File: The Library Project, Shelf 1/216

I was in the library last week trying to find something to read (the book I wanted was in transit from another branch), when I had that familiar tinge of embarrassment I feel every time I walk into the library. I have this daydream about reading all of the books. It's more than just a daydream: it's one of my life goals.

If you know me, you'd smile knowingly if I told you that reading every book in the library is what I consider the pinnacle of living. You might be kind enough to point out that the library is a dynamic creature, as books are constantly added to its shelves. You might even tell me that it can't be done or chock it up to me being me.

I recognize this is a very big task for a girl to accomplish in just one lifetime, but it doesn't stop me. I have a strange tenacity (and audacity) to dream that I could do it. Paradoxically, this dream also makes me feel sad and powerless because part of me thinks that it is probably impossible. I don't want it to be out of reach. It would break my heart, I think.

So, I decided that day was as good as any day. I would begin with a practice run. Hence, the more-loosely-structured-than-its-name-but-still-has- crazy-amounts-of-structure-because-I-thought-of-it library project. My plan is to read at least one book from every shelf in fiction.

The relaxed rules: I would begin in my local library because it's close, the collection is smaller than the main branch, and most importantly, I was there when I conceived this plan. I would start with A and work my way through Z, one shelf at a time. I could read as many books that interested me on a shelf, but I had to read at least one. As this could be a longish project, I could read non library project books as well, just to keep myself entertained. Ideally, I will document the library project, because, well, it's me and I like to document things.

The Rogers Park Library has 216 shelves of fiction. On Tuesday night, I started with shelf one. I took down all of the books and evaluated each one, mostly based on the covers (take that folk wisdom) and other random criteria that I'll describe below. Books in green were put to the side to consider more closely.

Shelf 1 Contents, Books 1-22

1. Edward Abbey. The Fool's Progress in hardcover. Judged by cover.
   
2. Jeff Abbott. Panic in drug store paperback. Also judged by cover.
   
3. Keith Ablow. Compulsion in hardcover. No interest.
   
4. Keith Ablow. Murder Suicide in hardcover. Not my genre.
   
5. Peter Abrahams. Crying Wolf in hardcover. Pass.
   
6. Diana Abu-Jaber. Crescent in hardcover. I like the pretty cover. It looks newish, which means that it probably doesn't have roaches. It got good reviews for first book from the New Yorker and the New York Times. Hmm, suspicious -- no good reviews on this one. I read half a page and it did pass the infamous page turner test. Definite maybe.
7. Chinua Achebe. No Longer At Ease in paperback. I like him. I loved Things Fall Apart. This cover is an awful purple (my least favorite color), but goes in the like pile simply by strength of author. Which is I guess what it should be in the first place. Feh, book marketing.
   
8. Kathy Acker. Great Expectations in hardcover. No -- it looks like it just came out of an AOL book application. And, the title has been done. And done well.
   
9. Peter Ackroyd. The Lambs of London in hardcover. Maybe -- good Publisher's Weekly review, but not thrilled with the idea of historical fiction. Wait! I just opened it. It has Scooby-Doo stickers. Definite second look.
   
10. Karl Ackerman. The Patron Saint of Unmarried Women in hardcover. No -- I hate the cover and the title.
11. Alice Adams. After the War in hardcover. It has an appealing cover with a sweet picture of her on the back. Wow, she won a bunch of awards. I will come back to this book -- it picks up where A Southern Exposure ended. This sounds great, but I must read the first one first.
12. Alice Adams. Almost Perfect in hardcover. I will mark for later.
13. Richard Adams Tales from Watership Down in drug store paperback. While I enjoyed the first one this just sounds like a blantant appeal for money, like the Lion King 2. I will not fall for it. Maybe I should buy it for Matt -- then I can read it too.
    
14. Richard Adams. Watership Down in paperback. I own it. It's a great read.
    
15. Kim Addouizio. Little Beauties in hardcover. Pretty cover but it screams chic lit, which I might consider, but with at least three books already on the table -- no dice.
16. Elizabeth Adler. All or Nothing in hardcover. No -- it looks like bad 80's glitz. Yuck.
17. Elizabeth Adler. Sooner or Later in hardcover. No, see above.
18. Elizabeth Adler. The House in Amalfi in hardcover. Updated cover and photo but still too suspicious.
19. Elizabeth Adler. In a Heartbeat in hardcover. Still no.
20. Elizabeth Adler. Invitation to Provence in hardcover. My G-d, she has a lot of books.
21. Elizabeth Adler. The Last Time I Saw Paris in hardcover. Ok, she has worn me down. I will take this one. It seems to be the shortest. It's about France. Publisher's Weekly and Booklist liked it. Fine.
22. Elizabeth Adler. The Rich Shall Inherit in hardcover. Boo -- we are back to the 1980's smarm and another book! (Watch her turn out to be my favorite author.)

Went through the check out. If you were able to Google my library record (can't, sorry), you'd find these books:

Achebe, Chinua.	No longer at ease
Bloom, Harold.	How to read and why
Adler, Elizabeth	The last time I saw Paris
Abu-Jaber, Diana.	Crescent
Phillips, Lisa A.	Public radio : behind the voices
Ackroyd, Peter, 1949	The Lambs of London : a novel

Public Radio and How to Read and Why were fun books. Fun books are allowed.

I've got some reading to do. A lot of reading to do. This will keep me busy for the next couple of years. I'm psyched.