I went to the library again today. I picked up four new books while I was there. This is in addition to the other four books I picked up on Saturday. And after I visited Barnes and Noble on Sunday. Note: Barnes and Noble was merely for browsing purposes--I used it to add several more future reads to my list. As if I don't have enough...I might just have a problem.
So, sitting in my room are eight books recently acquired from the library. As always, I overestimated just how much I can read in a three week period. To my credit, I am about 100 pages into one of them, "Started Early, Took My Dog" by Kate Atkinson. It is the fourth book in a quirky British series that is sort of a mystery novel but a little something more as well. I have always enjoyed this kind of novel, and I am always looking for new ones that fall into the genre. Next up, I think I will read "The Tiger's Wife" by Tea Obreht because I have read such good things about it. Then, I am not sure what I will go. It will depend on my mood at the time--perhaps it will be "Here's Looking at Euclid" (a book about math of all things...don't ask me what possessed me to check this out, but I am trying to expand my horizons, I guess) or maybe "Balkan Ghosts" a history of the Balkan countries about which I am sadly ignorant. (I am reading this in preparation for my next great trip in June...I like to know a little of a place's history before going)
Can you tell I kind of like to read? I jokingly say that much of my youth was misspent reading anything and everything I could get my hands on. Strangely, though, it is my gluttonous appetite for books that has left me with a surprising amount of trivial knowledge that one day may help me win on Jeopardy. (Or poison someone without detection, commit arson without leaving the tell-tale trace of accelerants, infiltrate secret government systems...)
While television may provide some information for the casual viewer, books teach you so much more. I would argue even some of the most insubstantial books (of which I have read more than my fair share) teach something, if nothing more than a few new euphemisms for human anatomy...perhaps all of this is why I earned my master's in library science. Granted, there is so much more to the degree than just reading books. But one day when I want to bore the audience, I can go more in depth about information storage and retrieval, best research practices, and information literacy. I digress, though. Books have always been my primary form of entertainment, my true pleasure in academic study, my path to escape, and my way to greater knowledge. And I am grateful that Kansas City and the surrounding area have such a wonderful library system. Otherwise, I would be thousands of dollars poorer. I really do not think that is an exaggeration!
So, here I am going to ask what kinds of things you enjoy reading and what you would recommend to someone who reads just about everything? Also, just out of curiosity, how often do you get to read and how much? (I tend to read a minimum of one book a week, but if I have a few late nights, that number easily reaches 3-4)
I sadly have not read a book since I moved. I checked out a book at our old library that I have yet to return (just keep rechecking it out) because the drive is so far. I could never get into the book, though. Don't worry...I'm not a total asshole...if someone had asked for the book, I wouldn't have been able to renew it. So I guess it isn't in high demand. :) And I DO plan on taking it back next week.
ReplyDeleteIf you mean the books beyond the Dr. Seuss variety (which I read at least 3 of every day), then the answer gets a little trickier. I have a pile of about 20 library books for research lined on top of my dresser that I haven't touched, and another 30-40 or so for classes scattered around my room. I am supposed to read about 3 of these a week for classes and usually come pretty close, somewhere around 1.5-2. I am reading articles and sections out of books constantly. If you mean books for pleasure, well... I recently bought a small book by Ann Lamotte, called "Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year" and have made it through the introduction in the last two weeks... These are the types of books I most enjoy to read, though -- journal/log type accounts of people's real experiences either in daily life, travel, spirituality, academia, etc. ... hopefully with plenty of wit, irony, and self-critical reflectiveness to make it a fun light read.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure you're getting a good feel for how much I don't read now that we're working on "The Art of Nonconformity." But while I may not excel at reading often (or quickly), I am rather fond of the following: poisoning someone without detection, committing arson without leaving the tell-tale trace of accelerants, infiltrating secret government systems...
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