2007 Book Project, R.I.P.

The 2007 Book Project is dead, long live the Book Project!

It was a noble pursuit, but my 2007 Book Project is going to fall short of its stated goal to each month read a book recommended by someone whose literary tastes I admire, and then sit down and discuss the book over his/her beverage of choice. Not a bad goal, and a nice way to get to know someone through their reading.

The 2007 Book Project began as an outgrowth of my 2006 goal of reading a book a month, which may not sound too difficult until you consider that me am Bizarro Speed Reader. The 13 books in 12 months I finished last year easily eclipsed the number of books read by a quarter of the American population.

Then I got cocky or inspired, depending on your point of view. Not content to rest on my laurels and repeat the same feat, I sought to enrich the goal by soliciting book recommendations from friends and colleagues. No one has time for a book club (and deciding on which book to read can be a disaster), so I decided to make it a book club of one (me) talking with the person about a book he/she loves. But if reading a book a month is a risky endeavor for me, the already shaky scenario was further complicated by the fact that a number of the participants on my list are ex-girlfriends. The chances for failure increased exponentially.

As it stands, I’m throwing in the towel 2 months early. The project will continue, but without the time constraint. I’m still soliciting recommendations, so if you have one, bury me with it!

In other book news, a recommender on my list clued me into GoodReads. The White Stripes (mass e-mail) invited me to compare my reading list with theirs at Shelfari. And at least 3 titles from my library are joining Book Crossing this month.