I started using librarything.com last week (to get to my list on it, see my sidebar) and have already entered over forty books. Those of us who love reading, love it for different reasons and love reading different things. I have two children, who when given a book recommendation, immediately ask, "Is it funny?" My other child goes in for teen romance. My husband gravitates toward contemporary American literary fiction. Looking at my list, I see a strong pattern, too. I'm looking for inspiration. I like reading about people who are living the best lives they can - not career-wise, or materially, but by being the best person they can be. But on reflection I notice, that these people and characters don't necessarily consciously make this a goal - it happens as they go about their life. For example, in Franz Wizner's "Honeymoon with My Brother", after Wizner loses his high-paying job and fiance right before his wedding, he goes on what was to be his honeymoon trip with his brother, rather than lose the money he'd already paid toward the trip. As he and his brother keep traveling, he realizes that he doesn't want to go back to his old life of high profile jobs and he and his brother end up traveling to 53 countries in two years, learning about themselves, each other, and how much of the world lives. Many of the books on my list are memoirs, but the fiction I love, such as Barbara Kingsolver's "The Poisonwood Bible" and Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove" have characters such as Leah Price, who is so overwhelmed by American supermarkets after living in Africa and Gus McRae, lazy, eccentric and the best friend a person can have.
Which leads me to the last book I read: "Without a Map" by Meredith Hall. Hall got pregnant in 1965 at the age of sixteen. Shockingly (to me), without warning, prelude, or even a discussion, her mother upon learning of this, kicked Hall out of her house. She was allowed to live with her father and his wife for the duration of her pregnancy as long as she kept herself hidden from their neighbors and friends. She was forced to give her baby up for adoption. What I love about Hall's story, is that through it all, she remained an incredibly loving person, even forgiving her parents for their abandonment. In an amazingly touching chapter, Hall writes of meeting with her 84 year old father, who she has only seen three times in thirty-six years. He agrees to see her as long as she does not bring up the past. Although she still longs for him to apologize for the way he's treated her, she knows that this won't happen. Her agenda is that she wants to tell him that she loves him before he dies. Wow.
So, that's what I'm looking for when I open a book. Something I can strive for. Something that shows me what greatness is.
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Once grades are due I am planning on looking into this more. I, however, am more of the touch-kind of reader. I need to have the books around me so I can pick them up, physically and put my hands on them. Smell them. Remember how their wrinkles got there and so on. :-)
In our dept we have talked about how one day all our books will be on computers for school, it will be cheaper and more accessible. Ugh. I think we lose an entire experience in reading if we go that route.
But I do like the idea of using the library more!
You bring up ideas in my head too about books for people who can't afford them, who are disabled and 'get' their reading in a way other than touch . . .hmm, thanks for the thoughts. Now back to grading long over due essays that I am dying to get OUT of my hands! :O
Although I love reducing my actual library, borrowing books rather than buying, I, too, hate the idea of reading a book off the computer, or on a digital reader - I do love the feel of a book in my hands. For many years, I didn't like using the library because I so loved the feel of new books!
Just as this younger generation has no problem watching movies on iPod screens (and now cell phones are getting movies, too!), I suspect that in a generation or so, very few people will understand our love of paper!
ahem-- where is my new reading material????
ah, my faithful reader (my one faithful reader. i'd like to say my one faithful and gentle reader, but no... ;)
sorry to disappoint. sad to say, i've had nothing to say. i see you've been busy though, and tomorrow i hope to read what you wrote last week. through all the illnesses and all, you wrote a lot! good for you.
maybe you'll inspire me.
btw, it had been so long, that i couldn't remember my password!
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