A Start

1001 Book is pretty neat because it gives you a framework for what you are reading. Structure and order.... the very things that I crave in this world. I have a feeling that even if I don't like all of the books I end up reading, I'm not going to close them feeling like I lost brain cells (which did happen during "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Confessions of a Shopaholic")

After my copy of 1001 arrived, I did a walkthrough and it turns out that I had already read 35 of the books listed, which means that I have a mere 966 books left to go and a lifetime to do it in. Of course, the list of 1001 isn't going to suit every single literary taste out there, so I am going to use this first post to throw out my two cents.

Books I would have left out:

"Blonde" by Joyce Carol Oates - this is supposed to be the inner monologue of Marilyn Monroe as she lives her tumultuous life in the spotlight. For the person who doesn't know much about the life and times of Marilyn, this book is a complete waste of time, because Oates will spend two sentences on a significant event and then devote the entire rest of the chapter to Marilyn's wandering drug induced mental ramblings. Sometimes, Marilyn's ramblings took the reader around the edges of events which I'm assuming were fairly significant, but never really disclosed. It confused and annoyed me. Then, at the end, with little to no forshadowing, Maryiln dies. I understand that this is how it happened in real life as well, and I apologize in advance if I have ruined this book for you.

"The Reader" by Bernard Schlink - I'm pretty sure that Bernard knew someone who was fairly influential to get one on the 1001 list. I've read the book - it's the story of an older woman seducing a younger man with books, knowledge, and of course, seduction. My mom gave it to me as a beach read. Granted, it didn't kill my brain or soul like Shopaholic did, but at the same time, it wasn't all that spectacular or earth shattering. Which is fine, because I"m sure that 1001 is a tall order to fill... however it could have been replaced with.....

Books I would have added:

"East of Eden" by John Steinbeck - the story of Cain and Abel set in the Salinas Valley. This is one of my all time favorite books. The characters and storyline were more compelling than Grapes of Wrath.

Books I was glad to see didn't make the list:

"The DaVinci Code" and "Demons and Angels" - while these are page turners, I'm so over Dan Brown, his alleged plagiarism, the controversy with the church, and stupid people who don't understand that fiction is just that... fiction.

Books I am excited to read:

I am really excited about reading "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" by Hunter S Thompson, because he was one crazy crazy drug addled dude...his funeral was a fireworks display at his house in Colorado where his ashes were launched into the sky along with the fireworks. I'm interested to see if I think that the book is good or well written or if I come away feeling like he made the list just because of the whole crazy thing. He is also known as the father of "gonzo journalism", which I'm not sure what exactly it is.

There are also several books by Don Delillo, which is sort of intriguing too. I read "White Noise" in English 101 and really liked it, but never really bothered to pick up any of his other books. Hopefully these will be some good reads as well. And of course, since this is a blog about books, I will be ending every post with a

Moral of the Story:If you are in high school, don't do cliff notes. You will be a lot farther ahead when you decide to read 1001.