A Modest Proposal

Just finished A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift, or rather, I should say, just finished A Modest Proposal For Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burthen to Their Parents or the Country, and For Making Them Beneficial to the Public by Jonathan Swift. That title is practically longer than the essay. It's an essay arguing that a way to cut down on the poor is for the poor people of Ireland to use the first year of their babies lives to fatten them up and then at around age one to sell them for food (No, that is not Sarah Palin's policy for the poor. It was only nine pages but still I believe it'd be a stretch to believe that she could finish it. I ked! I ked!). He stated that one benefit of this program would be the reduction in the number of Catholics. I feel like I shouldn't even have to state that it is of course a work of satire.

Next up is another selection from the book, A Modest Proposal and Other Prose, A Tale of A Tub. It's also rather short, but still much longer than A Modest Proposal.

Typical Woman

Just finished Harriet Hume: A London Fantasy by Rebecca West. At first I believed this to be a nice little modern-day fantasy yearn. The title character, Harriet Hume, realizes that she has the ability to read the thoughts of her lover, Arnold Condorex. Through this she finds out that he would assuredly spurn her if he was to meet someone that would better aid his ability to rise the ranks of society. So we get to the fantasy part. With this knowledge she casts him away. Through the years they meet at various times through the years and yet everytime she finds herself drawn to him. Now she knows for a fact that he is not worth a tinker's dam and yet inexplicable she is still drawn to him. Finally believing that she is the reason for his destruction, he decides to kill her, but before he can follow through the cops which she has called stop him. The story ends with her refusing to have him arrested and even though he married another woman it would seem that they end up together. This is no fantasy. This is exactly how women are really. Most women if given the choice women will always choose style over substance. For instance scoring on a ten-scale, if given the choice between Guy A, who would be 7.5 style and 1 substance, and Guy B, who would be 7 style and 10 substance, you could bet the farm that she would choose Guy A. Sad but true. I've witnessed it hundreds of times in my life.

Next and hopefully on a more positive note was suppose to be A Tale of a Tub by Jonathan Swift. However, Keith's Book Quest supporter Dana suggested another Swift selection, A Modest Proposal. So I decided to put Proposal ahead of Tub. When ordering the book I found that it was included in collection of Swift's shorter works and..yes both were included. So I'll finish the year out with Jonathan Swift.

Can't sleep so I'll blog......

Ugh! I can't sleep and I have to be at work at 8:30 in the morning. Oh and also I'm freakin' exhausted so there is no reason I shouldn't be asleep. Stupid brain won't ever shut up.

....Anywho I'm in the middle of Harriet Hume by Rebecca West. I had to buy a used copy of it. When I first got it I liked to imagine who might have read this book before me. Now the copy I got is from the Virago Modern Classic collection. Virago is a publishing company based out of London which publishes exclusively women authors. So I'll assume that the previous reader is female. Which brings up many other interesting questions: Was this book assigned reading for a Women's Literature class? or was it just a book that that girl/woman found by happenstance? or Could it possibly be that somewhere in this world there is a woman who is on the same quest as me? Maybe she, like me, is reading through this list as a means to give her life some meaning. Maybe she, too, has been shunned by society and forced into a life of solitude. Maybe somewhere in this world I have a kindred spirit, a person who truly understands what I'm going through. Who knows, but it's interesting to wonder.

And with that I'll try to sleep.

The Book of Evidence by John Banville

Just finished with The Book of Evidence by John Banville. It is the testimony of a murderer. He matter-of-factly recounts the events which led to him bashing a young woman's head in. He finally decides that he killed her because he simply could. He didn't view her as an actual human being so he could do what he wanted. Isn't that the essence of most of our wrongdoings? Few people, I believe, are inherently evil in the James Bond-villian image. They just are able to convince themselves that what they're doing isn't wrong for whatever reason.

Next is a book called Harriet Hume by Rebecca West which was chosen at random via www.random.org. I must admit I know nothing of this book. Actually I believe it is currently out of print, since Barnes and Noble doesn't have a new copy online. The copy I bought is a used copy which I bought from the Atlanta Book Company via Barnes and Noble.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Just finished Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. And surprisingly it is not talking about the female heart it's actually about a trip into the depths of the African Congo. I had no idea until I just looked it up that it was the basis for Apocalypse Now. I don't know why...maybe it was the style of writing but I really didn't care for this book. It just never grabbed me. It was less than a hundred pages and felt like it took me forever to finish.

Next up is The Book of Evidence by John Manville as selected by my most trusted advisor Matthew.

Nice turnaround!

Finished with Atonement by Ian McEwan. As I said earlier, I didn't make it through very much of the movie. Also, when I first started with the book it didn't seem to be much better. I mean several mornings I woke up with the bedroom lights on and the book lying upon my bed. However once I got through the exposition which was the first about hundred and fifty pages or so, it became much better. The rest of the story especially about Robbie Turner's march to Dunkirk and Briony Tallis's experiences as a nurse during World War II really brought the story around and then the conclusion really finished the story off well.

So next on (or should I say off?) the list will be The Book of Evidence by John Banville as chosen by good friend and most trusted advisor, Matthew. However, it's not scheduled to arrive until Friday so in the intervening time I think I'll try to finish off Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad which I began before I started Atonement.

If You're Scoring at Home or Even if You're Alone

So where am I? Currently I'm reading Atonement by Ian McEwan as chosen by Justin. So far I don't expect this to be atop my favorite books' list. Its about a wealthy English family and it seems like every character is very neurotic and unsure of themselves. A movie was made of this book a few years back which received critical success winning an Oscar and being nominated for several others. I remember I only made it through about twenty minutes or so of it. But that was before the quest and now I must surge forth and vanquish this book.

Foe by JM Coetzee

Just finished Foe by J.M. Coetzee. This is a re-telling of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. It's told from the point of view of a woman castaway on Cursoe's island. When she returns to England she enlists Mr. Foe to write the story of the island. This also gave me the opportunity to add South Africa to the list of countries represented by my reading quest.

The Invisible Man by HG Wells

Okay finished the second half of my HG Wells e-book containing The Time Machine and The Invisible Man. This half of course being The Invisible Man. Now in reading this directly after reading The Time Machine, I just assumed that this was a biography of yours truly, Keith Adams. I was shocked to find out that I was, in fact, not the protagonist of the story. The story is actually about a scientist who finds a way to make himself transparent. Well lets look at the tale of the tape between Wells's Griffin and the Modern-Day Invisible Man Keith Adams:

Origin:

Griffin: After much research and experimentation Griffin finds a way to dye himself in such a way that makes him completely transparent.

Adams: No one really knows. People just seem to see right through him.

Invisibility's Effect on Subject:

Griffin: Griffin realizes a few drawbacks soon after he becomes invisible. Firstly, for him to be truly invisible he cannot wear clothing. Secondly, He has to be careful about eating because until the food becomes digested it can be seen.

Adams: I would say that his invisibility has ripped Keith Adams's heart out, but that's not true lets face it the heart truly has nothing to do with feelings. The heart is an organ which pumps blood to the rest of our bodies. Whenever the first poets gave credit to the heart they could have easily gave that to the lungs or liver. Sure "I love you from the bottom of my lungs" doesn't have the same ring to it but the heart has had millenia to condition us to that. But I digress, it has had no effect on Keith's heart. It has, however, ripped canyons into Keith Adams's very soul.

Reactions to the Effects of Invisibility

Griffin: Whether its has to do with being having his naked body at the mercy of the weather and elements (I mean imagine having to walk around with no shoes. Eventually you'd get over modesty. I don't know a guy in the world who wouldn't be irritable having to walk around naked in the cold knowing what we know about the effects of cold), having to walk around hungry, (Really that'd be such a drag to be sneaking up on something trying to get into some hijinks when all the sudden somebody yells, "Holy crap! There's an partially digested Arby's Classic Roast Beef with curly fries just floating in midair.) or if it had to do with the chemicals he put into himself to make himself invisible, Griffin becomes enraged and develops into a homicidal maniac.

Adams: So far, it may be too early to tell about how Keith finally reacts to invisibility. I'm proud to say that Keith is still his affable, gregarious, caring, etc. self. I don't see anything in his character that would led me to believe that he'll be a homicidal maniac.

Advantage:

So when you break it down head-to-head the advantage in the Battle of Invisible Men, the winner is Keith Adams. If for no other reason than the fact that Keith Adams is not a homicidal maniac.

wOOt! Chalk that up thats one more win for Keith. Bringing his total to...well one.

Okay next up is Foe by JM Coetzee (initials much?) as chosen by A.?. King.

Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the quantum leap accelerator and vanished........

I just finished reading The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. It took no time at all. It was around 100 pages long/short. The unnamed time traveler travels into the future and find that the human race has evolved into two races.

It made me think, "What if I had a time machine?" Would I go into the future? Would I change the past? I don't think I'd like to know whats in the future. So the past. Often when I'm having a bad day at work I think that I wish I'd never worked at Wal-Mart. So if I had the opportunity do I go back to the Fall of 1997 and stop myself from going to work. I mean, hey, I could have unloaded trucks at UPS or something. Then I realize all the people that I would never have met if I hadn't worked at Wal-Mart and I simply could not trade that for the hopes of being in a better place in life. I think the one thing I'd use it for would be to go back to June 26, 2007 and tell myself, "Go for it, Keith. Just this one time go for it!"

Don't you draw the Queen of Diamonds, boy. She'll beat you if she's able.

Just finished The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble as chosen by my cousin Brody. Sadly it has nothing to do with poker or some other assorted card game. It's a story about a 18th century Korean Crown Princess and how a British doctor becomes strangely drawn to her story. The book is essentially divided into two books the first being the memoirs of the Crown Princess and the second being the story of the British doctor experiencing the places where the Crown Princess lived. I wasn't a fan of the "love story" that transpired between Dr. Halliwell and celebrity speaker Jan von Jost, especially since they were both married to other people. One thing that jumped out at me was the narration of the second part of the book. It was creepily voyeuristic.

Next on the docket should be Foe by JM Coetzee as chosen by Amanda King. However since I won't be able to make a trip to the bookstore for at least a few days, I'll go with The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Its rather short so I should be able to take care of it pretty quickly.

Some things they are a-changin'

Okay I've made a few changes the above progress has changed from counting down to actually showing my progress. For instance, as of right now I've read 35 of the 1001 for a 3.4%.

Secondly the list of read books was getting to large and unwieldy (that's what she said) so now I've changed that to a list of the nations of the authors. What can I say? I'm a history/geography nerd.

King Solomon's Mines

Just finished King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard. It was a nice adventure story. The only thing I didn't like about it was early in the story there was a scene where the protagonists slaughter a herd of elephants. That didn't sit well with me. I'm just saying.



This story has been made into several movies. I suppose the most famous or rather the one I remember the most is the Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone version from the 1980s. It's interesting that none of the movies seem to go by the book at all. For instance, there was only one female character in the book and they it wouldn't have been Sharon Stone.




Next on the schedule should be The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble. However, he book is in the process of being shipped, and it's not scheduled to be in until Monday. Hopefully it'll be in tomorrow or Saturday but if its not I'll have to go to Keith Adams Contingency Plan 7C, which is pick an e-book to read which will be The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.

Adams conquers ignorance!

Well, I have officially finished Ignorance by Milan Kundera. In my opinion a more apt title would have been Nostalgia as that's basically what the story dealt with. It was the story of two Czech emigres who had a momentary meeting before emigrating. They meet 20 years later as they return after the fall of Communism. Kundera's description of nostalgia is interesting as when I think of nostalgia, I think of warm, fuzzy memories that make me feel good. The word nostalgia is formed by the Greek words nostos, for return and algos, for suffering. There was one passage that really sums up a lot of my personal discontent:

"I imagine the feelings of two people meeting again after many years. In the past they spent some time together, and therefore they think they are linked by the same experience, the same recollections. The same recollections? That's where the misunderstanding starts: they don't have the same recollections; each of them retains two or three small scenes from the past, but each has his own; their recollections are not similar; they don't intersect; and even in terms of quantity they are not comparable: one person remembers the other more than he is remembered; first because memory capacity varies among individuals (an explanation that each of them would at least find acceptable), but also (and this is more painful to admit) because they don't hold the same importance for each other. When Irena saw Josef at the airport, she remembered every detail of their long-ago adventure; Josef remembered nothing. From the very first moment their encounter was based on an unjust and revolting inequality."

It absolutely tears me apart that at the end of the day, I'm so utterly forgettable. My ego simply cannot grasp the concept that I'm just not terribly important to people.

So on to the next selection, which will be King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard. When I saw this title I automatically thought of Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny Devito. Later I remembered that those movies were Jewel of the Nile and Romancing the Stone and Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone were in King Solomon's Mines which I don't remember as well.

Finally!

BARITONE
Oh friends, not these tones!
Let us raise our voices in more
pleasing and more joyful sounds!

ODE TO JOY (Friedrich Schiller)

BARITONE, QUARTET, AND CHORUS
Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter fire imbibed,
Heavenly, thy sanctuary.

Thy magic reunites those
Whom stern custom has parted;
All men will become brothers
Under thy gentle wing.

May he who has had the fortune
To gain a true friend
And he who has won a noble wife
Join in our jubilation!

Yes, even if he calls but one soul
His own in all the world.
But he who has failed in this
Must steal away alone and in tears.

All the world's creatures
Draw joy from nature's breast;
Both the good and the evil
Follow her rose-strewn path.

She gave us kisses and wine
And a friend loyal unto death;
She gave lust for life to the lowliest,
And the Cherub stands before God.

TENOR SOLO AND CHORUS
Joyously, as his suns speed
Through Heaven's glorious order,
Hasten, Brothers, on your way,
Exulting as a knight in victory.

CHORUS

Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter fire imbibed,
Heavenly, thy sanctuary.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Can you sense the Creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy.
Above the stars He must dwell.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Can you sense the Creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy.
Above the stars He must dwell.

Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter fire imbibed,
Heavenly, thy sanctuary.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Can you sense the Creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy.
Above the stars He must dwell.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Can you sense the Creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy.
Above the stars He must dwell.

Joy, daughter of Elysium
Thy magic reunites those
Whom stern custom has parted;
All men will become brothers
Under thy gentle wing.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Joy, beautiful spark of Gods!,
Daughter of Elysium,
Joy, beatiful spark of Gods!.


I have finally finished The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. WOOT! I'm going to go a little different on my analysis of this than what most folks do. I'm going to look at the justice system of the story. I was surprised at how the 19th century Russian court system worked. In the initial inquiry the prosecutor told Dmitri that he did not have to answer any of his questions. The courtroom scenes weren't that different from our courts.

Another thing I noticed was the judgment of the ladies. This is something I've railed against for years. He stated that the ladies believed that Dmitri was in fact guilty but they hoped he would be acquitted. Now isn't that typical women go after the "bad boys" knowing full well what they are about and then have the unmitigated gall to be shocked when they turn out to be what they knew they were.

Also there was line in the book which I would have to think inspired Spiderman or maybe it was just a coincidence. I can't find it now but its basically "With great power comes great responsibility."

Onward and upward, next on the docket is Ignorance by Milan Kundera as chosen by Sarah Shelton (Keith momentarily faints). The future agenda is as follows:

1) The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble chosen by Brody
2) Foe by JM Coetzee chosen by Amanda K.
3)Atonement by Ia McEwan chosen by Justin
4) King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard chosen by Dana on virtue of her having 82.3% of the comments on this blog
5) The Book of Evidence by John Banville chosen by Matthew

*note: King Solomon's Mines may leap to the front seeing as how I own the e-book version.

Update

Well it doesn't appear that I will meet by deadline for finishing The Brothers Karamazov by tomorrow. Still got about 150 pages left. Maybe by end of weekend. Doesn't matter tomorrow after work I make a trip to the Barnes and Noble at Bridgestreet to pick up the next book on the list Ignorance by Milan Kundera as chosen by Sarah. Its not by go to B&N but it says online that they have it and Jones Valley does not. It will give me an opportunity to stop in and get a slice at Tommy's Pizza though so thats an plus. Wow! Does Keith ever have raucous Friday nights?

Filler

Okay, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Doestoyevsky is slowing me down considerably. I guess its all about the luck of the draw because June through July I was on a break-neck clip and was thinking I'd possibly have the list chopped down to 950 by year end. But these last few books have changed that, now I'm hoping to be at 960 by year's end. I'm almost halfway through TBK. I'm setting a fairly ambitious EFD (Estimated Finish Date) of October 1.

I guess I could announce that the book waiting on deck is Ignorance by Milan Kundera. This book was selected by a dear old friend, Sarah Shelton (Ok don't give me that look.)

On a book-related front, it often bothers me how much fast food I eat. I work kinda weird hours so its not always conveniant to cook. Add into that the fact that I cannot cook. My house may have gremlins because honestly I can't even get popcorn right anymore. So basically if I don't eat fast food I usually cook a frozen pizza or something else frozen, which is just as bad as the fast food. Anyway I did a Google search for "Dinner for One" thinking surely they'd be something alas no. Then I looked for cookbooks on Barnes and Noble and theres actually a couple but its ridiculous stuff like foie gras.

I really should be a television executive. Why doesn't Food Network have a show called "Dinner for One." I mean I can't be the only person with a toxic personality. We shouldn't be forced to either 1)waste food, 2) eat the leftovers for a week, or 3) Eat a box of salt with an alleged piece of frozen chicken. Also, I'd make an American version of Top Gear and most importantly I'd do it right. NBC actually had a version in development and its currently in The History Channel's hands. But it won't be as good because they won't want to piss off potential advertisers. Which I really didn't think of until I read about it my personal flaw in an American Top Gear would be the celebrity portion I just don't think American celebs would be as good. I'm hereby throwing my hat in as a presenter. Now I'm not especially a "car guy" but I'm not asking to be the lead presenter (Jeremy Clarkson) but I can serve in the Richard Hammond role.

Done-diddly-done

Wow! Finally finished with Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe! I never knew that the matriach of the Flanders family had such an eventful life. Unfortunately, the book read as if Ned Flanders wrote it. I mean I wasn't expecting porn but dang it was kinda dull. The book was divided into two sections. The first described her five marriages. The second detailed her life as thief. The crazy thing is that the second part was by far more interesting. Also the e-book experiment will probably need to be put on hiatus until I actually buy the Nook proper because turning the page 3-4 times to actually read a full page is just too annoying.

Okay, onward and upward. Next on the list is The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I've previously read Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky and it seemed to take forever and I was quite confused. I did read a bit of the introduction and so this time I understand the Russian naming protocol. For instance my name would be Keith Haroldovitch Adams and I would be formally addressed as Keith Haroldovitch.

Difficult this is!

I'm having some serious problems with the e-reader app. I'm reading Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe and I'm making practically no progress. This is a true story. Really would I make something like this up.

Keith Adams: I hate this Nook app for the Droid. What who is this?



Keith: Master Yoda!
Yoda: Yes, young one. Hearing you very disturbed I am.
Keith: But master I'm constantly flipping pages and it doesn't seem like I'm making any progress.
Yoda: Matter it does not. Hate there can be not. To the dark side it will lead you. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
Keith: Okay Yoda, I'll give it another try.
Yoda: Do or do not....there is no try.
Keith: Yes, master.

Amok

Plowed right through Amok by Stefan Zweig. Of course it was only 70 something pages long so wasn't too much of a challenge. It was the story of a doctor in the Dutch East Indies torn between his medical duty to help and his mixed emotions. Not exactly my favorite selection but at least I found out where we get the term running amok from:

The term came from when the British and Portuguese were trying to take over Malaya. Assuming the Malay people were extremely passive and easily pushed aside, they invaded the territories, somewhat successfully, but the natives rebelled, shocking the British and the Portuguese, leaving them astounded, hence the allegations of "crazy" and "wild" "jungle people"

The word was used by the British to describe to run-a-muck, or murder indiscriminately It was later used in India during the British Empire, to describe an elephant gone mad, separated from its herd, running wild and causing devastation. The word was made popular by the colonial tales of Rudyard Kipling.

Although commonly used in a colloquial and less-violent sense, the phrase is particularly associated with a specific sociopathic culture-bound syndrome in Malaysian culture. In a typical case of running amok, a male who has shown no previous sign of anger or any inclination to violence will acquire a weapon and, in a sudden frenzy, will attempt to kill or seriously injure anyone he encounters. Amok episodes of this kind normally end with the attacker being killed by bystanders, or committing suicide.

So next I plan on finishing the other three stories in this collection and then reading another e-book. Which will be (drumroll).....wait for it.....wait for it......wait for it..... Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe. Tawdry!

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Just fought sleep to finish The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. This was very interesting. I've always held a special place in my heart for Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, but I'd never actually read either story. I guess its the whole idea of the American frontier Peter Pan. As a matter of fact, they hold such a place in my heart that had things worked out differently for me in my personal life, I would definitely campaigned to have a son named Huckleberry Sawyer Adams. {For the record, my daughter would have been Mallory Guinevere Adams or Guinevere Mallory Adams [Until of course I had a department manager at work with the last name Guinn (cough, douchebag) which completely ruined that name for me anyway.]} I was really surprised at how little I knew about the story. I had assumed I knew the basic gest of it, but pretty much all I knew about the story was Huck Finn and a runaway slave named Jim took a raft down the river.

But I digress. Also, for this book, I tried out my Barnes and Noble Nook app for my Droid phone. It actually worked better than I thought it would. However, the fact that a Nook is larger than the screen on my phone meant that I had to turn the page usually three times to actually get to a new page. It seemed like I was constantly turning the page.

The most difficult thing about reading this book was the use of a certain word. I think everybody who has the foggiest clue about Huck Finn knows what word I'm speaking of. I know Twain used it for a definite purpose but seeing that word over and over was very off-putting. Living my whole life in Alabama, I've heard that word far more often than I care to.

On to the next item on the list. I did break down and order a book. This selection came from probably my best friend and absolutely my most trusted advisor Matthew Hodges. Its Amok by Stefan Zweig. All I know about it is that its only like 70 pages. At least it came as a collection of other stories, but still it doesn't add up to more than 130 pages. Here is the blurb on Zweig from the back cover of the book:

"Stefan Zweig, born in 1881 in Vienna, was a member of a well-to-do Austrian-Jewish family. He studied in Berlin and Vienna and was first known as a novelist and translator, then as a biographer. Zwieg travelled widely, living in Salzburg between the wars, and enjoyed literary fame. His stories and novellas were collected in 1934. In the same year, with the rise of Nazism, he briefly moved to London, taking British citizenship. After a short period in New York he settled in Brazil, where in 1942 were found lying on their bed in an apparent double suicide."

Cloud Atlas

Well last night I finished Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. It was a very interesting book. Its actually a series of short stories chopped up and continued at various points throughout the narrative. Eventually you realize that all these stories across different generations and genres are intertwined. Genres. Mr. Mitchell basically uses a different style for each story. Theres a journal, a collection of letters, a thriller, a futuristic post-apocalyptic story. Just very well done. I highly recommend.

So next. According to the schedule Amok by Stefan Zweig should be next. But I really want to try out my e-reader app for my phone so it will be The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Plus the second half of the month is when most of my bills come due so it just makes more since to start reading the thirty some-odd free books I have then plunk down money for a new book. Though invariably I'll probably say to myself during the course of the next two weeks, "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" and buy one anyway.

Couple of things I'm working on.

I'm in the middle of reading Cloud Atlas and am finding it quite interesting. Its a tough book to explain its basically a set of short stories that span time and the characters all seem to be intertwined. Really looking forward to figuring out whats what.

Now I have my list saved as a word document containing twenty-three pages. Each time I read a book, I change the font of that book on my list to bold and red. So the other day I was scanning the list and was interested in seeing how many pages had no books in red. I found eight pages that had no red books. Interestingly enough the page that has the most is the final page which only goes from 989-1001 which has five. I decided that after I read Amok by Stefan Zweig that I will line up a book from each so that they may have at least one red book. Here is the list in order:

1. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
2. Vertigo by W.G. Sebald
3. A Tale of a Tub by Jonathan Swift
4. Troubles by J.G. Farrell
5. Hallucinating Foucault by Patricia Duncker
6. Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami
7. Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley
8. The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell

I find it so interesting that I chose these books at random and yet two of them are not only by the same author but are also two parts of a trilogy.

Also, to fill the gaps between finishing a book and going to the bookstore to get the next one, I'm going to use the Nook app on my Droid. I have been able to get about 20 free ebooks which are on the list so I'll see how I like books e-reader style.

Next!

Just finished A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. It took some getting use to the slang used by Mr. Burgess especially since I've never seen the movie. Interestingly the version I have includes an "extra" chapter. In the introduction the author talks about the 21st chapter. He mentions that American versions of this book did not include the final chapter while every other version did. It was interesting that when making his classic movie, Stanley Kubrick, an Englishman, based his movie on the American version.

Next on the list is a selection chosen by my recently betrothed friend Stewart Cisco. It is Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I know practically nothing about the book but from what I can surmised it is a group of vignettes which I believe will intertwine with one another. Should be interesting.

A "love" story in Syracuse?

In the opening to Callirhoe, Chariton states that he is going to relate a love story from Syracuse. Well let me lay this out for you. I wouldn't say what he related was love. In my opinion nothing that Chariton described had much to do with love. The only virtue he described that attracted Callirhoe and Chaereas to each other was their outward appearance. Now I know what you're saying, "C'mon Keith, what do you know about love. Nobody has ever demeaned themselves enough to want to be with you." Point taken. But often he who has been most rebuked by Love is often its best analyst.

Another issue I have with this book is the constant references to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. I mean it seems like every paragraph or so had a quote from Homer.

I will say that I really like the quote at the end, "I do not reproach you, Lady, for what I have suffered: that was my fate. I beg you, never part me from _____, but grant us a happy life, and death together." I may use that if there ever comes a day that a woman decides that my company isn't worse than death.

On to the next book, since Cloud Atlas hasn't arrived yet so I'll be reading A Clockwork Orange. I've read a couple of pages and it looks like it will be a challenge.

Book Expedition!

Well seeing as how I'm working five days straight after today, I decided that I needed to make a B&N run to pick up a book for when I finished Callirhoe. Looking at my list it would appear that next up should be Stewart's pick of Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell and then Matthew's pick of Amok by Stefan Zweig. Sadly neither was in stock but the nice lady at the counter ordered a copy of Cloud Atlas for me and hopefully it'll be in before I finish the current book. I hate driving all the way to Jones Valley and coming up empty-handed and it would be just as bad walking out with just an order receipt so I needed to pick another book. At this point I called into service my trusty Droid. I was able to bring up the website which has the book list and a random number generator to make a selection. After a few attempts, I finally found one in stock........wait for it.........wait for it......A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Now I'm kinda excited about it because I've never watched the Stanley Kubrick classic. So if Cloud Atlas arrives before I finish Callirhoe I will read it however if it does not I'll have Clockwork Orange waiting in the wings.

Third times the charm!

Well after starting and failing two times, I have finally made it all the way through John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. As someone as known for my melancholy as for my sarcastic wit, even I was struck that this book was such a downer. I mean everytime that things began to look up for the Joad clan disaster struck.

But as was said in a movie which is very personally inspirational to me, "When you read last page, close book."



So with that I'm on to the next book, Callirhoe by Chariton. This is a book which Todd Hughes chose with a random number selection. Callirhoe is sometimes referred to (including on my list) as Chaireas and Kallirhoe. It is a Syracusan love story, so this is going to work out great for Keith Adams who holds an almost unblemished record of cynicism.

I'm still here!

I know it seems like I've hit a snag in the whole Book Quest. I mean heck between June 26th and July 20th (less than a month for those of you scoring at home) I knocked out 6 books. The fact is I'm just over halfway through The Grapes of Wrath. But then again its over 600 pages so its the size of probably 4 or 5 of those 6 combined. I'm definately working my way through it and am preparing to go all medieval on Callirhoe which is like 400 pages but it alternates between English and Greek so its actual half that (for any of you who are not mathematically inclined that would be about 200 pages).

Speaking of which, I opened the package containing Callirhoe which I paid over $20 bucks for and was very disappointed. Its a little bit bigger than a Gideon Bible.

So never fear I'm working hard on the Quest of Great Significance.

Also the good folks at Barnes & Noble are currently offering about 12 free e-books each week (added on Fridays). I'm not sure if you have to be a member or not. www.bn.com/freelibrary

Riddle me this, Riddle me that.

"I have read of men, who when forced by their calling to live for long periods in utter solitude have made it a rule to dress regularly for dinner in order to maintain their self-respect and prevent a relapse into barbarism."

This is the first sentence from The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers, which so happens to be the most recent book conquered on that most ablist of bibliophiles, Keith Adams's quest. Some times I get the feeling that these random book selection aren't so random after all. Anyway impression of the book was that it was a wee bit too technical for my tastes. It was overflowing with nautical references which were lost on me. It is rather interesting that this book is considered the first of the British spy thrillers.

More interesting than the story is the author. Erskine Childers was a clerk in the House of Commons and wrote this story as a warning to the British people to shore up the defenses from the North Sea. Later Childers would leave his post to champion the independence movement in Ireland. He later joined the Irish Republican Army and was executed by firing squad in 1922. His son would later be elected president of the Republic of Ireland.

Once again I gave people the opportunity to help select the next volume in my quest and there were folks who took me up on it.

1. Chaireas and Kallirhoe – Chariton (Todd)
2. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell (Stewart)
3. Amok - Stefan Zwieg (Matthew)

However since Chaireas and Kallirhoe by Chariton required me ordering online and because yesterday when I went to the Stars' game I was running late and couldn't stop at the B&N, I will attempt a gambit that has befallen me on at least two separate occasions. I shall attempt to read The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. This time victory shall be mine!

The "Great" Gatsby?

Well just finished The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. But was Jay Gatsby truly deserving of the "great" moniker. Sure he threw a some great parties and who doesn't enjoy some nice revelry. But lets look at some other factors that we learned:

1. Gatsby pursued and very probably bedded a married woman.
2. Gatsby's wealth came from all accounts some highly shady avenues.
3. Gatsby drives away from the scene of an fatal accident.
4. Gatsby showed off his wealth way too much.

I'm not trying to show some high moral code after all many people would categorize me as morally ambigious at best. But those things are not things make you great. I think a more appropriate title would have been That Rich Prick Jay Gatsby.

So hopefully tomorrow the good folks at UPS will deliver the next book in the quest, The Riddle of the Sands:


D'oh!

Don't Panic!

Well I have officially blasted through The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (no relation) or at least I don't think there is any relation. I mean I'm sure way back in the annals of Adams history, the Adamses got on a ship from England and sailed over here. So its logical to believe that somewhere over there are some of my relations.

Other Adamses that I'm not knowing related to:

John Adams-Though from reading a biography on him, I can see some rather stark similarities. For instance, he constantly felt underappreciated and he believed people didn't like him.

Samuel Adams-Though it would be cool if I could get some free beer for them using my last name.

Michael Adams: He was an astronaut and though many in my family seem to be from outer space there is no reason to believe we are related.

So now that thats done, onward and upward. Next on the agenda is technically The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers. However, I will have to wait for it to be shipped to me so I will tackle The Great Gatsby. I'll see if this Gatsby fellow is truly "great."

What manner of man?

Since last Saturday night, our intrepid bibliophile, Keith Adams, has been able to cross three books (Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway, and Animal Farm by George Orwell) off the list; has worked 53 hours; baked some pretty choice muffins; ran 30 minutes on the treadmill daily; bowled a 216......I'll repeat that because it bears repeating......bowled a 216!, and on top of that he is currently keeping his two nephews overnight. What manner of man indeed.


Dr. Zoidberg: And what about this Keith Adams's social life.

Me: Shut up Zoidberg!

On to the next order of business, the next book on the list as chosen by Patty is The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers. If it is not in stock I shall make an executive decision and choose The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (no relation). Also to reward Keith Adams for his fortitude, he shall be eat at Red Robin's.

Next!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I just finished Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. I especially enjoyed the dialogue used:

"Aw, git reconciled! Dat woman don't want you. You got tuh learn dat all de women in de world ain't been brought up on no teppentine still, and no saw-mill camp. There's some women dat jus' ain't for you tuh broach. You can't get her wid no fish sandwich."

Also interesting is that Hurston was born in Notasulga, Alabama.

So on to the next order of business. Patti wanted me to read book #777 which is The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers. However, I cannot make it to the bookstore for a few days because of work so I will fill the gap by doing what I was suppose to do some 14 years ago. The next book is The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.

Answers!!!! and More!!!!!!!!!!

1. Yes. Total time from pulling into the parking lot at Jones Valley to getting back on the road was probably under 5 minutes.

2. Yes but it was dicey. I actually had plenty of time. First I was coming into downtown a different way than usual. On top of that I was probably only about 83.7% sure where I was going. First I attempted to get off of Memorial Parkway onto Clinton Avenue and just stayed in the lane and got off and yes right back on. So I had to get off and try to navigate my way the opposite way. But everything went well at this point so I was officially downtown. I had to do something while I was downtown that I'm not proud of.....I asked for directions not once, not twice, but three different times. I can tell ya if it had been anyone else's wedding, including my own, I would never have asked directions. I will state or the record that the lady I asked at the Depot Museum gave me wonderful directions (take this road up a block and then take that road over a block and I think she told me the wrong road when actually all she really had to do was say you see where those cars are parked)

More!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3. A squirrel with christmas tree lights for eyes.
4. Dexy's Midnight Runners lead singer Kevin Rowland

Another One Down

Just finished Beloved by Toni Morrison. Not exactly my cup of tea but a nice work.

So now its time to move on to the next book on the list. As per Dana's request next off the list shall be # 609 which is Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Its fortuitous that I finished tonight and will be heading to Huntsville tomorrow. Two questions are posed to our intrepid bibliophile: (1) Will Keith be able to get himself ready and leave in time to make a quick stop by Barnes & Noble to pick up the book before heading to Matthew and Dana's wedding? and (2) Can Keith navigate himself from Barnes & Noble to the site of the aforementioned nuptials? For these questions and more stay tuned next time.

Oh! These cliffhangers play such a trick on my fragile constitution.

You can officially put Like Life by Lorrie Moore into the read column. This book was another collection of short stories. The stories centered around characters wondering how there life turned out so different than what they wanted. I personally didn't like this collection as much as I liked Reasons to Life by Amy Hempel.

On to the next book, this time I asked people to pick numbers between 1-1001. The first one selected was Beloved by Toni Morrison. This time when I went to the bookstore all the books on my random list were instock except for one.

Its interesting to look at the books that have been chosen since I've been choosing at random. First, Reasons to Live, then Life Life, and now Beloved (for the most unloved person alive).

A Wasted Trip

After finishing the rest of the books in the Amy Hempel collection which included Reasons to Live, its on to the next stop in the quest. To choose my next book I consulted a random number generator to give me a book and four back-ups in case Barnes and Noble didn't have the first one:

1)Like Life- Lorrie Moore
2) Kingdom of This World- Alejo Carpentier
3) Written on the Body- Jeanette Winterson
4) Professor Unrat- Heinrich Mann
5) Euphues: Anatomy of Wit- John Lyly

So after working all day and with my list in hand, I embarked on my journey to the Barnes & Noble in Jones Valley. One by one I searched for the selected books and not a single one was in stock. I found other books by Moore and Winterson but not the necessary tome. (notice how I break up the monotony by using the word tome instead of book.) I had also decided on my ride into town that I didn't feel like getting anything to eat so basically so I was ready to go home. Just so I didn't make the trip for nothing I went to the Barnes and Noble Cafe for a chai. Luckily my nemesis wasn't working tonight. I'm in line angry at myself for only having readying 5 choices when the lady at the head of the line takes 5 minutes to order her coffee. My goodness! "Grande Caramel Frappachino skinny milk and I'd like the caramel to have been sitting in a perfectly symmetrical octagon with a jar of equal parts fresh mint leaves, peanut butter, and fresh panda spleen for exactly 20 minutes and 34 seconds." I like to think the counter person was pleased when it was my turn and my order consisted of "Tall Chai please." On my way home it was raining and my windshield wipers are in dire need of replacing.

So I suppose I'll be ordering a book off Barnes and Nobles's website.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Well upon further review I can officially cross The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle off the list. I thought I had read them but I just got around to checking my The Complete Sherlock Holmes Vol I (which seems odd because I'd think that if it was "The complete" there wouldn't be any reason for a Vol II but I digress) and sure enough it consists of both works.

Plus technically I'm also finished with Reasons to Live by Amy Hempel, though I will probably go ahead and read the remaining books in the anthology. Thats the benefit of being on a quest that you'll never be able to finish. It really doesn't matter if you take a little sidetrack every now and then.

Another on down!

I just finished reading A Thousand and One Nights! Next up is one I've never heard of aptly titled Reasons to Live by Amy Hempel. Should be interesting. I do really enjoy short stories. I mean its amazing for the an author to construct a really good short story and get a truly good flow without feeling like theres a ton of holes in the narrative.

Another one down!

I just finished The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas! Next up The Thousand and One Nights by anonymous. I knew the basic premise of The Count and had watched the recent movie with Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce (but really watching that movie doesn't give the story justice).

Books I've Read.

To begin this quest, I perused the list and scratched off the ones which I've already read. Surprisingly, I only found twelve:

1. Aesop’s Fables – Aesopus
2. Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
3. The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
4. A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
5. Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky
6. The Jungle – Upton Sinclair
7. A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway
8. Absalom, Absalom! – William Faulkner
9. Lord of the Flies – William Golding
10.To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
11.Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
12. Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
13. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
14 A Thousand and One Nights - Anonymous
15. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
16. The Hound of the Baskervilles – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
17. Reasons to Live – Amy Hempel

Okay well that just leaves 984 more to go. Perhaps I'll inspire my nieces and nephews to finish my quest. One final act of remembrance for their spinster uncle.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I'm a guy who likes a challenge so at the ripe age of 30 I'm setting out on this quest of great significance......okay its this quest of little to no significance of reading every book in one of those 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die or You Totally Suck list. Now the list I chose isn't necessarily a definitive list or anything I just type in "1001 books you must read" into Google and this is what I found. Why am I doing this you may ask. I say why not. "C'mon Keith! Give us a reason," you respond. Okay if I must have a reason. I'd say that I'm doing this to give myself something to strive for without being too dramatic something to live for. I really don't believe I'll every be able to finish this list but I intend to give it my level best effort. Anything less wouldn't be worthy of such a quest, it wouldn't be worthy of being something that Keith Adams puts in his mind to achieve. After perusing the list I noticed that several of the selections were assigned for me to read at various points in my school days (ex. Old Man and the Sea, The Great Gatsby, Tess of the d'urbevilles, etc.) and of course I never then so I didn't read them. So here I go. I will probably update tomorrow with the list of books off the list which I have already read. Also I will be choosing my selections via a random number generator and if I've never heard of the book I will not read a synopsis.