Day 1 of Book Extravaganza

So I looked at the Time Magazine and I decided that I would go with the list from there. Because the books seem more enjoyable and I would have to say that I trust Time Magazine and enjoy it very much.


So with that knowledge, I chose to pick a few books randomly and then go from there. The books I chose to start with are: The Haunting of Hill House by: Shirley Jackson, White Noise by: Don Delillo. These are both horror books and I know the basic story. But I chose to start with Shirley Jackson's book because well, she wrote "The Lottery" Which is probably my all time favorite story. The story is horrifying and very entertaining to say the least.


Instead of buying these books, I decide to head to the good ol' Berwyn Public Library where I spent most of my days in grade school glaring at the millions of options for myself. I walk up the familiar stairs and see many kids from high school sitting inside chattering away about homework, boys, girls, the football team, everything that high schoolers think about... I go up to the woman and say, "Hi, I had a library card and I definitely lost it." She looked at me with attitude (probably a rough day) and stated simply, "I need two forms of I.D., one from column A and one from column B," as she handed me a piece of paper. "Shit", I think in my head. I tell her, "I only have my license." She just stared and repeated from a script, "If you only have your license, you are only allowed to take out two books, and your card will be mailed to you within the week." I nodded. "Only two books," I thought. This was ok... because really, I needed to make sure I finished the books within the two week span that I had until they expired. After what seemed forever, she smiled at me (what a shock) and handed me back my license. I think to myself, 'Happy reading.' And then I was on the hunt. I went to the Young Adult section, and looked up JAC, my eyes scanning for The Haunting of Hill House. I see the book and get excited. I take it in my hands, moving it around, examining it fully. Then I see printed: Immaculate Heart of Mary High School Library Westchester, IL. I smile; surely fate wanted me to pick this book up. My high school, Immaculate Heart of Mary, closed down a year after I graduated. And it was a few towns away from Berwyn... So I felt that I was meant to read this book, in a way, or at least to begin my LONG list of books with this one. And this particular copy. (When I showed it to my father, my avid reading partner, he laughed and said, “Creepy how a book finds you sometimes, huh?”).

I smile thinking of the little IHM library and the fact that this book ended up in Berwyn's, while I go to the Fiction section for the second book of choice.

I search for "DEL" getting irritated that there are so many DEL authors/codes. I also note that Delillo has written many books but I turned nothing up that was White Noise. Disappointed, I look at the next shelf hoping it was misplaced, Yes! It was! Perfect. So I run up to the desk and take out the two books. And my adventure of reading the Top 100 books of all time had started.

I started reading it as soon as I got home. The first chapter is sort of eerie. And I’m already within the 4th chapter. And I am very excited that I’ve begun this journey of sorts…

Am I a nerd? Yes. But I love being well-read. And I am very excited about this.


Happy reading.