The 50-novel challenge
Late last year I read Jane Smiley’s 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel. What I was most interested in was why she wrote it.
She had been in the middle of writing a new novel when 9/11 struck. Like the rest of us, she lost heart. She also lost confidence in her place in the world, wondering what good it does to write novels anyway. She decided to take a break from her work and assign herself the therapy of reading 100 novels. And somewhere in the course of reading all that great fiction from centuries ago to today, she found her heart again. And also found the passion to go back to writing.
The thing that intrigued me about that story wasn’t so much her cure for writer’s block, but the concept of assigning yourself 100 novels to read. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I always have stacks and stacks of books positioned all over the house, waiting for me to finish the one I’m reading right now so I can get on to the next one. It’s a lot of pressure. Add to that the obsessive need to read the newspaper–even if it’s last week’s newspaper, and I’m just now getting to it–and also the magazines that come every month, or in the case of Time, every week. That’s a lot of words.
Despite that, after reading Jane Smiley’s book, I decided I loved that idea of reading 100 novels. What better way to improve my mind and my writing skills than to read great literature, one novel after another? Dickens, Eliot, Steinbeck, Austen. Alternate with some moderns like John Irving and Helen Fielding. Mix in some young adult, some juvenile–now we’re talking a full life.
I started out with the insane notion that I could actually read 100 novels this year, if I were only disciplined about it. That lasted about two weeks. So now I’m on the more moderate plan of reading 50 novels this year. The great thing about the assignment is that it removes whatever guilt I might feel over stopping my own work at night in time to read for an hour or so before I pass out. I know I should never feel guilty about reading–it is part of my job, after all, to improve my skills by looking over the shoulders of people who are far better writers than I am–but there’s always that tug, that tinge of the bully in me that says, “What are you doing taking a break? Get back to work!”
And now I’d like to pass on the assignment to anyone else who’s interested. Think of it: 50 novels. The luxury of setting up your stack and working through it one novel at a time. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens this week, Sight Hound by Pam Houston next week. Every book your heart desires, one after one after one.
If 50 novels in a year sounds too intense, pick your own number–maybe 20, maybe 10. But the fun is in setting a goal and then deciding which novels to treat yourself with. If you’re looking for ideas, refer back to the comments under “What book have you loved lately?” I’ve added some of those books to my ever-growing list.
And as added incentive, we’ll do a survey at the end of the year and see who’s managed to read the most. (This will have to be Scout’s Honor.) The winner will get a special chocolate treat.
Are you game? Ladies and gentleman, stack your books.
Technorati Tags: Reading, Books, Jane Smiley, Free Chocolate
Um . . . geez, I wonder if I could figure out which of the HUGE NUMBER OF NOVELS I have stacked around this house that I read after January first of this year. I betcha I’m already fairly well over the 50 mark. I routinely read anywhere from three to six books a week, even when my codework schedule is heavy.
Oh, forgot to pass along another for you to put on YOUR list, Robin– “The Secret Live of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd. “The Mermaid Chair” was also good reading but there was something very special about “Bees”– probably the way she captured a young woman’s true heart, and how that same young woman discovered her mother’s heart.
And Robin? It would REALLY be unfair of me to enter this contest since I threw out my TV years ago, and books are, and always have been, a major part of my life.
I knew you’d be disqualified, BJ. I also knew you’d totally kick my butt in number of novels for the year. Thanks for fessing up.
bj, i’d like your “codework” gig provided it does not entail fluency in navajo. where do i apply?
Annette, if you’re reading this you are USING my codework. I designed this website. So the fluency needed is in geekspeak, particularly xhtml/css/php as well as a fluency in photoshop/fireworks and graphics filters . . . easily acquired by being a totally obsessed computer weenie and not having any sort of normal life. Though I do get to write a lot . . . even if normal people can’t understand any of my blog articles.
Robin, I must confess further. I don’t always read “high literature”– in fact, far from it. My bedroom has been taken over by aliens and some of the books I read are from that collection. The paperbacks have names like “The Currents of Space” (Isaac Asimov, 1952), “The Atlantic Abomination” (John Brunner, 1960), “Day of the Giants” (Lester del Rey, 1959), “Space Gypsies” (Murray Leinster, 1967), “Children of Tomorrow” (A.E. Van Vogt, 1970), “City of Illusions” (Ursula K. LeGuin, 1967) and many others, all of which are, for the most part skinny little books compared to today’s, and are fast reads. I often intersperse more modern reading with these space operas. Or, if I’m feeling particularly cynical, with one of the books from my almost just as huge collection of 1950′s and 60′s detective novels.
Hi, I’m bj (hi, bj!) and I’m a bookaholic . . .
Oh Robin? Even if you’ve officially disqualified me since I disqualified myself, you’re welcome to send me more of those chocolates from Harry and David anytime you want (and I’ll just have to walk an extra mile a day and ride a few extra hours a week . . .)
bj, damn, i knew there would be a catch.
a big thank you to all for the reading recommendations. today was a livin’ right kinda day. i took a break from my usual sunday activity–obsessively solving, or attempting to solve, the new york times crossword puzzle, which has me sitting at my computer for the better part of the morning–NO that is not considered cheating. checked out the brande blog for reading inspiration and walked, with dog, to local INDEPENDENT bookseller. found two titles, used, which always feels good (“falling angels” and “winter’s tale”), but that’s not the livin’right part. turns out that heretofore unbeknownst to me this merchant has two random register giveaways per day (i’ve only been patronizing this place for 20 years, i think i have to work a little harder on my powers of obsevation). anyhow, you quessed it, i won–the entire purchase was free.
can’t wait to dig in.