Literary Conquests

I cannot seem to put my finger on it, but I'm starting to believe that I have literary A.D.D. While I may be in school currently and already have way too much to read, I always have to add something else to that list. It also can never seem to be fun books that you can just give a quick glance at night and don't feel like your missing out if you set it down on the night-stand.
I have realized that reading is no longer a fun thing to do or a enjoyable hobby. It is cathartic. It has to be something that emotionally purges me. Makes me question everything that I am doing in my life while I am simultaneously praising and despising life.
I believe that I have always been drawn to Russian literature. At the risk of sounding like a snob by merely mentioning the author's name, I do have to say that I truly love Dostoevsky. Grand in scope, his books contain exhaustive detail that actually makes me feel as though I am truly living the character's life. While this is a wonderful thing to experience at times, his characters are positively human. They are selfish, beautiful, and at times awful to be with.
I don't know what draws me to these people, but I love wallowing in their misery. As the reader goes through every stage of these character's lives, it is hard to part with them when you reach the final page of the book that is absent of ink.

More on Russian lit later, I am merely writing this piece because I have not written in a while. At first, I intended this blog to be a place of vanity that would allow me to show off my offhanded wit. However, this well has run dry. Or it has been poisoned. Either way, there is nothing to drink.

As I thought about my literary endeavors and the merciless need to purge my soul with books, I wanted to know if any of you out there share the same desire.

While meager amounts of vanity remain, I want to open this blog up to readers and writers alike. I will be writing about what I am reading at the moment and encourage people to comment on whether they themselves had read the book and what they got from it. Whether it be philosophical rants or summaries of your favorite parts, I want to share the love of books. I will also give enough advance to those who might want to join in reading the book with me.

I have read many different books. While the previous sentence may be interpreted as an attempt to show how amazing I am, it was merely meant to say that on this blog we will be reading a wide variety of books. If you have any recommendations, please please please speak up.

So here it goes...the first book!

Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone

I have heard nothing but amazing things about Wally Lamb and so I just decided to go to Santa Cruz book store and pick up the first one that caught my eye.

If anyone wants to join in, I am just starting this now. Like Lamb says in the first chapter of this book, television is sharp and clear but unreliable.