David Foster Wallace, author of 'Infinte Jest', talking about the future of fiction.

2011 Global Reading Challenge Africa #1

Well, here goes. The first book I picked to read for the challenge was Coetzee's Dusklands. While technically two novellas, 'The Vietnam Project' and 'The Narrative of Jacobus Coetzee', I think it works best as it is presented, as one work because of how the two different men's experiences reflect off of each other.

'The Vietnam Project', the first of the two, is about a man tasked with constructing a more effective form of psychological warfare against the Vietcong and the disastrous effects this has on his mental well being. Through exposure to the worst the war had to offer Dawn, the main character, seems to begin to detest all life, eventually going crazy.

The second story, 'The Narrative of Jacobus Coetzee' is about an 18th century Dutchmen landowner in Africa on an elephant hunting expedition. When he falls ill he is taken in by a native village he had earlier come into conflict with. His pride as a white man explorer amongst savages again brings him into conflict with them and they expel him from the village, but keep all his supplies, cattle, guns, and food, and all but one of his slaves desert him and stay with these people. On the long trek home, and after his last remaining slave falls ill and he leaves him, Jacobus encounters a fire for life at the most basic level, calling himself a white bushman, romping in the dirt, naked except for his shoes, which he won't forgo, and even entertains the idea of abandoning his properties remaining a wild man, but decides better of it and returns home extinguishing that fire.

Either story on its own is great, but when read in succession they further illuminate the madness that these two men encounter. A fantastic, though at times tedious, read, and well worth your time and patience

Also going to try and complete a few more book challenges this year. Here's the rundown.

1.Chunkster Reading Challenge

Definition of a Chunkster:

• A chunkster is 450 pages or more of ADULT literature (fiction or nonfiction) ... A chunkster should be a challenge.
• If you read large type books your book will need to be 525 pages or more ... The average large type book is 10-15% longer or more so I think that was a fair estimate.

I'm going for Level 4- Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to EIGHT or more Chunksters of which three tomes MUST be 750 pages or more. You know you want to.....go on and give in to your cravings.

2. Gothic Reading Challenge

There is nothing better than a great Gothic read - crumbling old castles, mysterious legends, shadowy characters, supernatural beings and unexplainable events, make for some of the most haunting and captivating reading imaginable.

Not sure what level I'll be shooting for, but whichever it should be fun

3.Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge

I'm going for 'Super-Frog' level, which means I'll be shooting to read everything available in english that Murakami has written.

Here's more info on 2011 Global Reading Challenge

First Book in Global Reading Challenge

Just started reading J.M. Coetzee's 'Dusklands', making it my first entry into the global reading challenge. Coetzee is a South African writer, though he is now living in Australia. I'm counting it as my first African entry.

They say that perception is reality. I have some disagreements with this saying. Granted, it is a general statement, just something people say without really thinking about it because after all who has the time to contemplate the ins and outs of random generalized statements. Me, thats who.

Ask Yourself, what color is blue?

Okay? Done?

Now, how do you know that when others see the color blue that they don't see something more akin to what you know as red?

But that's the way you perceive it right? But if they see it another way, and their perception is something different then yours, then what is real? What is the reality of the situation?

Ah, but now you say that YOUR perception is your reality.

BUT, just because you perceive it that way does not make it real, does not make it the reality. After all, crazy people see things all the time that aren't there and you're not just going to say that because they perceive it that way it must be real.

Just because we view something a certain way does not make it true, does not make it real, does not make it reality.

Now, lets take this argument one step further, to a more perverse level.

What if the way you feel walking around everyday doing mundane things is not the way everyone else feels? Lost? Okay, I'll explain.

What if you, unbeknownst to all the doctors you've seen throughout your life, have always, from the day of your birth, suffered from severe chronic pain, a pain that if it struck someone else on any random day in the middle of their life would strike them down and agonize them horribly, but because you've always experienced this pain have never realized there is something different? You've simply grown accustomed to the pain.

How would you ever know?

This is what I call personal reality.

So, if you're willing to except that there could be personal realities, and I know I'm asking for a little faith here, then is there a shared reality? Or, are we all just floating around experiencing vastly different sensations at every moment of our lives.

I'd like to think so. It would just make things more interesting.