I'm trying REALLY hard

In an attempt to start writing again, here is TIME's Top 100 novels of all time from 2005, which I shall now assess and see how I measure up to it. Then I'm making a list of the books I'm going to try and read in 2005, and then maybe write about them. Though why I must choose to do this while I live in HYDERABAD, forget about India, I dunno.

Also, The Bride and I are co-reading The Mahabharata, like she did Joyce! WooOOt!

1. The Adventures of Augie March: Saul Bellow nope, might want to
2. All the King's Men: Robert Penn Warren nope
3. American Pastoral: Philip Roth nope, but I read another one by him, sort of what if Lindbergh had become President, and it was frankly, boring.
4. An American Tragedy: Theodore Dreiser never even heard of this one
5. Animal Farm: George Orwell but of course
6. Appointment in Samarra: John O'Hara nope
7. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret: Judy Blume many many, MANY times
8. The Assistant: Bernard Malamud nope, no clue who he is
9. At Swim-Two-Birds: Flann O'Brien ditto
10. Atonement: Ian McEwan the trailer of the movie bored me so much I shudder to think of watching the movie let alone reading the book!
11. Beloved: Toni Morrison in college, and I LOVED it. SO MUCH. What a genius writer.
12. The Berlin Stories: Christopher Isherwood nope
13. The Big Sleep: Raymond Chandler I think I read one of his novels once, but was too young. Stick this on the list.
14. The Blind Assassin: Margaret Atwood I have either read this or it has sat on my shelf for ages taunting me. I think it should go on the list either way! Had her poetry in college, and loved it; also read Cat's Eye, I think, and A Handmaid's Tale.
15. Blood Meridian: Cormac McCarthy *shudder* I feel like I've read something by him... (yes I am hopeless at remembering authors' names) Sounds a bit bloodthirsty for me, but maybe it can go on a waiting list.
16. Brideshead Revisited: Evelyn Waugh Always wanted to read her because of glancing references in Wodehouse. On the list she goes.
17. The Bridge of San Luis Rey: Thornton Wilder See, just for San Luis Rey, I'll try reading it.
18. Call It Sleep: Henry Roth nope
19. Catch-22: Joseph Heller Yes, but can't quite see the brouhaha. Did read it in one sitting though, so must have something.
20. The Catcher in the Rye: J.D. Salinger Yes, and man was it boring. Sorry. I think I was too old, plus I don't really identify with self-destructive irresponsible types... yes yes high horse.
21. A Clockwork Orange: Anthony Burgess *shuddershudderpuke* Never made it through the movie or the book. Quite happy to never try again thank you.
22. The Confessions of Nat Turner: William Styron whoooo?
23. The Corrections: Jonathan Franzen whaaaa?
24. The Crying of Lot 49: Thomas Pynchon I feel like this guy is famous for a butterfly thing. Or not, his wikipedia page reveals that I am unlikely to like him. "Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. (born May 8, 1937) is an American novelist based in New York City and noted for his dense and complex works of fiction."
25. A Dance to the Music of Time: Anthony Powell nope
26. The Day of the Locust: Nathanael West nope
27. Death Comes for the Archbishop: Willa Cather nope (why have I not heard of any of these people???)
28. A Death in the Family: James Agee nope
29. The Death of the Heart: Elizabeth Bowen nope
30. Deliverance: James Dickey nope
31. Dog Soldiers: Robert Stone nope
32. Falconer: John Cheever nope, but I did read a lovely short story in college. Now if only I could remember what it was.... heh. On the list.
33. The French Lieutenant's Woman: John Fowles Somehow I've never liked the objectification inherent in that title...still, waiting list.
34. The Golden Notebook: Doris Lessing nope, and totally want to.
35. Go Tell it on the Mountain: James Baldwin wait....like a baldwin brother?
36. Gone With the Wind: Margaret Mitchell Many times. Much adore. Takes a twist of the kaleidoscope to see the good in it, and not dismiss it as "romance". I was blown away by the tapestry she weaves around the story, of the South, the Civil War etc.
37. The Grapes of Wrath: John Steinbeck nice. depressing as hell. but brilliant read that paints a beautiful picture.
38. Gravity's Rainbow: Thomas Pynchon see above
39. The Great Gatsby: F. Scott Fitzgerald read it in college and was most bemused. I don't think I ever got the poignance of it, just seemed a bit like Wodehouse, only in America, not as funny and rather more risque. 
40. A Handful of Dust: Evelyn Waugh see prev
41. The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter: Carson McCullers say whaaa? Also, I'm torn between wanting to read it cos a Boy wrote it and choking on giggles because a Boy wrote it. Waiting list methinks.
42. The Heart of the Matter: Graham Greene Ah Graham Greene. I read the one about the Catholic priest on the run in Mexico. Something and something. Or is that the Faulkner theme?
43. Herzog: Saul Bellow hrfxt
44. Housekeeping: Marilynne Robinson Again, it tempts me, but I think it's probably about some deep crisis in suburbia, not chicklitt. Waiting list
45. A House for Mr. Biswas: V.S. Naipaul See, I tried to read Among the Believers and it was horrible. Naipaul just seems like such a whiny, patronising bitch. Really. I think my horror has a lot to do with early exposure to some non-fiction of his.
46. I, Claudius: Robert Graves LOVE LOVE LOVE. Anything by the man. In fact, I think it's time I re-read this one and it's sequel. On the list to goes!
47. Infinite Jest: David Foster Wallace Something about that title makes me wary... Waiting list
48. Invisible Man: Ralph Ellison nope
49. Light in August: William Faulkner nope
50. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe: C.S. Lewis like 50 times? Much prefer the Voyage of the Dawn Treader myself.
51. Lolita: Vladimir Nabokov meh. Really overrated, either for scandal or for anything else. The one Nabokov I really liked was called Laughter in the Dark
52. Lord of the Flies: William Golding Never read it. Always had it on the list. 
53. The Lord of the Rings: J.R.R. Tolkien 13 times I think. Give me The Hobbit any day.
54. Loving: Henry Green whaa
55. Lucky Jim: Kingsley Amis Lord. I've always heard this name, and then Martin Amis of course, and I think I've read him being scholarly about something in my Literature course...but...do I want to read him? Votes anyone?
56. The Man Who Loved Children: Christina Stead Ooooo sounds interesting. On the list, if I can get hold of it.
57. Midnight's Children: Salman Rushdie done. Meh. Well, actually lovely book. but then I read a few more and realised that Mr. Rushdie, much like Sr. Márqeuz has one book to be re-written many times...
58. Money: Martin Amis see above.
59. The Moviegoer: Walker Percy I like the name of the book, and the name of the author even more! Shall try and read if I can get my hands on it.
60. Mrs. Dalloway: Virginia Woolf Ugh. Yes, I've read it. Self-obsess much anyone? I do, however, want to read and/or see The Hours.
61. Naked Lunch: William Burroughs Hee. Deffy want to read.
62. Native Son: Richard Wright no way.
63. Neuromancer: William Gibson Not read, want to read - on the list
64. Never Let Me Go: Kazuo Ishiguro Have tried to read many times...but fall asleep. Shall try one more time.
65. 1984: George Orwell read, and liked very much. Funny, I prefer dystopias to utopias.
66. On the Road: Jack Kerouac never read, allus wanted to. On the list.
67. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: Ken Kesey Have started many times. Will put on waiting list. Maybe.
68. The Painted Bird: Jerzy Kosinski nope
69. Pale Fire: Vladimir Nabokov not really, unless Acrosticus vehemently recommends.
70. A Passage to India: E.M. Forster Lordy...Maybe next year. I think this year is heavy enough with the Mahabharata and Ramachandra Guha's history of modern India.
71. Play It As It Lays: Joan Didion nope
72. Portnoy's Complaint: Philip Roth NO
73. Possession: A.S. Byatt NOOOO
74. The Power and the Glory: Graham Greene Oooo! That's the one! Not bad, I think I might want to re-read it with my more recent appreciation of the history of Mexico.
75. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie: Muriel Spark no
76. Rabbit, Run: John Updike nope. Read a short story, possiby a book of them, and quite liked it. Also like title. So on the list.
77. Ragtime: E.L. Doctorow not read, but I LOVE the name and the title. If-I-Can-Get-It list.
78. The Recognitions: William Gaddis never heard of it
79. Red Harvest: Dashiell Hammett He sounds familiar, but. nope.
80. Revolutionary Road: Richard Yates Lemme make it through the movie awake first...
81. The Sheltering Sky: Paul Bowles Nope.
82. Slaughterhouse-Five: Kurt Vonnegut YESYESYES! Ah I ADORE this man, shall read Cat's Cradle as replacement.
83. Snow Crash: Neal Stephenson no
84. The Sot-Weed Factor: John Barth no
85. The Sound and the Fury: William Faulkner o lordy, no!
86. The Sportswriter: Richard Ford nope
87. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold: John le Carre never read him, though my dad has em all. Shall stick in on the list for lighter reading.
88. The Sun Also Rises: Ernest Hemingway Have read Farewell to arms, and the Old Man and the Sea. Toss it on the list.
89. Their Eyes Were Watching God: Zora Neale Hurston Er...don't know how to react. Votes either way anyone?
90. Things Fall Apart: Chinua Achebe Yes indeedy, and the other three in the series, plus other ones by him. Quite liked it.
91. To Kill a Mockingbird: Harper Lee Lovely lovely lovely, of course. I'm probably the only girl I know who didn't want to be Scout. Though I might name my next puppy that.
92. To the Lighthouse: Virginia Woolf *brrrrr* no.
93. Tropic of Cancer: Henry Miller nope
94. Ubik: Philip K. Dick Been dying to read him, but am open to other recommendations by him.
95. Under the Net: Iris Murdoch My parents had one of her books, The Sea The Sea, and it always seemed so strange and scary and yet boring. Waiting list.
96. Under the Volcano: Malcolm Lowry Wikipedia leads me to think that's a yes. If I can find it.
97. Watchmen: Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons Eeeeeep no. I've tried. And even seen and quite disliked the movie.
98. White Noise: Don DeLillo Haven't read, putting on waiting list
99. White Teeth: Zadie Smith *SHUDDERRRRRRRRRRRR* nevermore. I actually finished it cos The Roommate loved it so much. But. No. Never. Again.
100. Wide Sargasso Sea: Jean Rhys Awwww read in college alongside Jane Eyre. In fact, fairly sure I did a seminar on it or something. Quite lovely.