Self-styled FIRE Aethernaut, Mr. Fate, reads 32 books in 31 days as part of “The Big Bookworm Project,” another audacious Fates On Fire experiment.
As you may know, in April I conducted my “Total Blackout Project,” where I successfully lived a modern life without a screen or connectivity for 30 days. While it was a strange, fierce joy, the impetus of that project was a deliberate reaction to an article by MarketWatch presenting recent research that American’s spend 77 hours a week staring at a screen. The evolution of “The Big Bookworm Project” was far more extemporaneous and organic, but became quite a lofty and highly enjoyable challenge.
It started when I happened to end up reading 4 books within the initial 24-hours of July. By the the end of the week, I had read 10 books. It was then I figured I’d use this momentum as an opportunity to commission another daring Fates On Fire project. The overarching goal was simple: read 31 books in 31 days during the month of July. I decided to call it “The Big Bookworm Project.” The secondary challenge was to do so while leaving 9 hours free each day to, ostensibly, account for someone who has a full-time job. I knew the anticipated criticism leveled would be, “Easy for you Mr. Fate, you don’t have a job, so you have all day to lay about and read,” so I intentionally obviated all that sort of carping.
Unlike the Total Blackout Project, where I (correctly) figured I’d be the first ever person to successfully achieve this particular goal, I thought that essentially reading a book a day for a month would be exceedingly well-trodden ground. There was not much out there, but there are, of course, folks who have done this. Actually, I thought there’d be way more. Perhaps they are too busy reading to publish articles about how much they read! What was not surprising was the innumerable accounts of folks who tried (aka failed) to read a book a day. My favorite was from Fast Company who published a 1500 word article by someone who only read a total of 12 (really?). She should have heeded the sage pragmatism of this blogger who encourages aspirants to “not read every word” and “skip entire chapters,” which, for the record, is not actually reading a book.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Anyway, I ended up exceeding my own goal by reading 32 books in 31 days because I’m wired to overachieve. I generally read about 15 books a month, so there certainly was some gravitas to the endeavor and with the proviso of leaving 9 waking hours free each day, it did require less than my normative sleep to achieve it. I won’t deceive you – there were more than a few times when I was a cross-eyed, mentally fatigued, irritable and under-slept SOB. However, it was, unequivocally, worth it. Most importantly, the result served as a corollary to that of the Total Blackout Project, which is if you just stop staring at a screen 77 hours a week, you got yourself a lot of time to do wonderful things that you’d really like to do.
A COUPLE OF RANDOM NOTES
- All but 4 books were borrowed from my local library which were re-reads that came from my personal collection. Please use your local library, including the amazing online reading platforms!
- Many books were “pre-curated” before the project, meaning I had identified and put holds on them in late May which is when I enjoy rock bios.
- By observing the list below, it is apparent that I get into “rabbit holes” of sorts where I densely read certain authors or particular subjects for month(s) at a time. Doyle and bees are fine examples for July.
- The list below is simply a document of what I read in the kinda-ish order I read them. I’ve provided a bit of narrative on each giving my impression. If you care to, you can use this a general assessment on whether or not I recommend the actual title.
- I always try to get some diversity by style, type, etc. each month, which is depicted here.
- Overall, the average length of each book was 257 pages. Yes, I have a numbers OCD problem.
THE BOOKS!
The Map of Time by Felix D. Palma – Read this as part of my book club by an extremely popular Spanish author I’d not previously heard of. It was a beautiful exercise in meta-brilliance. So inventive, out there and wonderful. Nearly transcendent.
The Map of Chaos by Felix D. Palma. Palma, apparently, turned the “The Map of Time” into a trilogy and this was the 3rd book. It’s an object lesson as to what happens when you have one dazzling idea and your publisher is only focused on money, not art. It was nearly the 1st book in my life I almost bailed out of mid-read.
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. I referenced this book in my “A Side Hustle That Save Lives” post and then realized I’d not re-read it in about 15 years. It’s as poignant today as in 1995 when it was originally written. BTW, Chapter 6: which is the original short story “Fight Club” is still unassailable in modern literature. If you’re an adult male who shops at Whole Foods, you really need to give this a (re)read.
The Blade Artist by Irvine Welsh. Oddly, this 3rd sequel (of sorts) to the internationally acclaimed novel, “Trainspotting” was not released in the U.S. (and I had to acquire from a UK pal). If you’ve read his seminal novel, then you know all about Francis “Franco” Begby, the hard-peeving, hard-violence sociopath from “Embra”. Today he’s out of prison and living in Santa Barbara, CA making hipster art that sells for millions and not giving in to old temptations. Or is he?
Trainspotting – by Irvine Welsh. Classic and near perfect. The greatest book that has ever come from Scotland. Period. Endy fucking story.
One From None by Henry Rollins. I re-read, “Get In the Van” for my “Rock Stardom is my 401K” post and then just kept going with the Rollins books. “One From None” is precisely what you would expect when a struggling, ultra-intense, displaced man in his early 20s gets acquainted with poetry.
Commando by Johnny Ramone. While not a colossal Ramones fan, I’d not ever really read anything about them and this seemed interesting. Johnny does not come across like a nice person, but I don’t think that he’d care. However, he was the indefatigable, driving force that kept this unit together for over 20 years. A nice, short read from one of the best guitar players in one of the most inventive bands of all time.
State of the Union by Nick Hornby – Ever since “High Fidelity,” I’ve been a fan of Nick Hornby. Any dude who references “Echo & the Bunnymen” in a novel is ace in my book. However, like Palahniuk, he got progressively more “punched out” as his novels continued. While good, this really came across as a genteel, drippy version of Roddy Doyle’s exhilarating & hilarious “Two Pints.” I find it odd that it’s been made into a TV show.
But What If We’re Wrong by Chuck Klosterman. Lost touch with CK, so got the lot. This was the first I read and was not expecting this from a pop-culture/rock essayist. Attempting to think about what we “know” today in 500-1000 years in the future is a fantastic mental exercise. His topics were hit or miss, but the one on rock music really got me. Answer: Chuck Berry!
Springfield Confidential by Mike Reiss. This book on the Simpsons won the 2019 James Thurber award!. I’m coming clean now, I’ve watched the Simpsons from The Tracey Ullman show in 1987 until now. I’d not really known Mike on his own, but he’s one ultra-funny mofo. A must for any Simpsons fan.
Heavy Duty Days & Nights in Judas Priest by K.K. Downing. While I’m not big heavy metal fan, I love rock biographies and got this on a whim. I’ve always thought Judas Priest was one of the best band names ever, know their hits, so I gave this a go. Downing’s account was informative and fun and was also without remorse or regret. Knowing nothing going in, I’m sure I can now hold my own in the Heavy Metal Parking Lot.
The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman. I’ve been reading through every Neil Gaiman book published since last November. This was one of his books for readers of all ages and it was spectacular, just like “The Wolves in the Walls.” Fun, exciting and Dave McKean’s art is spellbinding as always.
I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp by Richard Hell. As a former West Coast punk, I’ve tried for decades to get down with the original NYC scene. Sadly, I just can’t. This autobiography from Hell was my last concerted effort and it was an abject fail. To be fair, his his writing has progressed over the years, but, excepting the Ramones, Hell and that whole CBGB scene will always remain to me pretentious, twee and intentionally obtuse.
X by Chuck Klosterman – More Klosterman! Some of his worst-ever writing and a pop culture writer should never publish a book with 10-year old essays. Gnarls Barkley? Tim Tebow? No one remembers these knuckleheads and, if they do, they don’t care now. However, Chuck’s last essay, “Advertising Worked on Me,” is the definitive evaluation of the entirety of KISS’ musical output and is, alone, worth the price of admission.
The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami – An almost surreal read – Difficult to describe. Maybe if a contemporary Kafka who lived in Japan and routinely smoked peyote existed – he would write like this. It’s good but way out there.
Fanatic – Henry Rollins. Well, it’s a bit of a thing. If you are a punk/post-punk fanatic, then this is it for you. If not, this is your 7th circle of Hell.
Poe – Stories & Poems by Gareth Hinds – A superb graphic rendition of some of Poe’s most notable stories including the “Cask of Amontillado”, “The Pit & the Pendulum”, “The Mask of the Red Death”, etc. The art and graphic rendering of fonts for “The Raven” is simply spectacular.
The League of Extraordinarily Gentleman by Alan Moore – I loved Moore’s “From Hell” and stumbled on this while searching for the Poe volume. Grateful I found it. There’s a reason why Moore is universally heralded as one of comic’s most innovative minds – and this is a good example. Oddly, the day I finished this, Moore announced he was no longer going to write.
The Commitments by Roddy Dolye – I hadn’t read “The Guts” yet, but had it on hold. Before reading it, I wanted to revisit the early adventures of Jimmy Rabbitte. Simply put, The Commitments is the best fiction book ever written about music/a band. Period. It is also the 2nd best book of any type to have ever come from Ireland.
The Guts by Roddy Doyle – Former Commitment, Jimmy Rabbitte, has bowel cancer and he might be dying, but he doesn’t think so. A great return to Doyle’s Barrytown and the Rabbitte family. A wonderful story of aging, family, friends and future.
The Snapper by Roddy Doyle – After “The Commitments” and “The Guts,” I decided to read the entirety of the Barrytown Trilogy. “The Snapper” followed on the heels of the Doyle’s first book and it’s a great introduction to the entire Rabbitte crew and a very interesting story to boot.
The Van by Roddy Doyle – The final book of the Barrytown Trilogy. “The Van” was short-listed for the Booker prize, so enough said.
The Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle – Decided to finish my Doyle binge with one of his young adult books which I had not read previously. Absolutely delightful! Doyle effortlessly works his literary prowess for the wee ones. I’ll be reading some of the others next month.
Signal to Noise by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean – The last of my Neil Gaiman reads that started last November. An interesting story, but what blew me away was McKean’s art which is much more realistic here as opposed to his more widely known surrealistic style. He has serious chops and the team of Gaiman & McKean should be considered a national treasure in the UK.
The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle – I read a good amount of fantasy and never got around to this one. Interesting story and unique writing style. Not the best, not the worst.
The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman – The last of the CK haul of books. This was his 2nd novel and I was a little reluctant, but this turned out to be a fascinating read with an original premise and storytelling method.
Beginning Beekeeping by Tanya Phillips – Like Sherlock Holmes, I retired in my 40s, am moving to the country and going to raise me some bees. This was the 1st of several beekeeping books I read and served as a solid introduction.
Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland Blackiston – This ended up being the best of all the “beek” books. Over 500 pages and exceptionally detailed and pragmatic (like all “Dummies” books). I will definitely be buying a copy of this as it will be an essential reference.
Backyard Beekeeping by Courtenay Smithers – Not as good as “Dummies” but better than “Beginning.”
From A to Bee by James Dearsley – Beek blogger compiles his 1st year of entries into a book. Interesting read and props for him revealing every mistake he made which were many.
Homegrown Honeybees by Althea Morrison – At this point, I had all the beekeeping theory nailed and things were beginning to get repetitive. The best part of this book were the insanely close-up, high-quality pictures. Morrison’s husband is a photographer and she made excellent use of his skill here.
A Dull Roar by Henry Rollins – Last book of the month! The account of Rollins reluctantly reuniting his band during the summer of 1996 narrated via his standard diary style. I read this as I am reforming my old band and wanted to get some insight. I hope we fare better than they did.