Affectionately being named GAR GAR Books
In 2022 I tried, and then spectacularly failed, at trying to get back into reading. While reading and writing have been a part of my personality and life since before I could tie my shoes (still debatable if I can), I’ve had a hard time picking up anything new. If you read my post about making resolutions, you’ll know I talked about depression and ADHD and how they’ve impacted my day to day. Unsurprisingly, it carries over into being creative or sitting down to really enjoy a book.
With my medication and therapy finally in a good place, I’ve decided to give it another go. But honestly? Looking at my TBR and shelves of shame, it’s been a nightmare knowing where to start. Not to mention new books that I walk past every week when I pop into my local indie shop (support your local bookstore please and thank you).
Last year, I discovered a list put together by PBS in 2018 for a series called The Great American Read. To generate the list, they created a public poll that asked people what their favorite book was, which received 7200 answers. Considering how many “top 100” or “45 books to read before you turn 45” lists there are out there, the fact that I trust PBS as a source wasn’t the only reason I really loved the list they put together.
Once the initial list was put together, a panel of 13 “industry professionals” set about narrowing it down with this criteria in mind:
- Each author was limited to one title on the list.
- Books published in series or featuring ongoing characters counted as one eligible entry on the list (e.g. Lord of the Rings)
- Books could be from anywhere in the world as long as they were published in English.
- Only fiction could be included in the poll.
This criteria took care of so many issues I have with most of the big “top x” lists. So often, the “greats” or “classic writers” will have three, sometimes four, entries which limits someone’s exposure to new writers if they’re following along. And look, I barely want to read ONE book from Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, let alone three.
When I took my first look over the list as a whole, I figured I had probably read about a quarter of the books on the list at least one time, from having to for school and personal reading. While that might not seem like a lot for someone who professes to be bookish, I’m also typically pretty specific about what I do read. I’m almost solely a genre reader for lack of a better word; my bookshelf is full of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror novels. While these all have a place on the PBS list, they certainly aren’t the majority or the focus.
Starting off on this journey, the main goal is, of course, to take my time and get through all 100 books on the list, starting at 100 and working my way up to number one. I did consider also trying to read all the books in a series when it came up as an entry. But the sheer page count of some of them (Sanderson and Martin) shut that down pretty quickly. Instead, I’ve decided on just one goal: Don’t DNF any of the books. No matter how long it takes. Even if it means putting it down for weeks at a time to read something in between, just read each of the 100 books in their entirety.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend you force yourself to finish something you don’t truly like. But as much as I’m doing this to get back in to reading in general, I’m also taking this as an opportunity, as a writer, to expose myself to new writers and writing styles. Even if I personally don’t love novels in the first person or certain classic masterpieces. Seeing what’s out there that people would call their “favorite” is important.
Between last year and as of writing this, I’ve gotten through #97-100 on the list and can already say it’s definitely going to be an interesting challenge to get through. I plan on sharing reviews, going back and writing them up for the ones I’ve already done, as I work my way through.
You can follow along with the full list of books, as well as more details about the survey and the subsequent show/coffee table book they put out if you’re into that sort of thing here. As well as I’ll be maybe on twitter shouting my feelings into the void as I progress. Because let me tell you, there’s going to be FEELINGS about some of these, and not always positive. Looking at you entry number 86. Gods help me looking at you.
Macabress Manuscripts 