Sez Who?

As I've mentioned on here, (a lot!) I am a dedicated reader. This year I have finished 2 sets of 999 challenge books - 9 books in 9 categories in 2009 - and beat my own 9/9/09 deadline. But we've got 4 months until the end of the year. What am I going to read next?

So I decided to checkout this "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die." I've heard lots of people talking about it online, but I've never actually gone through the list before. One of my book clubs that I'm in is trying to read 'uplifting' literature - stuff that makes you think, inspires you. It's a worthy goal, even if I admit that a lot of what I read is for fun. I don't read trash, but not all of it is Great Literature.

What a surprise! Some of these books listed are in fact, books I would say are Great. Mark Twain, Jane Austen, Joseph Conrad, William Shakespeare, H. G. Wells, the Bronte sisters - good stuff.

But then there's the books that I wouldn't read if you paid me to! Or the books that I have read, and hated. And of course, the books that I think should have been on there in the first place. That's always a side effect of a list like this, and maybe even a major consideration - to create a discussion, invite debate.

What I got out of the list, though, is a reminder that I am the one responsible for determining what I want to read, not any list, or anyone else's opinion. Even in the book clubs, I don't have to read the book unless I want to. Of course, when I was in school, it was different. But now I choose for myself. And I am the only one who knows what my interests and standards are.

Websites like Library Thing and Good Reads are great. Library Thing is where I get a LOT of my reading, from friends who read a book and have to tell me how great it is. Good Reads is great because I have a lot of LDS friends on there, who are good at warning about when a book has what I would consider questionable content. But in the end, it is up to me. And I am choosing to focus on books that make me think, that make me laugh, that help me learn, that challenge me, that help me grow. If it's nothing but throwaway status, read it and forget it, then it's really only fit to be kept in the bathroom. Life is too short and there are too many good books out there for me to waste my time with stinkers.