Have I previously mentioned Adam Gibbs's name in this? I don't know if I have or not, and if you know me, you know I don't feel like going back and reading what I have already posted to see if I have. I would much rather write a long, rambling about why I am not checking instead of actually checking. Anyway, I texted him today to see if he I should add Ulysses to the list, because he is the only person I know who has read the whole thing, and like Moby Dick, this is just one of those books I feel like I have to read, even though I feel like it will be long and boring. His reply to me actually included the phrase "tackling it when you have some time to enjoy it." Pssh. I never in my life plan to read it to enjoy. Just something to trudge through. Anyway, he gave me some suggestions to add to the list, so here ya go. And even though I said I would limit each entry to 3 books, I am doubling it here as to not devote two blog entries to Adam Gibbs. And I am not going to go through these and give the reason why I am reading each one like I do in the others because I already told you, the only reason I am reading any of them is because Adam Gibbs said to. Eh, scratch that. I could at least give you the reason Adam Gibbs gave me.
10. The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoyevsky (768 pgs) Gibbs said, "What are your criteria for the 10,000 pages? Does it have to be respected literature? You could knock out the Dostoyevsky canon. He wrote long books but they were fairly quick reads." Well, I am trying to stick with one book per author, and the copy I found of The Idiot was about 300 pages longer than the copy I found of Crime and Punishment, so here it is. 5,920 pages to go.
11. The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner (464 pgs) Gibbs said, "This semester I'm taking a Faulkner class. I'm trying to get ahead and so far The Sound and the Fury is a fairly decent quick read." Yeah, Gibbs is going for a second masters degree right now, over achiever. 5,456 pages to go.
12. Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe (209 pgs) Gibbs said, "If you haven't read it yet, put Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart on your list. Only a couple hundred pages but it's an awesome story and you could get through it in an afternoon. 5,247 pages to go.
13. Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris (272 pgs) Gibbs said, "Everything ever written by David Sedaris." I said, "Who?" Gibbs said, "You aren't familiar with David Sedaris? Start with Me Talk Pretty One Day." And at this point I will have effectively reached the halfway point. Hopefully it will be the end of June, 4th of July at the latest. 4,975 pages to go.
14. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (1376 pgs) Gibbs said, "Ever read Les Mis?" 3,599 pages to go.
15. A Collection of H.P. Lovecraft Short Stories - H.P. Lovecraft (211 pgs) "Cool. And read a book of Lovecraft short stories. They're cheesy fantastic." 3,388 pages to go.
And that is the end of the Adam Gibbs section of the summer, so here is the list up to this point with running page count.
1. Swine Not? - Jimmy Buffett; 256
2. Moby Dick; or The Whale - Herman Melville; 870
3. The Stranger Beside Me - Ann Rule; 1,542
4. Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said - Philip K. Dick; 1,773
5. Duma Key - Stephen King; 2,384
6. Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself - Alan Alda; 2,608
7. Greenwich Killing Time - Kinky Friedman; 2,774
8. Murder in the White House - Margaret Truman; 3,009
9. Dexter in the Dark - Jeff Lindsay; 3,312
10. The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoyevsky; 4,080
11. The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner; 4,544
12. Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe; 4,753
13. Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris; 5,025
14. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo; 6,401
15. A Collection of H.P. Lovecraft Short Stories - H.P. Lovecraft; 6,612
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