“In a very real sense, people who have read good literature have lived more than people who cannot or will not read. It is not true that we have only one life to lead; if we can read, we can live as many more lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish.”-S. I. Hayakawa
This blog was created as motivation for me to complete my personal challenge of reading each novel featured in Time Magazine’s ALL TIME 100 Books List. I am currently a first year English major, and I am determined to become more knowledgable in my field. I love reading, but I find myself re-reading books I have read before, and avoiding challenging myself with new material. To simplify it, I’ve become lazy. Hopefully this blog will bring me out of my current slump and I’ll find some new favourites along the way!
There are many lists of books to read before one dies, so why did I choose this specific one? To be honest, I chose it because it was the first one that popped up when I did a Google search. Well, actually the first that popped up was a list of 1001 books, but I don’t think I could keep up a blog for that long! Time’s list seems manageable and also features many novels that I’ve always wanted to read, but never made time for.
Why didn’t I just read 100 books of my own choosing? Well, because I wanted to read books that otherwise I probably wouldn’t even look at. I realize that just because two critics decided these books are the best doesn’t nescessarily mean I’ll enjoy them, but I wanted to read books that are considered “important,” and are obviously worth reading.
I decided not to set a time limit (like one year, or something) on this project because I go to university full-time, work part-time, and my cats and boyfriend sometimes need attention too. I’m going to try to read at a steady pace, but I make no promises.
Thank you for your support and I hope you enjoy my blog. I encourage you to start your own reading challenge, and let me know how it goes!
