Whilst on vacation in the Pacific Northwest of the US, I visited Powell’s bookstore in Portland, Oregon.  It’s the biggest independent bookstore in the world.

It was heaven.

Whilst browsing (and generally gushing) I came across a bookshelf that had little stacks of paper bookmarks, on which were printed all sorts of lists of prize-winning books.  “How fun!” I thought.  And as I continued to wander through the store, I also started noticing little stickers marked the shelves where such authors were found.  “Clever” and “Hm. Quite helpful” also crossed my mind.

A few hours later at dinner, I announced that I was going to read as many of these ‘great’ books as I could. And blog about it.

The reception was tolerant amusement and supportive skepticism. I have (ahem) been known to make grand plans and then not Always finish them.  But sometimes, I do. And this project seems like such a good challenge for me.  A fun journey. And also, I hope, helpful.

I don’t for one minute believe my thoughts on books are any better or worse than any other’s.  But, in that moment of inspiration, I was hopeful that it might be useful to people to have a reference guide, or at least a little reassurance, before they chose a great book to read.  It can be awfully overwhelming.  Great books have reputations for being heavy. Intense. And, as I start this crazy idea, I wonder if perhaps that is justified. But even if it is, I choose to trust that these books ARE valuable … and I choose to believe that some have been chosen for different reasons, and will appeal to different people.

But, for the record, let me say now that I do not believe that this *list* of great books is the sum total of the great books out there. It’s just a starting point.  And I have every intention of diverting (occasionally) off this path every so often.  Acclaimed books are all well and good, but great books are very much in the eye of the reader. And what mood I’m in.  🙂