I am not sure what’s going on around here in my reading world.
I have slowly been accumulating e-books for my iPad/Kindle library. Not a bad thing in and of itself. But when I’ll ever have time to read them all I’ll never know. Although I prefer the feel of a book in my hands, many of these are expensive when purchased outright, so I’ve given in to the e-book versions.
Very few are the quick read romance sorts of books. And forget how-to’s. I don’t think I could get past instruction #3. The one’s I’ve been gathering are the classics.
The CLASSICS?
Yes — the ones many have heard of and few have read.
I don’t know if this is a chance to see what grandeur is all about before my generation’s writers become legend. But the scope of my choices are all in the past, all from past masters, and all for free.
I’ve downloaded a lot of H.P. Lovecraft — I love his vernacular. Even if I don’t understand some words. I’ve also been interested in Agatha Christie’s Henri Poirot’s adventures. I’ve thrown in books like the Count of Monte Cristo, The Great God Pan, Tales of Old Japan, and the Great Gatsby.
I feel like a kid in an ice cream shop who doesn’t know what to order so they order one scoop of each. 40 scoops later, I’m sitting looking at the bowl, wondering what the heck.
I do love reading. I’m not what one calls a voracious reader — I don’t spend hours snuggled in a chair with a book. I read at inopportune times — bed time, in the car. My A.D.D. prevents me from absorbing more than 20 or 30 pages at a time. And I have to find time between housework, writing, making Angel Tears, and my grandkids.
It’s a grand mess, but one I always look forward to jumping into. I think I selected these past works because they seem like time travel to me. Having someone write about shoguns or the Cthulhu or Mansfield Park takes me away to someplace other than here. It allows me to peek into the minds of those who came before me. In some cases, long before me.
I sometimes find myself reading two books at a time, for no singular story has so far been obsessive enough to make me pound through it. But I delight and dismay at all the books I’ve yet to peek into.
Maybe this will guarantee my living another 30 years to read them all.
What sorts of books do you read?
Humoring the Goddess 
I went through a spurt of borrowing from the library. Especially bigraphies. I have a tiny library downstairs but that’s mostly classics and science fiction and fantasy. I’ve thinned it out a lot through the years. I never thought I’d download ebooks — especially the classics — but I find some that I’ve read, like Anna Karenina by Tolstoy to be a one time thing. Reading about the Navajo reservation sounds very, very interesting.
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That is very cool. I love when books I’ve never heard of are recommended by someone ehse — usually you can trust their reading judgement.
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I have a notebook that is about 1/4 full of books I want to read. I keep adding to the list faster than I cross off books I’ve read. I try to get books from our library but sometimes order specific books from Thriftbooks if I can’t find them “free”. Since I rarely reread a book, borrowing from the library keeps the book shelves minimally overflowing. I’m currently reading Anne Kellerman’s books continuing her fathers series about Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. They are set on the Navajo reservation and give respectful insight into the culture and conflicts of the different characters.
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I’m in a school for creative writing, and this one was assigned reading.
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I just went to look up you book and it sounds amazing. How did you come across a book like this?
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Three that I am learning more about. A lot of artists have such interesting lives!
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I think its wonderful when you find a book that continues your interests and passions! And you do find your passions transcend time.
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Received “The Compleat Angler” by Isaak Walton for Christmas. It was published in 1653. Since I love fishing I have always wanted to read it. What a joy. The old English writing, the poetic style of the author truly captures the joy of fishing. “Study to be quiet” is the last suggestion by the author. Still true 450 years later and applicable to more than just fishing.
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Mostly how-to. I also like to read and study works by specific artists. My long-time favorites are Van Gogh, Klimt, and O’Keefe.
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Go for it, though maybe not the Trebek one because I think it’s average
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One of my favorites of the past year was Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore.
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Wow — two wonderfully interesting people. It’s been a while since I’ve read a biography — I think I’m overdue.
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I’ve been doing different sorts. I’m really loving memoir/essays. Presently I’m reading a book about Churchill and an autobiography about Alex trebek
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Those sound intriguing! I think it would be fun to delve into classic children’s literature. I love that there is such a wide world to delve into out there!
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Not an addict — a connoisseur! I feel better that I’ve started several books at one time. Sometimes the classics can bog you down, too, but I don’t want to give up on the book so I start a new one just to be fresh!
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I’m a book addict. I usually read three or four books at once. And every time I get a new book, (which is OFTEN).I start it, so that’s one of the reasons I end up reading so many at the same time. I can’t wait to read all of them. I’ve been going through book quickly right now and I’m half way through with The EQUIVALENTS and GUERRILLA GIRLS. I was born this way. LOLOLOL I’ve always been an addict.
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I just returned from a children’s classic literature phase. (Baloo in the book is most definitely not Bill Murray in the movie!) Which led to the current phase of reading books about books. “The Child and His Book: Some Account of the History and Progress of Children’s Literature in England” (1891) is especially engaging if you are a book nerd. Also Hesiod “Works and Days.” And a new one, “A Place for Everything: The Curious History of Alphabetical Order” (2020).
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You and I walk the same paths, my friend. I love historical fiction and magical realism too — those are hard to get right. Or interesting. Maybe that’s why I am looking into the past for fictional entertainment.
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I like that. What kind of non-fiction? That’s such a huge region. Plus TWO book clubs? Which books have you had to read?
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Yes yes. History for sure. Sometimes its like science fiction. Do you read only how-to’s in arts and crafts? Or about certain artists? Or new and different arts?
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Awesome! Then we can spend the next 30 years giving each other book reports!
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I gravitate toward memoir and historical fiction, and from time to time magical realism, classics, and young adult fiction.
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My taste is varied. I read some of the influencer book club picks, plus I belong to two irl book clubs. I always have some light fiction book going to. Lady year I expanded into reading more non fiction, which on the whole I’ve found enjoyable
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Unless I have a specific recommendation for a novel, I tend to stick to non-fiction. My favorite topics are history, biographies, science and of course, arts and crafts.
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I love reading the classics. I like to alternate two or three contemporary books and then a classic. I just recently read How Green Was My Valley and loved it. My bookshelves are sagging and my Kindle is loaded. I doubt I will read all the books I want to as I’m not a very fast reader. I read 40 books last year, many from the pile. Funny, there isn’t extra room on the shelves. Happy Reading 2021!
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