My friend John Wiswell, many years ago, came up with a concept called NaNoReMo - National Novel Reading Month. The idea was simple: During the month of March, you pick a novel off your shelf that you've meant to read for a long time (ideally some classic), and pledge to finish reading it before the month's end. Never tackled Pride and Prejudice, Don Quixote, or The Grapes of Wrath? March is the time.
For years I've used NaNoReMo to tackle the 18/19th Century French classics, a group of authors I would never really prioritized otherwise. (There are so many! Balzac, Hugo, Stendhal, Diderot...) In keeping with that tradition, I'm going to read a book I only recently acquired, but by a novelist whom I've never read, and meant to tackle for some time: Emile Zola.
This past year I found a copy of Zola's Nana, one of his more significant works. I'll be honest... I don't have high hopes for enjoying this work. But maybe I'll be mistaken, and find a new favorite. From what I can tell, Zola is becoming increasingly forgotten by the canon.
So wish me luck with Nana, and I wish you luck on your March literary journey. What novel do you want to read that you've been putting off?
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