Right, so this is it everyone! It's finally happening. I have now created a blog for my latest reading project, which you probably know nothing about - but now, through this blog, you won't be able to avoid it!
I am going to read all of Charles Dickens' novels in the order which they were published in, starting with The Pickwick Papers and ending with The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Lately, it has occured to me I might just as well share the project with everyone else on the web and blog about my experiences as I trudge through the books. Trudging is probably an appropriate verb in this case - let's face it, we're not talking about the light sort of novellas you take with you to the beach. We're talking about at least 10 000 pages of some of the most famous literature in the English language. I actually began counting the pages, checking them from my great-grandfather's complete collection (which I inherited via Damascus, where my grandmother took them to), but my calculator freaked out during the process. Anyway, you get the picture.
As a matter of fact, I have read some of these books during my childhood, and there's at least one I've reread years later, so that means this will be my third read for some of these novels. However, I have set strict rules for myself, and they say that I am not allowed tao skip over a book just because I've read it before. I also must follow the chronological order of the books and read them in the order that they were published, so you'll have to just post an angry comment if you realise I've missed a book or accidentally switched the order.
So anyway, here we are with the blog, which is meant to keep you all updated on the process (I can see you all waving your arms about in excitement and shouting "it's not going to be a boring summer, after all!") and, let's be frank, give me some motivation with the project. We can probably expect some lengthy discussions on the stories, but occasionally I might just drop a line or two to tell you how I'm getting on with it.
A couple of things before we begin: I will be talking about the plots, so if you are planning on reading some of these books and don't want to know all the twists and details, try to just erase your memory after reading them.
I've also decided it's totally fine to read other stuff besides Dickens this summer, so if I start going on about John Irving's latest, the Man Booker Prize longlist or, let's say, Lonely Planet New York City, I hope you'll stay tuned anyway!
Sometime in June, I will begin with Dickens' first novel, The Pickwick Papers. I hope you'll be reading!
PS. This is not a "race against time" thing and I haven't set a schedule to my reading. I estimate to have read all the novels by the year 2013 - you heard it first on Blogging Dickens!
