Read Any Good Books Lately?
What have you been reading lately? Do you read or listen to books?
I just finished Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead. Great book. A page turner. At first, I was a little hesitant to read it since I had heard others describe it as a difficult read. The difficulty is not in the writing or pace of the book but rather in the topic- the beginning of the opiate crisis in this country, especially how it hits poor communities, in this case, southern Virginia.
Kingsolver based it loosely on David Copperfield, a book I started but had to put down because the treatment poor Davey received from adults was appalling and upset me. Kingsolver’s book reminded me slightly of the Tara Westover book, Educated. Mostly because both are set in modern day, rural, poor areas. Demon Copperhead makes one think about the crisis and how one treats those young children in the foster system. I am glad that I read it.
What about you? Do you have a summer reading list? Or is that too much of a reminder to school and the (dreaded) required summer reading. I never did read all of Moby Dick. Near us, the town of New Bedford, MA has a 25- hour Moby Dick read-a-thon in January. Different individuals take turns reading a chapter. Friends of mine have gone and say it is a wonderful experience. Some day…
Where do you get your book lists? Goodreads? Podcasts? Library? Friend recommendations? Do you have criteria about your reading selection? A yearly book quota? Types of books to read? Length of books? Do you keep notes about the books you read?
There is something about a book. A book represents possibilities. Picking up an unread book, there is a feeling that something wonderful is about to happen. Between the pages so many things can occur: the learning of something new; the transportation to a different place and time; the possibility of living vicariously through a character; the thrill of well-chosen words on a page that convey just how one is feeling.
There is something so luxurious about reading- to sprawl out on the couch, bed, or hammock and languish over a book. In my birth household, while reading was encouraged, it was to be done after the work was finished or before one goes to bed. So, it is very hard for me to sit during the day and read. To do so, I must either be sick in bed or experiencing a rainy day on vacation. Yet, if I wait until I am ready for bed to read, I do not get very far in my book- after a page or two the book slips out of my hand. Fortunately a book has only hit me in the face a couple of times. To read a book during the day seems like a safe and productive activity to me, yet one I am trying to embrace.
Currently, we are on holiday in Old Quebec City, Quebec Canada. We are staying in a renovated portion of a church- the baptistry. It is a beautiful stone building but has very odd angles especially at the ends where this baptistry was located, which makes for interesting and innovative storage areas in the home. Because we are on holiday, we are reading. There is a large comfy couch on which to read: a history of the city, a political satire from the 1970s (funny, how things never change- spot on to what is going on in our country today), a book about an art thief. One of the places we plan on visiting is the Morrin Centre. It is currently a lending library but in its former life was a prison and even a college. Seems appropriate given our reading material.
Next up for me is the book, James by Percival Everett.
Happy Reading!