Look at me go! With my rejuvenated zeal for this project, I'm already 20% finished #77, The Golden Notebook. I'm still not really sure what to think of the book yet. Some parts are interesting, some not so much. As a result, some parts seems to be moving a little faster than others. And the way the book is written, I think I have a good idea of which parts are going to be the quicker reads. Regardless, this shouldn't be one that gets me bogged down too much.
One thing of note is a reference to another list book, something that has always interested me. In The Golden Notebook, one character calls another couple "The Gatsbys", an obvious reference to Fitzgerald's novel, to remark on their social nature.
I recall the first time a list book referred to another, when Gary from The Corrections was reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to his children. At the time I found it very interesting, and I suppose quite surprising. Having read an additional 64 list books, it isn't as surprising anymore but it is still interesting. To me anyway.
The last book to reference another, was White Teeth, which easily holds the current record for most references to other list books, with six. A Passage to India is read, Judy Blume, EM Forester, and Vladimir Nabokov are quoted, The Catcher in the Rye is burned, and Salman Rushdie is protested.
I suppose I should summarize all these references sometime...another day perhaps.
Back to The Golden Notebook, while my progress is going quite well, it has been hampered by one of my book club reads; 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I don't think I've ever been more enticed by a book. I am actually having trouble putting it down (except to rest my arms, as it is quite heavy). To make sure I don't put Notebook aside, I've made a deal with myself; I can read a chapter from 11/22/63 for every 20 pages I read from Notebook. It's working so far.
It also has me understanding why Stephen King has sold so many books. I'd only previously read The Shining (in January of this year), and loved it. I was expecting the writing to be more, how do I put it, Cuslleresque, but that isn't the case at all, it is fantastic. Plus the stories are pretty interesting as well. I can envisioning a day when I attempt to read all his books, which off the top of my head, could be a list longer than the one I'm currently reading.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have 20 pages of The Golden Notebook to get to.
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