The Journey of 1001 Books

I purchased the book 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die recently. The major reason for this purchase was a) I'm a book nerd and love to read, though I don't do it enough, b) I was curious what books were on the list and c) I thought I'd be a lot farther with the list than I am.

I majored in English in college, so I did a fair share of reading. I also did a fair share of read Cliff's Notes. I flipped through the book, markig off the ones that I've read. Out of 1001 I think I've read about 21. 22 tops. Please don't say anything. I know, not good. I also realized that many of the books SHOULD have been read at some point in my literary career. But alas, I'm not stuck trying to catch up, and trying to catch up to Kimmmmm, who is some 15 books ahead of me. But I wanted to give a brief overview of the books that surprised me on the list.

They Weren't On It?

We all have favorite books. Books that we feel are in the top of the list that everyone should read. Now, I realize that many of my favorite books would by no means be considered among the 1001 best in the history of literature. But there are some, not necessarily my favorite, I want noted, that did not appear on the list.

The Diary of Anne Frank: This one is probably the most surprising to me. The major reason is that it is quite instrumental in our views of the Holocaust. It's a young girl, who was actually an incredible writer with phenomenal insight into the world, writing of her experience of being stuck in an attic for more than two years. I think the reason this wasn't included was because it's a diary, not so much a work of fiction.

Night: This is another Holocaust book that is Elie Weisel's (I'm sure I'm spelling that wrong) experience from the time he was captured and taken to a concentration camp to when he was freed. It's a short read, but is so breathtaking and sad, but hopeful at the same time. Again, I don't think this was necessarily included because it's a true story.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Probably Mark Twain's most famous book. I don't particularly like it, but it definitely has a place in literary history, so I was a little shocked it wasn't on the list. It's very much a young boy's illusions of the world. I think that Huck Finn is better, thus why that was included on the list. Of course, the bad parts of Huck Finn are when Tom Sawyer is included. So maybe that's why it wasn't included.

My Antonia: Now, I love My Antonia. I've read it multiple times. I think it's fantastic as a book about life during the time. To be honest, I wasn't surprised that My Antonia wasn't included as much as only one book by Willa Cather was included. Maybe this is my Senior year English professor talking, but Willa Cather, in my honest opinion, holds a place as one of the greatest "scene" writers in the English language. By saying that, I mean that her books focus so much on the scenary and character development, less than plot.

That Made The List?

This one is a little more fun, because I can look at the books and tell you which ones I hated. Of course, I'll go into more details about each one as the blog progresses. But here's a quick overview.

Frankenstein: Hated it. Why? All they do is complain. Frankenstein complains about the monster. The monster complains about Frankenstein and his creation. Someone kill themself. Please. I don't want to hear you complain anymore. It quickly reaches the point of "I want to kill myself just so I don't have to hear you complain about life. That being said, I think that Frankenstein definitely holds a place in literary history. It's really the first gothic novel that blazes the path for many novels to follow. It was also a very big deal because it was written by a woman.

The Virgin Suicides: Hated it. Why? B.O.R.I.N.G. Now, I liked the movie. Maybe because I was younger. Maybe because of Kirsten Dunst. Maybe...I don't know. But the book just drags, and drags, and drags. Boring. Now, there was some excellent descriptions in the book. However, the narrator doesn't really know why the girls kill themselves. It's all speculation. So really, there's no good reason. I have my own theories, though. They wanted to get out of the book.

I can't think of anymore at this particular time. Maybe more later. It's a little tricky because I don't have the book in front of me.

Moral of the Story: People are not going to have the same tastes as you so try to figure out why a book has been included as a MUST read.

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.