It was hatched in the wee hours of a night, while my mind was shrouded in a stupor of exhaustion and frustration. I am stubborn enough to cling to it, though, despite the pleas of common sense and reason. (Rick, thank you for being crazy and stubborn too.)
Actually, I have been all atingle about the possibilities of this mission and this blog because – my slightly less obvious statement – I am a crappy, half-assed reader. Which fits in the continuum, if anyone is keeping track, somewhere between devout non-reader and avid reader. My love affair with books is actually more of an infatuation pursued in fits and starts. And though I am not a great believer in resolutions, I am committed to working on the book/me dynamic this year. (And really, how better to acquire a skill than within the stark purview of the public eye?)
So, here I am: thrilled and terrified. Not quite sure if I’m ready for all this, but I"ll go ahead anyway.
I’ve cheated a little. I should probably say that now. I’ve been dipping into How to Read a Book – you know, just for pointers. Adler and Van Doren have filled my head with an idea of reading as craftsmanship: full of small divisions of labor that are practiced, at first separately and finally together, in order to develop the skills and abilities to read for comprehension, to read for learning. For me – knitter, crocheter, sewer, wannabe gardener and novice cellist – the metaphor of reading as craft carries a lot of weight.
Once, on NPR I think it was, I heard something about attaining mastery. I forget the subject and the interview (my apologies), but the overall idea boils down to this:
Mastery = 10,000 hours of work
My aim here is to become a better reader. By this I mean not just someone who devours books, but someone who grows from them too.
On an editorial note: my voice won't be the only one you'll read here. Rick will post too. With his own mission, and thoughts and books to pursue. Another part of the process of One Hundred Four Books will be to discover how our individual understanding of each book affects and informs the other reader. Making for a blog that is both discrete units and iterative process.
How will that go? I don't know. Let's find out.
Ready...Steady...Go!
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