It starts...

A Passage to India
E.M. Forster

If you know me, or as you get to know me, you will find that I hear things in my head a certain way as I'm typing  - often I explain exactly what it is I'm hearing just so you get the full feeling of what I mean. I say this now because the title of this post is exactly what I said in my head as I picked up book #1, A Passage to India, and it is the exact quote and tone of Rafiki as one loads the first game on SEGA's "The Lion King" videogame. Which I still have the PC version of on my laptop - it got me through many a night when I should have been studying for an exam or writing a paper. And so I like to think maybe that wise old monkey is somehow watching over this long journey as he did for Simba. Maybe? Ok, maybe not, but we can still sing his silly songs and play the videogame right?

Anyway, I've started E.M. Forster's classic about the British occupation of India and the relations between the British and the Indians and the concept of Anglo-Indians. It's very interesting so far, and I've found the racial tension especially intriguing because I recently re-visited an old outdoor theater from my childhood and watched a gripping drama about the Underground Railroad in North Carolina. Still, it never astounds me how little credibility we give each other as an overarching human race.

But let's talk about something happier. Progress is going well - I am slightly over 100 pages in, on Chapter 9 having started the book last week (it's been a long week at work, hopefully I'll have more progress to report next week. But I do want to share with you my favorite quote thus far from the book.

Life never gives us what we want at the moment that we consider appropriate. Adventures do occur, but not punctually. - pg. 25

 For some reason this thought from the wise older Mrs. Moore really struck me. Thinking back, I do believe the best adventures I've had have been thrust upon me unwittingly. As long as you're always ready and roll with the flow, anything can be an adventure - it's all what you make of it.  I plan to remember this quote for the next time I'm waiting around for an adventure of my own. I do hope Mrs. Moore shares some more witticisms as I live vicariously through her adventure in such a foreign land.

P.S. If you wish to know more about the Snow Camp, N.C. outdoor dramas you can find information here.

Incompetency

I've been "about to blog" (words I never thought I'd type) for approximately three days. It took me this long to figure out how to make a new post. It's going to be a bumpy ride, friends.

And I have a brief due tomorrow morning, so I leave you with this shining example of the deep level of discourse that former sorority girls and online comic dorks can hope to achieve:

(DISCLAIMER: The Librarian is just like this... minus 150 lbs and a lot of frizz. I live with the librarian of your naughty dreams. Chicka chicka yehhhh)

Hello Friends!

What is this all about? Simple. Two best friends with very different opinions on almost anything are reading 100 of the best novels to date. It seems fitting.

'Why,' you might ask, 'have you decided to take on this project?' For so many reasons! I jumped at the chance when my great friend, the Lawyer, proposed the idea one afternoon this summer. Having always loved English classes, and feeling guilty for always saying I'm going to read more classics and inevitably picking up that pretty cover at the bookshop instead, I felt it was long overdue. And what better way to do it than with a friend - and a blog - to keep you accountable?

So, welcome to our foray into reading some of the greatest novels ever written. The top 100 list comes from Lev Grossman and Richard Lacayo - critics for TIME magazine. Books were picked beginning in the publishing date of 1923 to coincide with the first published issue of the magazine. You can find the complete list here. The list is alphabetical, but we're going chronological to study the evolution of literature over time - keeping those historical markers for context.

Now, how long this might take is a different story. But we'll keep you updated about the book we're reading, how we like it, and if we happen to find a movie version how that post-reading viewing party goes! Feel free to read along and offer up your own opinions, or just amuse yourself with our ramblings and witty criticisms. If ever you're reading along and have a lot to say, let us know, we'd be open for guest posts!