The Big 26

About a week ago I decided to embark on a journey. Due to excessive amounts of work and no time for vacation, travel (my vice) and socialization, I decided to begin escaping into a different world...books.

Currently, I am the Children's Lead Bookseller at Barnes and Noble in Chicago. My background is education and teaching and budget cuts suck. I was left with minimal salary at my school with no benefits, so I had to move on to a job that gave benefits, paid some money and made me happy. My plan is to teach again as I am currently pursuing a Master's in Teaching ESL. As I am mastering the art of bookselling, I am also mastering the art of selling clothing at Gap...I cannot even fold my own damn clothes, but here I am, doing it....and merchandising and stocking. And who can go without doing something that pertains to their college major? Not I. So, I work at Chicago Lyric Opera, too. I am happy to have all of these things to keep me busy, busy, busy and a little more busy.

Well, since time for travel is limited right now, I have been doing some traveling of my own. I am a reader and a big one at that. Books are my vacation, my destination, my safe place. They are my relation to the world and things I have done in the past. They are my gateway to future goals, travel pursuits and endeavors. Reading a book brings a world I cannot access at the moment be it fantastical or realistic.

Lately, I have had my nose stuck in books. I read when I am stopped at traffic lights, while eating in restaurants, while riding on the EL, while on break, before bed, when I wake up, when I go to bookstores and when I am on the eliptical at the gym (I am now that guy that reads and a source of laughter for the Bally girls along with the treadmill dancers)...basically anywhere. Normally I read all the time anyway, but it has gotten out of hand. I have been on a kick of reading anything that comes into my hands.

Last week, it came to my mind that I should go on a pursuit of books. I decided that starting next Monday, January 18, 2010, for the New Year (since I work out all the time anyway and don't need that as a resolution...maybe to just stop eating Subway cookies) I would read a book by a different author each week for 26 weeks. I am going to start at the beginning of the alphabet. Currently, I am finishing up Jasper Fforde's The Fourth Bear just in time to begin my journey.

I want to explore authors I have not read and authors I have read. I want to get into genres that I would not typically approach. Each day, no matter what time it is, be it at regular hours or in the wee hours of the night, I will report where I read, what I read, what chapters, my thoughts and feelings and anything else pertaining to the reading. I will insert the thoughts and feelings of these books from my colleagues, as well. Each week I will also try to do something that relates to each book. For example...if the book is about art, I will take a trip to the Art Institute. If it is about music, I will go to an opera/musical/whatever. I will take pics and post them. I will also give a brief briefing on the author and his/her intentions on writing the book if I can find it!

I just want everyone to enjoy reading as much as me. I hope someone reads along with me and wants to join and insert comments and opinions. I think it would be fun.

So, to give everyone a heads up...I am going to start with Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Sci-fi is not my forte, so why not? The version I bought is The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; all five books bound in one. I am only going to read book one for now. This massive volume is published by Ballantine Books, New York and costs $20.00 at Barnes and Noble unless you have a member card which would knock off 10%...just sayin. :)

My next blog is going to be my past 20 favorite books that I have read prior to this. This list was made last year. Since then, I have read over 20 others and then some worthy of this list.

Enjoy your time with me! :) I hope you join me in this journey.