50 Book Challenge Update

Hello, world.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a fake diamond ring from Kohl’s. It’s so pretty and until you get close it looks completely real. I like to wear it because lately I haven’t been at all in the mood to flirt, and if you have a ring on your finger guys are a lot less likely to hit on you. While I do someday want to get married, I’m just not feeling like I want to get involved with anyone at the moment. I’m sure that will change at some point, but for now, the ring.

Meanwhile... BOOKS!!

I started the 50 Books in a Year Challenge on November 1st, 2008. Here’s my list so far, in the order that I read them:

1. Feed, MT Anderson
2. The Beautiful Miscellaneous, Dominic Smith
3. Harry, A History, Melissa Anelli
4. Oryx & Crake, Margaret Atwood
5. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
6. The Almost Moon, Alice Sebold
7. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, JK Rowling
8. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
9. Snuff, Chuck Palahniuk
10. The Bermudez Triangle, Maureen Johnson
11. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E Lockhart
12. Suite Scarlett, Maureen Johnson
13. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
14. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing (Volume One), MT Anderson
15. Doubt, John Patrick Shanley
16. Boy Meets Boy, David Levithan
17. Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson
18. Uglies, Scott Westerfeld
19. Pretties, Scott Westerfeld
20. Marley’s Ghost, David Levithan
21. Devilish, Maureen Johnson
22. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
23. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
24. The Great Perhaps, Joe Meno
25. Specials, Scott Westerfeld
26. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, Katherine Howe
27. Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
28. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
29. Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris
30. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
31. The Everafter, Amy Huntley
32. Push, Sapphire
33. Just Listen, Sarah Dessen
34. Story of a Girl, Sara Zarr

As you can see, I’ve been reading mostly YA Fiction. While fun to read, it’s not as intellectually stimulating as, say, The Poisonwood Bible. I did read Gatsby for the first time, so that was good. But I feel like there is a large part of my education in literature that was overlooked. I skipped American Lit in high school to take AP English, which meant that I never took a non-drama English class in college. I’ve read what feels like thousands of plays (probably only hundreds) but I still feel like my reading history is lacking something.

So, here is my goal for the next five weeks. I’m sure I won’t be able to finish everything, but I’m going to make a sincere attempt. I’ve tried to throw in a few quick reads as well, since I’m sure I’ll need a break after some of these:

The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner

(I’d prefer As I Lay Dying, but S&F was on the used shelf and AILD was $13.00)

The Crucible, Arthur Miller

(A play that somehow escaped my reading lists for all of my college classes.)

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

(What self-respecting book lover hasn’t read this??)

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing (Volume 2), MT Anderson

(I borrowed it from the library already.)

Twisted, Laurie Halse Anderson

(In honor of Banned Book Week next week.)

The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

(Because I skipped American Lit and I’m the only one I know who hasn’t read it.)

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou

(Banned Book Week again.)

The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka

(So I can finally figure out what “Kafkaesque” means.)

The Bible of Clay, Julia Navarro

(My dad lent it to me.)

A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray

(Already started it.)

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, Tucker Max

(Because I’m sure I’ll occasionally need a break from the other books.)

...Yeah, there’s no way I’ll be able to finish all of these before November 1st. Plus, that’s only 11 and I need 16. There are a lot of books I’ve started that are still on my shelf though, so maybe I can finish some of those in between these fine pieces of literature.

Okay, well, now that I’ve decided to devote my entire life to reading, I’m going to go see a movie with some friends. I’ll be sure to keep this updated with my progress. I’m planning to add up all the pages I’ve read on November 1st to make myself feel better if I don’t make my goal. If I counted re-reads, I’d only need 10 more books. Why did I waste my time on those? Hehe.

Have a good night, world.