Sunday, May 20, 2018

The Great American Read

Because I felt like I needed a few more things to do over here.

The Great American Read is a couple of things, a television series about favorite American novels hosted by Meredith Vieira on PBS that airs Tuesday, May 22, and also a sort of endurance challenge of reading, complete with a printable checklist, whose entries will provide the focus of the series. It would seem logical that I would be more excited for the series given that my focus is after all television, but that's not the case.

It's the list. Remember how I posted a few months ago that I had been waiting my entire life for the geography map and flag quizzes on Sporcle? I've been waiting equally long for someone to do something like this on a mainstream scale with books because it's my firm belief that Americans need to read more fiction. Granted, some of the selections that made it to this list are going to be a huge challenge for me to take seriously (I won't name names but rhymes with Knee Bell Sames)
but just like that time I asked you, my lovely constant readers, to shoot me your ideas for the WORST FILM EVER MADE project--GOD that was painful--I'm committed to finishing this to the end. In looking down the list I see titles that I've read before (some multiple times), titles that have always intimidated me, series I never finished, and some that I've never picked up. Nonetheless, this is an IN-IT-TO-WIN-IT situation and we're doing them all, book by book (or as Anne Lamott said, "Bird by Bird.").

Moving alphabetically (per the checklist) the first up is Orwell's 1984.
See you there?
See you there.

5 comments:

CT said...

I must be super stupes, as I can't figure out the rhyme. In any case, I've read about a baker's doz of these, so I'm good. I've read Flowers in the Attic about 20 times, so I'm real well read. Lol I even read Siddhartha and hated every second of it. Although if I'm being honest, there are a couple I wouldn't mind looking into.

Anna said...

Eeee Ellll James. Love your CT username. I haven’t really counted yet, but I’ve read a few also. To be thorough I plan on printing the list and crossing out completed titles in rainbow highlighter, naturally. Doing this now, actually. And I’ll be sure to tag you in the Flowers in the Attic post! ������

CT said...

Haha. Right. GOT IT. And I love "naturally" with the rainbow highlighter. Cannot wait for the Flowers post. Currently watching the Lifetime series on TV!

Xena Mama said...

This is a HUGE commitment, and I salute you for accepting the challenge! I'm kind of surprised that The Right Stuff is not on this list. To E.L. James, I say E.L Ewwwww.

Anna said...

Lol, V. I haven’t given myself a deadline or time limit yet, I’ll probably be at it for years!!

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