Catching up

Time to vent...

For the past several years I have been on a kick of reading classic literature in attempt to not only to enjoy some great writing but also to broaden my knowledge and become "well-read" or "educated", both said in the tone of my father's voice. Over this period of time I have attempted to read a variety of books recommended by friends, family, former teachers, co-workers, or the occasional New York Times Best Seller. Of course, during this time, I have also read a lot of literature that is not considered classic at all, such as ESPN the Magazine or Dan Brown's "The Divinci Code" (You read it too!). And although I feel like I have made somewhat of a dent in my list of must-read classics, it seems that I will never be able to read even a fraction of what has been recommended to me.

The improbability of me ever catching up with the enormous amount of literature I would like to read isn't necessarily due to the notion that I don't have the time, because really I do have time to read more, and in the same sense I don't think that it is because reading has become a form of leisure to me that I only engage while riding the train or during the summer in the park. Simply put, I think this intent, or quest, to read only the most significant of literature is just mind-numbing, and quite frankly it is depressing. Depressing and deflating.

This morning I bought "The Catcher in the Rye", which I have never read, and the lady at the counter in the bookstore looked at me with confusion, as if she was trying to decide why I was buying the paperback version since I had obviously read the book several times. To her, at this point, I really should just buy the hardback version and add it to my collection Really, who hasn't read "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Sallinger? It was on Time magazine's list of the 100 greatest novels of the twentieth century.

Wait, 100? Oh, God. Another list to read!

I can't do it. I can't read them all. I don't even want to read them all, I just want to be able to speak intelligently about and any well-known book at a dinner party (not that I go to dinner parties) or be able to refer to one during conversation with a stranger in Barnes and Noble ("she" probably doesn't really read anyway). But there is just too much to information. It doesn't help that I read blogs, websites, magazines, and emails all day long, but I would like to say I have read "Catch 22" and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" and "Ulysses" without lying or using the same lame excuse of "Not yet, but it's on my list!"

So what is the answer? Is it sparknotes? Is it movies? Is it books on tape? Can someone just plug me into a library machine, ala Neo in "The Matrix"?

Okay, I have wasted enough time venting while I could have been increasing the dent in my never-ending list of books to finish. So, until then, I will be catching up...

(P.S. There is a reason I didn't link anything in this rant.)