Friday, March 23, 2007

1001 Books...and does listening count as reading?

Yesterday, Scarbiedoll posted her spring reading list, all of which look like really good books, which is REALLY great, because that's just what I needed ... more books to add add to my neverending list of books I want to read. You know, because it's almost the end of March and I'm only on book #6. However, Scarbiedoll's May book pick was one I've ALREADY read! How, you ask? Because it's mine! Thanks Scarbie!

Scarbiedoll also mentioned that she's in a 1001 Books To Read Before You Die Bookclub, so of course, I wanted to know what's on the list. If you head over here Baby Got Books has listed the 1001 Books on the list and also created a spreadsheet so you can tally up how many you've read.

Halfway through the list I'd read 5 of the books. FIVE out of FIVE HUNDRED. The Hubs, who glanced over my shoulder as I tallied, to see what I was doing, said, "You've read 1%." (Actually, I'm not sure if it's at that exact point that he said it, because math is not my strength, but it was very bad, especially when he skimmed the 20 books on the screen at that point and said, "Hey've read almost all of those." Huh.) I'd HEARD of a lot of the books, and I'd seen a lot of the movies of other books (The Godfather, Interview with a Vampire), but apparently that doesn't count. However, once I've seen the movie, I find it very difficult to actually go back and read the book, so does that mean I'll never read all 1001 books on the list? Probably. Also, there were 10 books by J.M. Coetzee books on the list, and 8 from Ian McEwan. Surely with all the amazing authors out there, this is a little excessive (I'm biased, of course because I haven't even read one book by either of them). Thankfully, when I got to the books from the 1800s, Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters came to my rescue, and I pulled my score up to 52. Which is still pathetic, but at least it's a starting off point, right?

In related news, in an attempt to increase my book intake, I've started to do an IV drip of books (aka books on iPod). My last iPod died before Christmas, and for my birthday I bought myself a new, pretty blue nano with much more memory. At first I wasn't sure this would count as "reading" but I asked a very reputable source - a friend who WORKS at a book publishing house, and who better to confirm what's reading and what's not than her? - and she says that listening counts as reading, if it's the unabridged version. So my new plan has been working out quite well so far, since my commute to and from work and other appointments is usually on foot, so I can't actually read, but now I can listen. I'm about halfway through The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters, which I'd wanted to read for years.

The only downside is that I'm not sure if I can pause the story and listen to any music and then come back to it, or if it'll start over from the beginning. I tried once and then I had to fast forward back to the part I'd left off.

Has anyone else been "reading" books on their iPod and can tell me if I can stop the story and go back to it after listening to music?

Otherwise, how am I going to listen to Lollipop?.

1 comment:

scarbie doll said...

Lollipop song rocked my world. Mika is like the Canadian version of the Scissor Sisters or something. LOVE IT!