That book challenge thing

Antonia and others have been talking about taking the book challenge to read five "classics" over Christmas. I've decided to do something similar: to read five of my own long-term unread books.

Any true book-lover has a percentage N of books on their shelves that they have not (yet) read, where N may seem to non-book-lovers to be an improbably large number. I realized when I began on Library Thing just how many such books I have, and how amazingly long some of them have been keeping me company.

So I'm modifying the terms of the challenge. During the next two months I shall finally get around to reading the following books:

St. Augustine, Confessions - came with me from London! 15+ years
Jana Hensel, Zonenkinder - three years
Franz Kafka, Amerika - two years
Sten Nadolny, Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit - at least six years
Joseph Roth, Die Legende von heiligem Trinker - four years

(In addition to the usual run of Terry Pratchetts and Colin McCarthys etc., obviously.)

In other news I've been listening obsessively to a CD that I bought several years ago and haven't heard since purchasing it. I don't remember what made me buy this, it's really not my taste at all. I played it a few times, then put it on the shelf and ignored it for, what, four years? A few days ago, I pulled it out on impulse and pushed "play" - and I've heard it at least once a day since then. The best bits, which tend to be the slower songs, are just brilliant. "I believe in you" and "I'm getting better all the time" are the standouts, but it's all good. (Trivial fact: the producer and organist is a certain Booker T Jones!) Recommended—but do listen before you buy.