99 Books on the Wall

And the Iliad's spirit flew to the land of the Dead, and its armor clanged against its ribs, as it swirled to the ground and lay in the dust for dogs to lick its....

Sorry. Four days of reading Hellenic prose, and your speech patterns get twisted. One down and 99 to go. A cultural observation- if you carry a big, thick book around in public, you get some funny looks. Which is a little inconsistent, because no one gives a second thought to plugging themselves into an umbilicus and talking to themselves in public or in their own car (iPod/cell phone), or to hunching over a tiny screen for hours on end to play a game (PSP/DS). But a book! Freak! Be prepared to field such questions as, "What class are you taking?", "Are you a grad student?", "What's that!?!?"

So, the counter-cultural aspect of this endeavor is in full swing. I have not selected the next book, but I am finishing Lancelot as a bridge. I plan on always reading one big and one pocket sized book for tactical reasons. As a peace officer, I often find myself trapped at crime scenes, waiting for the bureaucracy to grind out a decision. A pocket-sized Shakespeare has saved me in the past. It does get some funny looks. There is a policy against reading materials not directly related to law enforcement while on the job. I just look incredulous, and say "Cops are constantly dealing with Tragedy and Comedy, Love and Revenge. Therefore, Shakespeare is not only relevant, it ought to be required reading." No one wants to argue with a lunatic, so it hasn't been a problem.

The Iliad has left me with no doubt that this is going to be more work than I anticipated. I'm already behind the curve, so no more time for blogging... Book On!

DAY 2: Battle!

"Rage!"

The first word of the first book of this year is apt. Of course, the book is The Iliad of Homer. Reading the Iliad in the dawning days of the year 2010 is an exercise in mixed emotions. Fitting and exciting, that this epic work detailing the greatest battle in literature, the great big Trojan/Argive brough-ha-ha that seals the fate of Troy and Helen, Hector, Achilles, and the lot. I would wager that many of my fellow Americans know the sketch of this story, and the crushing majority have never read the book. And so, it is also sad to read, as it is not even a book in the traditional sense. The oral tradition and cultural heritage it represents is long dead, replaced by iPods, CNN, and Hulu.com. My anger at the time I've lost to inane digital media addictions is fueling this little counter-cultural experiment.

As I proceed through these 100 books, I plan on sharing my love of literature, my sordid history with books, and my fears and hopes for our culture and its dangerous fascination with digital media and the destruction of critical thought. As a way of beginning, I chose the name for this blog and the first book to be read because of the nature of this undertaking. It is a battle.

I contemplated reading the Odyssey first, but ultimately realized that reading 100 books in 365 days is a direct assault on the digital age. It is not a journey. It requires a battle plan, not an itinerary. I laid out my strategy last week: minimal internet usage. Checking e-mail, updating the blog, and a quick fb check once in a while. No TV. That's easier, as I don't have one. Always have a book. You can't read if you don't have the book! This necessitates reading multiple books at once. For example...

Although I started the Iliad first, reading a few of the first books in the saga, this morning found me in a tree stand hunting deer at 0715, in single digit temperatures. The Iliad is not exactly light material. And it's thick. So, to pass the time in the tree (think Stylite) I had a trusty paperback copy of Lancelot by Walker Percy. If you've never read Percy, it's fantastic stuff and even better with a deer rifle as a book rest. Lancelot is memorable, as it is told first person from the narrator speaking to his old friend, a friend with no dialogue in the book.

While I didn't kill a deer this morning, I've nearly killed off Lancelot from the list, and the Iliad is about a third of the way finished. It's Day Two. I'm on track.