Updated Books I Plan to Read
January 24, 2002 (2:27 PM) ( link )

I've updated the Books I Plan to Read page, removing some entries and putting in a whole lot more. My more intense reading schedule this year has really opened my eyes to the fact that a lot of stuff out there just isn't very compelling; perhaps my childhood dream of becoming a writer will become reality if I become motivated enough by my boredom at most books.

Case in point: The Ark Sakura. The concept is great and the writing is decent, if not stellar, but the book is starting to drag on me. Why spend so much time on all of these inane activities when so much more could be happening? So far, Kobo Abe's book is reminding me a lot of Iain Banks's The Wasp Factory, which may prompt me to go re-evaluate my ranking for Banks's book. But I do remember The Wasp Factory being a fairly interesting read, perhaps because the protagonist in that book is so much weirder (and thereby more enthralling) than the protagonist in The Ark Sakura.

Case in point, part two: James Dickey's Deliverance. I started this book before realizing that it was listed on the Modern Library's 100 Best Novels page (it's number 42). Unfortunately, it's also not very good. Sure, it's easy enough to follow, and the action is starting to pick up after a harrowing crime scene, but for now it just feels like meaningless action to me.

It really has been a long time since I've read something I've liked a lot: the last one would be Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City, and before that both of Connie Willis's books. I had fun with David Eddings's series, and I enjoyed Steven Brust's Jhereg and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light, but otherwise my reading list has been pretty dry.

Sigh. Time to move beyond: hopefully some of the new books I've placed on my Books I Plan to Read page will inspire me more than these have.