Whenever I see an announcement pop up for a readalong, something happens to me. My heart begins to pound, my fingers twitch, and the little nerdy parts of my brain begin to send off these signals that say, "DO IT" until I do. I cave in easily to my nerdy impulses.That is my only explanation for what I am about to tell you.
You see, there is another readalong going on in February and March, and its on that lovely book we all cower in front of-yes, James Joyce's Ulysses. It is the only big scary book that I wasn't going to tackle in 2010, but since this is the year of insanity, I have decided to go for it.
I know that I will regret this decision eventually. Because not only am I starting this monster in February, I will also be finishing War and Peace, reading all of Oliver Twist, and starting Atlas Shrugged in March.
Yes, my name is Allie and I am addicted to readalongs.
There are worse things, right?
In any case the plan is to read the following parts and post starting at the end of Week 1 (the first week of Feb.):
- End of week 1: thoughts on Section 1, chapters 1-3.
- End of week 3: this is midway through Section 2, through chapter 9.
- End of week 5: thoughts on Section 2, through chapter 15.
- End of week 6: Section 3, end of book.
War and Peace, Ulysses, and Atlas Shrugged all at the same time?? Oh my! That is all I can say...lol! I read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man for a class, but am 100 times more afraid of Ulysses than I was of War and Peace. I actually really liked his "stream of consciousness" writing style, but it was difficult reading. I am really interested to get your impressions on Ulysses. Also, I have been meaning to ask you....was there any reason you chose Atlas shrugged over the Fountainhead? The Fountainhead is on my list. Good Luck!! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, wait. I see now that both Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead are on your list. For some reason, I was thinking just Atlas Shrugged was on it...never mind...lol! :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck! I was debating, but I don't think I could handle War and Peace, Oliver Twist, and Ulysses at the same time. You are brave!
ReplyDeleteeek! that is really ambitious but I'm sure you can do it. as for me, even just deciding to join oliver twist is enough with all the reading i have lined up!
ReplyDeleteYou are! You really are addicted to readalongs. I've only successfully completed one readalong (for Gone with the Wind) so I don't think they're really my cup of tea. At least it compels you to read those large books that I constantly avoid.
ReplyDeleteFunny thing is after the one readalong I participated in, I just dont' think they're for me...
ReplyDeleteI do not, in fact, want to join this one! I really love readalongs and have found they work well for me, but I have sworn off Joyce and so will observe from the sidelines this time around. I wish you lots of luck!
ReplyDeleteI'm planning to learn all the tricks to reading this book by watching y'all read. We'll all be cheering you on from the sidelines. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with Ulysses. I've heard that the Bloomsday book is a helpful companion.
ReplyDelete100 pages of Finnegans Wake was enough to convince me that Joyce is not my thing. Best of luck to you!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI promise I'll visit you when the little men in white coats turn up!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, the best of luck.
You are a little crazy :P Reading Ulysses and Oliver Twist and finishing War and Peace and starting Atlas Shrugged all in 2 months?
ReplyDeleteBut I know what you mean, as soon as I hear "read a long" I find it so very hard to resist. But personally, I like the idea, but often find it very hard to keep up.
Good luck though, I'm curious to see how it goes and will of course cheer you on!
Thank you for posting about this. 'Ulysses' is one of those books I've had sat on my shelf for ages but been too intimidated to try, and I know I'll never read it on my own. I think I'll sign up and give it a whirl along with you!
ReplyDeleteLOL! I joined the TBR Dare and do not have a copy of Ulysses on my shelf (thank God!)....guess it's out of the question for me ;-)
ReplyDeleteGirl you ARE insane!
ReplyDeleteYikes! You sound like me with challenges a few years ago. I finally got burned out of being on a strict reading schedule and said "forget it!" to them all. Now I just try to commit to one thing at a time.
ReplyDeleteBut....still really glad you're joining us!!
Love the green.
This one's on my list, though I lack time to get to it in 2011. I'm VERY interested in reading it, now that I've read Molly Bloom's soliloquy.
ReplyDeleteInterested in your take!
Mwa ha ha ha ha. I'm glad you're joining the adventure...it should be quite the experience!
ReplyDeleteYou're braver than I am! I find that I daren't commit to more than one book/readalong at a time as I don't seem to be able to keep up. Good luck!
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