JackFrost's 2009 Challenge

I'm doing things a bit differently this year. Instead of trying to reach fifty, I'm going to try to read all the books that keep popping up on forums, in "best of" lists and in conversations with friends. Some of these books will be incredibly long, some critically acclaimed, some part of pop culture and some notorious for just being weird.

I've finished the two books I wanted to read before I started off on this little experiment, Bangkok 8 and Spook Country, and I've reviewed them both briefly over on my book blog.

http://alookatabook.blogspot.com

Now on to the list of "must reads." So far, I have:

The House of Leaves
Infinite Jest
Neuromancer
Snow Crash
The Vampire Chronicles (to see if the three after Interview hold up to my memories of teenage adoration, some fifteen years ago)
The Broom of the System
White Noise
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle
The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
Gravity's Rainbow, or at the very least, The Crying of Lot 49.

I know there are more that I've forgotten, so please feel free to suggest others.

This looks like a really good idea. Last year I did the 888 Challenge and felt somewhat trapped in my categories. I had to do a little adjusting and just barely finished. This year, I am doing the 999 challenge, and I made my categories broader so I would feel less trapped. However, when I look at what to read next I think, "Will this fit into my 999 challenge?" Of course as the year has just started, it is easier to do that. Next year, I might just do what you are doing and go with the flow. Happy Reading! :)
--BJ

What are the 888 and 999 challenges? I've heard people mention them but I've never been exactly sure what they were.

The 888 Challenge was to read 8 books in 8 different categories in 2008. You could count 8 books in two different categories (overlaps). The 999 challenge is to read 9 different books in 9 different categories in 2009, with 9 overlaps allowed. Some people are using unlimited overlaps. To make it even more interesting, so people are trying to finish by 9/9/09. I am not sure that I could read 81 books, so every book I read has to count. Some people read so much that they read lots of extra books. I know that I won't be able to do a challenge with more books in it next year. It is fun though and everyone is friendly. You get lots of suggestions there.
--BJ

That sounds really cool. I should try doing that next year, once I get all of these books out of the way.

Right now I'm reading House of Leaves and I'm making one to two chapters a day if I'm lucky. As it turns out, this is the kind of book I have to sequester myself for and read with no potential distractions, or else I end up rereading the same paragraph a dozen or so times.

That book looks fascinating. I look forward to seeing what you think of it when you finish.
--BJ

I loved The House of Leaves. It is one of those books that creeps you out and your not even sure why. I'll be interested to see wheat you think of it. He has a new one out call Revolutions that is supposed to be good too.

House of Leaves was aggravating the hell out of me on Friday, so I started reading a bit of Interview with the Vampire, part of the Rice collection I have.

To be honest, House of Leaves didn't bother me all that much until I got to the chapter dealing with echoes. I'm fairly patient with experimental fiction, but I wanted something to capture my attention, and a fake scholarly aside (that took pages and pages to conclude) was getting on my nerves. I went from dual narratives, one of which is written in a fairly dry academic style, to something completely over the top in terms of literary boredom.

I'm going to go back to it today and slog my way through the chapter, but this is certainly not what I would ever consider an easy read. I'm looking forward to finding out more about the house but I'm dreading these intentionally obtuse meanderings.

Interview is suprising me as well. When I was younger, it and Memnoch are the only books in the series I couldn't finish, and I tried multiple times. This time through it seems to be a much quicker and less annoying read. Odd how time changes things, isn't it?

Just finished JPod. Wow. I haven't had this much fun reading a book in ages. Really, really good.

I need to finish both Interview with the Vampire and Number9Dream before I move on to anything else, including going back to House of Leaves.

So many books, so little time these days.

Like Murakami, I cannot pin down my feelings on David Mitchell very easily. Both books of his that I have read at this point I have taken more time than necessary to complete. They are captivating stories, to be sure, but they require a certain amount of energy to continue reading that I don't always have. They are not overly complex for their own enjoyment (as I will always insist House of Leaves is guilty of being), but they are also not popcorn fluff books that can be easily read and put back.

That said, I finally finished Number9Dream today and am looking forward to reading another Mitchell book soon. Just not right now. I'm thinking of moving on to something I've been meaning to read for a while (see the list in the first post) or something else I may have forgotten I had. I have other books in various stages of completion but I really don't want to read annoyingly academic ghost stories or gothic vampire period dramas at this time.

Eventually I will, I'm sure.

Bird by Bird

http://alookatabook.blogspot.com/2009/04/5-of-2009-bird-by-bird-some.html

Microserfs

http://alookatabook.blogspot.com/2009/05/6-of-2009-microserfs-by-douglas.html

I've noticed that, at this point, it seems like I've all but abandoned my original intention of "going after the big ones." I think I'll continue to read what appeals to me and, eventually, I'll get to those big books I keep putting off.

I think that is a good plan. :)
--BJ

The Forest for the Trees

http://alookatabook.blogspot.com/2009/05/7-of-2009-forest-for-trees-by-betsy.htm...

Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas

http://alookatabook.blogspot.com/2009/05/8-of-2009-half-asleep-in-frog-pajamas.h...

Now on to Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five

I finally got around to reading one of the Books You Should Be Ashamed of Not Having Read Yet, and it was good.

http://alookatabook.blogspot.com/2009/06/9-of-2009-slaughterhouse-five-by-kurt.h...

Shampoo Planet

http://alookatabook.blogspot.com/2009/06/10-of-2009-shampoo-planet-by-douglas.ht...

Now back to Fangland, a book I've already put down once before. Strangely enough, I've been reading it all day long without any signs of slowing or stopping. The beginning fifty or so pages were rather tedious, but after that the story really starts to pick up.

Liquor

http://alookatabook.blogspot.com/2009/06/11-of-2009-liquor-by-poppy-z-brite.html

Now back to Fangland again.

Looks like I forgot to post some reviews!

The Gum Thief

http://alookatabook.blogspot.com/2009/06/12-of-2009-gum-thief-by-douglas.html

In Search of a Distant Voice

http://alookatabook.blogspot.com/2009/06/13-of-2009-in-search-of-distant-voice.h...

I LOVE LORD BUDDHA

http://alookatabook.blogspot.com/2009/07/14-of-209-i-love-lord-buddha-by.html

Fangland

http://alookatabook.blogspot.com/2009/07/15-of-2009-fangland-by-john-marks.html

Paprika

http://alookatabook.blogspot.com/2009/07/16-of-2009-paprika-by-yasutaka-tsutsui....

How to Write Horror Fiction

http://alookatabook.blogspot.com/2009/07/17-of-2009-how-to-write-horror-fiction....