My very own polysyllabic spree

March 30, 2005


I feel that I’ve been inspired.

I won’t go too much into the details of the inspiration, because I fear it’s a little embarrasing to admit that it happened at a mega-Barnes and Noble store, but it began with picking up and reading Nick Hornby’s new book The Polysyllabic Spree — “A hilarious and true account of one man’s stuggle with the monthly tide of the books he’s bought and the books he’s been meaning to read.” I thought to myself: “I can do that. I buy books that, chances are, I’ll never read. In fact, I can force myself to read, to begin to enjoy reading as a pasttime again, and then swipe Hornby’s idea and write about it.”

So, as of today, it’s begun. I vow to read at least an hour each day — it shouldn’t be hard, I’ll just have to stop watching so much Aqua Teen Hunger Force when I get home from work (there’s 30 mintues right there.)

The thing is, I should have been doing this for years. Throughout my life, I’ve been surrounded by books. My mother’s living room in her apartment is filled with bookshelves — so many that she often has dreams that they are tipping over and falling through the floor under their own weight. I practically grew up in a used book store, and while it was a trashy romance-novel driven used book store, I was still in contact with bound pages almost every day of my life. I was reading Mallory’s Le Morte D’Arthur in 9th grade, dammit. I like books.

So why don’t I read anymore?

Hopefully, this will curb that longing. Every final day of the month (a time that is usually pretty slow at work, so that will help with writing) I will compile a list of the books I’ve purchased or checked out from the library, and I will compile a list of the books that I actually read, with reasons why I didn’t read the others, and reasons why I liked the books I’ve read. It’ll be a grand expiriment for me. It could also be an excuse to buy more books I’ll never read. I’ll have to raise that level in the monthly budget, i suspect.

So, with trusty Moleskine notebook in hand, I begin my quest. I may finally get around to reading Edward Rutherford’s London, or Paul Theroux’s Riding the Iron Rooster.

Wish me luck.

Tags: Books, Literature, What I've Been Reading |

Comments

2 Responses to “My very own polysyllabic spree”

  1. cr00kedview on April 4th, 2005 502 am

    Just you wait until they come out with Aqua Teen Hunger Force books. Then you’re hosed.

  2. Dawnett on April 14th, 2005 1145 am

    At you have a valid excuse: Aqua Teen Hunger Force is where it’s at!

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