READIN

🦋 10 books I look forward to reading

David of Blagdaross (who tells me his blog is a bit inspired by READIN) has tagged me with a meme -- how exciting! He asks me to poke through my bookshelves and find 10 books that "I'm really glad I own and will definitely get around to reading". So (in no particular order):

• The Bible. (King James translation). Over the years I have read some portions of it; as my life goes on I look forward to reading more.
• The Koran. (A.J. Arberry translation). I'm fascinated by some things like Rumi's poetry that I think I could understand better if I had more of a passing familiarity with the Koran.
• Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon. I have technically read this book, in the sense of sitting at my desk and moving my eyes over the words on all of its pages. But am at least 2 or 3 readings away from any kind of real comprehension.
• On Beauty by Zadie Smith. If you have been reading my entries much lately you know how much I have admired her other two books. This one is on my list for soon.
• Dombey and Son and David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. When I was reading Bleak House this summer, loving it, I picked up these two books at a yard sale meaning to read them soon. Got distracted by other stuff; but they are still on the queue.
• The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil. I'm always starting this book and getting about halfway through before I get distracted. Possibly it does not belong on this list as there is no real guarantee I will one day start it and be interested enough to read it through.
• Inferno. (Robert Pinsky translation). When I turned 35 I started rereading this (having previously read it in a different translation, at the tender age of 18), thinking that age would give me some special insight. As it turned out I grew quickly distracted. But sometime soon I will sit down with it again.
• Lost Highway by Peter Guralnick. Music journalism is kind of a bane for me -- it always seems like it should be really interesting but when push comes to shove, I can't stay with it for more than a few pages. But everybody tells me this book is great.

Some notes: I did not include any foreign-language books -- there are many in my library (mostly in German and Latin) that I hope one day to read; but being able to read the language is an important first step. Also I did not, by and large, include any of the books I am meaning to reread -- I would not know where to start such a list. Looking through my shelves this evening I am reminded of how many books I have read and have only fleeting memories of -- a phenomenon which I founded this web site, in part, to combat. Thanks David, for the opportunity to go through the collection.

posted evening of Monday, October 9th, 2006

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