The Pandemonium Of The Sun

Much of my spare time in 2009 was taken up by trying to complete the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge I set for myself. A couple of times, I almost quit the challenge. I had attempted it once before, a few years ago, and got to about 12 books before giving up. For me, it’s a tough challenge, since I drift towards the encyclopedic novels of writers like Pynchon or Vollmann. I knew it was a misstep, but I tried to tackle David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest midway through my quest. Halfway through that book, the need to see my quest to the end and get back on track took over. I found myself reading things I wouldn’t necessarily read, just to hit a number. This year, there will be no 52 book quest. I’ll let my natural urges take over again. I have a taste for the maximal, and this is where I will go. I intened on re-reading some old favorites for the first time in many years. A few weeks ago, I gifted a spare copy of William T. Vollmann’s Fathers and Crows to a co-worker. It’s my favorite book, and I intend to revisit it. And I’ve had a copy of Vollmann’s 1400 page Imperial sitting here for months. It will be lonely no more. I wanted to tackle Bolano’s 2666 this past year, but after 30 pages or so, I thought that I might want to read The Savage Detectives first. And thus, I have begun there. Happy readings…..