godfather by Mario Puzo and somewhat enjoying it. More than I thought I would anyway. But this, I suppose, is the whole point. I'll probably do some more reviews about books from the list along the way and I'll update with my progress when I reach a suitable milestone.
Me reaching the end of Gone with the Wind
My point here, after all this garbling, is perhaps try to complete a booklist. If you don't fancy 100 books, I'm sure there's shorter versions out there. You might just find a new favourite genre.
Over and out.
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