the challenge

I'm just a girl, who loves books.

I love all kinds of books - old ones, new ones, big ones, little ones, love stories, heartaches, good versus evil, all true, nothing's true... get my point? It is because of this lifelong love, I have decided to stretch myself and go beyond my normal library shelf perusing and challenge myself to achieve something of greater heights: I want to read all 100 novels on Times "All Time 100 Novels". The list is comprised of 100 English novels written from 1923 (the year Time was first published) to present time. You may be asking yourself "I wonder why she chose this list?" Well, Devoted (ha - I'm sure!) Reader, I have no clear answer for this question other than - I just did! I'm ashamed to say that I haven't heard of at least half of these novels, so I figured this was as good of a place to start as any. I do however, think they list is missing a few well-deserving books (ie: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn), but who am I to judge? Thankfully, I already have a head start - I've read a whopping 9 books! And thank goodness for that because there is no way I would ever read Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop again (and I cannot fathom why it made this list... but again, I'm not judging).


Now, along with this challenge comes a few perimeters:
1 - (which has already been hinted to) I will not be rereading books I've already read - you cannot force me to ever read Archbishop again. I mean it. Don't even try.
2 - There will be no specific order in which I will read the novels. I have listed (most of) them in alphabetical order, but for no specific reasons. I will read them in the order I see fit... which most likely means leaving the most-seemingly boring ones until the very end.
3 - During the challenge, I will still continue to read other books that do not appear on the list. Part of why I love reading is the joy I get from spying an intriguing book on the shelf and diving into it. I also love sharing books with friends and playing "you read this, I read that, and then we switch!"
4 - As for a deadline - there isn't one. That's too much pressure for me. Having a deadline would remind of when I was forced to read novels (such as Archbishop) for class and frankly, I can't work under such scrutiny. I have no desire in traveling through this challenge with a ticking clock in my head.

Let me again remind you that I'm a girl, who loves books. This blog will not only serve as a vehicle for me to check off my "to do list" but also as a way to redefine my love affair with all things literary. I hope through reading this (if, anyone is), you start your own "relationship" with books. I also hope that we can trade best reads and never reads - because I'm always looking for something new!