100 movies, 101 books, 104 weeks

The Goal

My 28th birthday was July 6. I set myself (the possibly crazy) goal of reading all the books on this list and watching all the movies on the AFI's 100 years, 100 movies list before I turn 30. That's a rate of 1 book and 1 movie per week for the next two years.

The Reason

Lots of movies on the list I've already seen. Some of the books I've read. Some I was assigned but never finished, many others I've simply never read.
I believe that exposure to good writing makes you a better writer. One of the most common pieces of advice is to read more. Beyond that, I think that reading great literature helps you think. And, whether you like a book or not, when it's a seminal work, having read it improves your understanding of other literature. All art exists in a dialog with the art that has gone before, with the audience, and with the time and place that created it (I would love to be able to teach a course that combined art history, literature, and history). Being conversant with many of the major works of the Western canon simply creates a richer understanding of the world and of the other books you read. Plus, books get to be classics for a reason, either because the story is so well-told or because of the impact they had. Either one of those reasons is a good one for reading a book.
The same thing holds true for film. Even if you don't like Gone With the Wind (for example), it's a major cultural influence. I like being familiar with the source material for references, quips, and quotes. And also understanding how those films influenced films that came later.
And, as my facebook profile says, I've always been a sucker for a well-told tale.

The Methodology
Unless I've watched the film or seen the book in the past 12 months, it goes on the list. You can argue all you want about whether the book list I picked is the best, but I think it's relatively inclusive, and you can't argue that any of those books aren't great, and they're not ranked. The film list was easier to pick a source, since I knew the AFI had done a list, and I tend to agree with their assessment.

Some of the movies on the list I own, but they're all in my Netflix queue (some of them are available on Netflix Instant Play).

The books are all available through my public library. The local branch is a short walk away and is open into the evening three nights a week. They don't have all of the books at my local branch, but they do have a fantastic hold system which allows me to order the books from the other branches and pick them up. They also have a great online account management system, which makes it easy to place holds or renewals from home. Many of them are also available free for the Kindle, which was my birthday present from my parents. This is great, because it allows me to carry multiple books with me, and because of the built-in dictionary. I'm pretty good at figuring out meaning from context (I've always had high reading comprehension skills), but the Kindle makes it super-easy to look up a word in the dictionary, which really helps me understand the shades of nuance better (and lets me confirm that I'm deducing the meaning correctly). And when reading older works, understanding the archaic meaning of a word that has a different usage today is important. I'm trying to avoid paying for books, unless I already own them or can get them for less than $5. Many of these books I have a copy of somewhere (I have Faust in the original German from when I read it in college), and I don't want duplicates, and I already have so many books and so little space that adding to it doesn't make a lot of sense.

Ideally, I'll post here on my thoughts about each book or movie. Currently, I'm partway through three different books (I was caught out without the paperback Grapes of Wrath, so I started Moby Dick, and when Mellville's prose got to be a little too intense, I started The Awakening), and I've watched Fargo.

If you follow me on Twitter (@evelynpchester), you'll see which movies I'm watching, which book I'm reading, and I may also tweet quotes from books via my Kindle.

Wish me luck!