Well, I have done it. Joined the very few who have been game to tell the world of their intention to read as many as possible of the notorious Peter Boxall list, 1001 books you must read before you die.
For a start, I must declare that I do not think that I will ever finish the task. Even without the happy habit of the publishers in updating the canon every couple of years in a way that no one could ever keep up, I doubt that anyone could. And some of the books on the list are either inaccessible (I don't know how anyone could contemplate tackling Peter Manson's Adjunct: an undigest, for example, but I just might) or too heavy a task for all but the most undaunted (Robert Musil's The man without qualities, unfinished at 2 000 pages, and Anthony Powell's A dance to the music of time is in twelve books.)
Some ground rules.
I have been reading for a long time, and know for sure that I have read many on this list, but there are more than likely some on the list that I do not recall reading. I won't count the ones that I have already read, but look forward, maybe, to reading some of them again. Tabula rasa.
I'll post a short review here (and probably on Librarything and elsewhere) of everything that I finish, minimum of 200 words, and will refrain from reviewing everything that I do not. And I won't be skipping or skimming, either, I want to record my honest opinion.
I won't be disheartened or stressed out if a new edition of this book drops something that I have read. I will still feel a sense of accomplishment with the act of reading and reviewing. After all, even if I live for twenty more years, and read and review a book a week, I will barely scrape in 1001 titles, and if Dr Boxall continues to update this volume every couple of years, there could be as many as 2000 titles listed all up. The aim of the game is personal mental growth.
Anyway, tabula rasa. I have some reading to do!
