That what they do delay, they not deny.

Gravity's Rainbow. What can I say? It's living up to all of my expectations; it's difficult to follow and quite a tedious read. But I have been slowly making my way through it.

I'm leaving on a trip to South East Asia today, and was hoping to have it finished before I left. Things were seemingly going well, as in I thought I'd be able to finish before today. Or at least by today. But last week, I had an accident of sorts, and found myself in the hospital for a spell, which sort of put my reading pace off track. I learned quite quickly that Gravity's Rainbow is not the book to read when you've been given several large doses of morphine.

My first attempt to read while lying in a hospital bed, stoned to the bejezus, lasted less than one sentence before dropping the book and falling asleep. My second attempt a few hours later ended after one paragraph. Although to be fair, there probably aren't any books that would be ideal for reading after the amount of morphine I'd been given!

#76 - "A House for Mr. Biswas" by V.S. Naipaul

It is done. #76 on the list, A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul. By no means the longest book on the list, but I believe 2nd only to Lord of the Rings in how long it took me to read, at nearly four months.

This was a bit of a different one for me; I enjoyed reading it, the entire time in fact, but when I put it down I had little to no motivation to pick it up again. Reminds me of Possession. Looking back on the book, this actually makes sense; the writing was wonderful, with complex characters, interesting settings, and vivid descriptions. There was just one thing missing, a plot. It didn't seem to be a book I needed to pick up on a regular basis, as I wasn't really concerned with what was going to happen.

Mohun Biswas is born into a poor, Indian family in Trinidad, sometime in the early part of the 20th century. His birth is looked upon as a stroke of bad luck, as he is born with an extra finger, and comes out feet first. And for the following 500 or so pages, it seems that prophecy turns out to be true. Mr. Biswas lives a life without many successes.

His troubles start when he hides from his parents, fearing harsh punishment. Mr. Biswas' father, fearing his sun has drowned, dives into a lake to find him, only to drown himself. And it goes downhill from there. He is pulled out of school to begin a career, but fails at nearly everything he does. Eventually, through cowardice, he becomes engaged to Shama Tulsi, daughter of a shop owning family; a family that would come to dominate him for the rest of his life.

Dear Blog, Happy 4th Birthday!

Today is a milestone of sorts for my reading through this list of 100 novels. It was four years ago today,that I began reading my first book, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. This wasn't exactly the day I started this project, as I hit a few stumbling blocks at the beginning. I remember thinking I was going to start with Nineteen Eighty-Four, but when I went to start reading my copy, I discovered the first few pages were missing. Not wanting to start the project off skipping the first eight pages, I began with a different book.

After that and a couple of other delays, it was November 21, 2009 that I actually began reading. Fast forward to today, and I've completed 68 novels, and am nearly finished my 69th; Possession.

I did commend your highness' letters to them

My reading of Possession continues. But as I mentioned in my previous post, I'm being stalled by the typeface. Last week it was tiny font, which this book as plenty of. But to make matters worse, the last chapter I finished, some 55 pages, was almost entirely in italics.

The chapter in question contains a series of letters written between two lovers in 1859. I'm not sure why a letter has to be in italics; it's obvious it's a letter that we're reading, there is no need to differentiate it from the rest of the text. And of course the font is smaller than the rest of the book as well. So I had the grueling task of reading 55 pages of tiny italicized font.

To add to this, I was basically reading about what somebody else was reading. For whatever reason, I've always found this incredibly tedious. If it's a line or two, there doesn't seem to be a problem, but when it's page after page after page, I find my attention drifting, wondering if I really need to read all of this. Through the first 69 books on this list, this particular chapter was the closest I've come to skipping ahead a few pages, and that includes Lord of the Rings. Fortunately I was able to resist the temptation, saving myself from having to one day proclaim "I've read through Time magazine's list of 100 All-Time Novels, save a few pages of Possession."

For now, it looks like I'm through with italics and tiny font, but I have moved on to reading about somebody reading somebody else's diary. But I've passed the halfway point, so I have that going for me.

Tweet

#63 - "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

After reading The Lord of the Rings for so very, very long, my 63rd book from the list, The Sound and the Fury seemed like a breeze. It only took 10 days and there were days I looked forward to reading it; such a departure from #62. But there were a couple of problems; a couple of big problems.

When I finished reading this book, I have to admit I wasn't entirely sure what I had just read. The book is broken into four sections, each narrated by a different person. Well, except the fourth section which switches to third person. Of course Faulkner is hazy on the details of who is narrating and it usually takes ten pages or so to establish who 'I' now is.

In short, the book follows the Compsons, a Southern family in the early part of the 20th century. There are four grown siblings, a father who isn't around anymore (I think he's dead) and a mother who seems to be suffering from...something, maybe depression. If that seems vague, it's because so is the book.

One of the sons has a mental handicap (we're never really sure what the problem is as it's never even partially explained) so we read through his blurred sense of reality via his inner thoughts. But since this is never really explained, we actually read through a series of incoherent babble for 75 pages and wonder what the hell just happened. Later we learn about his handicap and are meant to now understand why it didn't make any sense.

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

I'm reading The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, and so far so good. Actually, I'm doing really well. Even though I finished The Lord of the Rings a couple of weeks ago, I wasn't able to start The Sound and the Fury until this past Monday as I had to finish a non-fiction book, At Home by Bill Bryson, which couldn't be renewed from the library. But that's done (it was great as all Bryson books seem to be), and I've been flying through Faulkner all week.

So far, I think I'm enjoying it more than Light in August, which I wasn't expecting. I say this not because I enjoyed Light in August so much, but rather from what I have read and heard about The Sound and the Fury. Having said that, this book isn't without its problems. After an interesting first chapter, things have turned a little bizarre. In what I believe is typical Faulkner fashion, there are time shifts and new characters, often without any explanation or description. Often I'm not sure who "I" is when I read "I said," and I'm not always sure when or where I am in the story. This was the same problem I had with Light in August, but for whatever reason, I'm finding this one a little more readable.

At my current pace, I should be finished over the weekend. That's right #62 will have taken five months, #63 will have taken less than a week. I hope anyway.

Then 'tis but reason that I be released

Now that I've unshackled myself from The Lord of the Rings, I feel as if I am Dbryan Unchained (the 'D' is silent). My lack of progress reading these past few months has resulted in my lack of posting about my reading. It's difficult to write about your reading when you're doing so little of it. But now that I'm finished with that seemingly never ending read, I'm ready to get back at it; both reading and writing.

The next book I've decided to read is The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, one of the authors with two books on the list. I wasn't fussy about his other book, Light in August (which was my fourth book), and have to admit that I was a little gun shy about reading this one. But after being bogged down in Middle Earth for so long, it really doesn't feel that intimidating.

Of course it is over 1,000 pages shorter than the last one, so its size is a lot less intimidating. Silly as it may seem, there is something comforting about reading a book that doesn't cause ships to list to starboard; it fits in a jacket pocket and can be held with one hand. And after being able to slog through a 1,300 page book I wasn't really interested in, I feel a 320 page book, regardless of whether or not I am enjoying it, will seem like a breeze. I'm feeling so confidant with these books now, I even considered reading Gravity's Rainbow next, but couldn't track down a copy in time.

I have a few other books lined up right now, waiting to be read, and plan to really make some tracks this month. Also on my shelf are Possession, A Clockwork Orange, The Big Sleep, and The Grapes of Wrath. I'm not going to think about what #64 will be until I'm nearly finished The Sound and the Fury however. I've got to keep my eye on the prize.

#62 - "Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien

It's finally over. What has been the marathon of reading through this list is complete, after a little over five months; I have read all 1,349 pages of The Lord of the Rings. There are many reasons why it took me so long to read this book. I wasn't really that interested in it to begin with, which makes for a long 1,349 pages. And, it was 1,349 pages! I guess there are two reasons why it took me so long to read this book.

I can understand why The Lord of the Rings is one of the most popular books of all time. It had adventure, action, war, and magic. But it reminds me too much of a blockbuster action movie, which keeps the audience entertained, without really providing any substance. While I didn't find this book very entertaining, I can see how others do, but I fail to see how it found its way onto a list of 100 All Time novels.

As one who thinks great characters are what makes a book great, Lord of the Rings was a huge disappointment. All the characters, without exception, could be described as two-dimensional at best. They seem to lack the emotional complexity normally found in intelligent beings, and instead seem more like characters from a fairy tale, where everybody is either 100% Good or 100% Evil. Despite having 1,349 pages with which to work, most of the characters' back stories are never really explored, save the odd one paragraph anecdote about a past incident. And nor do they ever really change despite their journey and experiences. I found each character to be so vague, I was never able to develop any sympathy or attachment to any of them.

That there wasn't really any story behind most of the characters was only part of the problem however. With a couple of different plot lines unfolding in the third book, there would be times that I wouldn't read of Frodo or Mary for nearly a hundred pages. It would be so long that I would have trouble remembering what had happened to them or where they were. Any attachment I had been developing was long gone, as I found myself flipping back dozens and dozens of pages, trying to refresh myself on what had happened so long ago.

In debating which was best, we shall part with neither.

For those of you who have been on the edge of your seat, wondering what book I decided to start reading next, wonder no longer. Debating between moving to William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury or finishing The Lord of the Rings, I've gone with the latter.

I have now read one hundred pages of the third book, or at least just shy of that, and the end is in sight. And I have a rather lengthy plane ride this morning, so I might really be able to make some good progress.  Perhaps I'll even be finished by the end of the weekend. Unlikely, sure, but it's possible.

I am happy to report that The Lord of the Rings continues to get better, and I'm not really finding it much of a burden anymore. However, I do regret that it's taken me so long to read. I almost feel as if my project to read these one hundred books has been put on hold and cannot continue until I finally finish this one (which I suppose it has and can't).

I've also realized that I'll really have to make some tracks when I do finally finish, as I have a lot of catching up to do.

Continue still in this so good a mind,

Well, there's good news and bad news to report. The good news is I finally finished the second book in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  The bad news is, I still have another book to read.

I'm happy to report however, that the final 100 pages of The Two Towers were the best yet, and actually had me interested in reading (which is perhaps why I read the final 100 pages today).  This also means that I am keen to continue reading the next book, to see what happens. This is in great contrast to when I finished the first book, and had no desire whatsoever to continue reading the next two books. Having said that, I'm still debating whether or not to continue with Lord of the Rings right now.

My other option is to squeeze in another list read before continuing, just so I can get some forward progress on the list for the first time since November. The danger in this tactic is that I may lose whatever momentum I have built up these past couple of days, and reading the third book will be like starting all over. But I fear that  regardless of having more interest, the final book will take me another month. Currently I have The Sound and the Fury sitting next to my computer, taunting me to pick it over The Return of the King which sits beneath it.

There wouldn't even have been a debate, had I not made a little discovery last week.  The Return of the King is, shall we say, the girthiest book of the three, and measures over 600 pages (compared to 535 for book 1 and 436 for book two). However, as I thumbed through it a few days ago, I discovered that in actuality, it's only 375 pages. I say this because I have no plans to read the over 200 pages of appendices found at the end. My philosophy on appendices in fiction writing is there shouldn't be any; either you want that information in your story or you don't.

This was the same situation I ran into with Infinite Jest, which contains 1,150 pages, but I only count as having read 1,079; there were 70 pages of footnotes. I've tried to imagine Hemingway having an appendix or two in The Old Man and the Sea. I then shudder.

I'm flying to Victoria tonight, and plan to make my decision before I leave for the airport. I will bring both books with me however.

From year to year, the battles, sieges, fortunes,

As we get into the new year, I've been thinking back about the year that was, 2012. The first thing that really jumps out in my mind is the failures of the year; I only completed 13 books from the list.  This hardly keeps up with my desired pace of 24 books per year, and means I have a lot of reading to do in 2013 if I want to catch up. But I do attribute this to two books in particular (read: excuses).

First was The Recognitions by William Gaddis. Coming in at 956 pages, this was a beast that took me 66 days to read. It was my most difficult read from the list so far, and really put me behind pace, so early in the year. I didn't enjoy it, I read it while I was having a difficult time in my life, and of course, it's really long. I'll always wonder if the book was better than I gave it credit, and wonder if I had been reading it under different circumstances, might I appreciated it a little more.

The second trouble book was the on-going The Lord of the Rings. It isn't even remotely as tedious as The Recognitions, but it is twice as long. Add to this my general disinterest in the genre, and I have one difficult, long read on my hands.  I'm currently 60% through the second book, and should be able to finish it sometime in 2013 (although I can't honestly guarantee this as it's already been over 100 days since I began the first one).

But that doesn't mean the year was a total loss, I was introduced to some fantastic books, which I probably wouldn't have read if not for this little project. In no particular order, here are my favorite list reads from 2012:

The Assistant. This was just an enjoyable and interesting read, that's really in my wheel house. It was probably aided by the fact that I read it between books one and two of The Lord of the Rings, a welcome diversion.

Under the Net. One of the best hidden gems I've read from the list so far. I'd never heard of it or the author, and really had no idea what the book was about. It was enjoyable and entertaining in the style of Lucky Jim.

Revolutionary Road. Much like The Assistant,this book is my kind of book; a post-war character novel.

All the King's Men. An engrossing story and dynamic characters make this one of the best I've read so far. A real page turner.

The Sot-Weed Factor. The more I think about this book, the more I begin to think it may be my favorite book through the first 61, and one of my favorite books ever. It's interesting, entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny. And I have still only met one person to date who has ever heard of the book or John Barth, the author.

Tomorrow I'll look at my favorite non-fiction reads from 2012.

Walk with you, and so following, but I will not eat

My struggles reading Lord of the Rings are well documented, but I was never really sure why. It isn't that I dislike it per se, I just never find myself very enthusiastic about reading it. But a couple of weeks ago, someone suggested that it may be because I'm not very interested in reading about people walking, eating, and singing. At the time, I didn't think that was the reason, but now that I'm about a third of the way through the second book, I'm starting to think that may be a good assessment. When I look back at the first book, that's all I really remember...walking, eating, and singing.

Walking. Most of the first book's 500+ pages detailed Frodo et al walking somewhere. Unfortunately they never got to where they are going, so the book really just chronicled a journey to nowhere.

Eating. It isn't that I don't enjoy reading about people eating; it never bothered me in any of Hemingway's novels, but the hobbits always seemed to be eating when they shouldn't. Every time their pursuers were closing in, they would decide it was time to flee...right after we sit down for a humongous breakfast with all the fixings. Maybe it's just me (and based on the sales and acclaim, it is), but there never seemed to be any urgency to their quest.

Singing. I don't think I get it. I understand they're singing when the text switches to italics and is intro'd with "they sang:" But as I don't know the tune, I'm just reading a bunch of words that often rhyme. I found my eyes wandering over the words many times, and my attention drifting, every time the group started singing.


The good news is I am enjoying the second book more than the first, and the lack of singing (although there still is some), and less eating (due to the fact they don't have any food), might be part of the reason.  About 100 pages in, there is a bunch of singing, and I found myself drifting again. Oh well, progress continues and will continue until I am finished.

And for achievement offer us his ransom

Well, I have good news and bad news after my second prolonged absence from blogging.  First with the bad news; I was recently kidnapped and held for ransom. I'm not sure why, as I don't know anybody who could afford to pay any considerable ransom, nor do I hold any important information that one may wish to extract.

But kidnapped I was and it was quite an ordeal.  It all started on the evening of October 26th, which is coincidentally the last time I was able to post a blog.  Gunmen stormed my condo, blind-folded me and whisked me away in what I can only assume was some kind of late-model panel van without windows.  After driving for several hours, I was unloaded and taken into what I later would learn was some sort of abandon warehouse near the docks. For weeks, my captors tormented me with a variety of vicious techniques, but with no clear goal in mind.

And it is for this reason, that I haven't been diligent at updating my progress of reading through this list of 100 books, and it is for this reason that my progress of reading through this list has been nothing short of shameful.  But I think it's a pretty good reason.

Ironically, my captor's main torture technique was to force me to read non-fiction.  In my three weeks as hostage, they forced me to read The Fox Effect by David Brock, Follow the Money by Kevin Taft, Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris, Seen Reading by Julie Wilson, and Our Man in Tehran by Robert Wright.  Oh the humanity!  Forced to read so many books that happened to be on me 'to read' list.  And it did keep me from Lord of the Rings for all this time.

Now for the good news.  First off, I was freed yesterday, with no ransom paid and no reason ever given for why I had been kidnapped. Secondly, with my new found freedom, I was able to finish Lord of the Rings!  Okay, I didn't finish it, but I finished the first book.  So I've now read 531 of around 1500 pages.  And I read 250 of those 531 pages in the last 24 hours.

But instead of forcing myself back into the same situation with the next book, I've decided to read a different book between each Lord of the Rings book.  So, starting tomorrow morning I will begin reading The Assistant by Bernard Malamud.  Then I'll read book #2, read another book from the list, then read book #3.  Basically, Lord of the Rings has been shifted from being #61 to being #63.

There's more good news too; I'm currently in Hawai'i, which is awesome, and affords me a lot of time to read.  Perhaps I'll be well into the third Lord of the Rings book when I return.  Perhaps... 

I shall continue thankful.

I haven't been able to post recently for one simple reason, I haven't been reading from the list. For the past several weeks, I've been rather pre-occupied with WordFest and my commitment to reading #61 has been spectacularly dismal.

It has continued however, and I am currently about a hundred pages into Lord of the Rings.  But really, that's pathetic progress considering I finished One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest  over a month ago.  And I'll admit that of those 100 pages, I read about 96 of them last night.  So basically, I took a month off from reading the list, but resumed my journey yesterday.  Hopefully I can continue on a good pace for the next couple of months, and get into the 70's before 2013.

But just because I haven't been reading from the list doesn't mean I haven't been reading. As part of my association with WordFest, I try and read as many books that will be appearing at the festival as possible.  This year included among others, Seen Reading by Julie Wilson, Cures for Hunger by Deni Bechard, and One Good Hustle by Billie Livingston.

Like reading from this list, my involvement with WordFest introduces me to a ton of new books and authors I might not otherwise be aware of.  Hearing authors read from and discuss their books is always very intriguing, as is actually meeting them.  As happened last year, my 'to read' list grew substantially longer.  But, I vow they'll stay on the "to read" list for quite some time, as for the foreseeable future I will be obediently reading #61 and beyond.