Saturday, March 05, 2011

4, and counting...

I finally watched 'The Bucket List' a couple of weeks ago (yeah, I know, loser, right?) and quite predictably, decided to make a short bucket list myself. Short, because I want to test this out and see if it works for me, this Bucket List thing, because some people get it, and some people don't. For instance, she who must not be named (ref.my earlier post Addicted to the Drama) would recoil in horror and say, ''What? Plan my life? Make a list of things I want to do? Why? Aren't things just supposed to happen on their own?''

So, anyway, one of the things on my list is to read 50 books this year. You read that right, baby - 50! Some of you are thinking 'piece of cake', while some of you are probably thinking at this very instant, 'What? Have you lost your frickin' mind!!!? Yeah, right! This I gotta see!'

I only have the courage to actually mention this publicly because, as of now, I'm right on track, but since it has been only a month, I'm reserving my desire to gloat for later. So far, I have read 4 books in the month of February, and I use the term 'read' very loosely here, since I cheat with audiobooks. I don't see why they should be treated with any less respect than a printed book, though I do love the smell of the printed book, and have you ever heard of anyone cuddling up with an audiobook on a rainy day? Er, no, I think not. But the audiobook does give me the liberty to catch up on my reading while I do my fascinating chores, such as vacuuming and hanging the clothes out to dry.

I would also like to clarify that I am reading none of that high-brow literature that people who know me naturally assume I would. The objective is to actually get through the book, not get transported into a hypnagogic state everytime I start to read Charles Dickens describe every stone that ever paved the streets of dreary old London (oh, and I take a brief moment here to mention that I learnt the word 'hypnagogic' a couple of days ago, courtesy of http://www.dictionary.com/, which pops a word into my inbox everyday, and which I have vowed to read and remember, because sometimes it just feels like the last time I actually learnt any new words when I was in Class VI). No, indeed. My logic is very simple. Ideally, the book should be around 250 pages long, which divided by 7 days in the week, gives me an average of around 35 pages a day, which is pretty manageable, if I read even while watching 'Masterchef USA' (which, by the way, cannot hold a candle up to Masterchef Australia, but GO, WHITNEY! Whoo!!! and mentioning Masterchef India might just make me gag, so I won't do that here, unless you want to deal with my virtual vomit) and 'Walking Dead', which strangely, despite all its blood and gore, and hacking and head-severing, does not make me gag. I think the sight of the delectable Andrew Lincoln is what actually keeps the bile from rising up into my throat. I have loved him ever since I set eyes on him in 'Love, Actually' and nothing is ever going to change that. However, if you ever read or hear me say that I watch or like 'Burn Notice', please be merciful and shoot me, will ya?

So far, here are the books I have read with the link to Goodreads--

February 2011
Week 1--The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Week 2--Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre
Week 3--The Book of Tomorrow by Cecilia Ahern
Week 4--A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French

I'm currently reading 'Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage' and I'm looking forward to hearing from you with your suggestions for a few more good ones. Thanks! xoxoxox

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