For the Love of Reading
I read. I’m not just talking about magazines or the daily paper. I’m talking about books. Fiction, nonfiction… it doesn’t matter, as long as there are words. I love the feel of a book in my hand, the musty smell of libraries, the wonderful tactile experience of reading. My dream vacations usually involve ample time to read.
While buying clearance-rack books at Borders ($3.99, buy one get one free!), I told the bookstore guy that I’ll read anything. ”God, that’s sexy,” he replied, then blushed a deep shade of crimson and refused to make eye contact with me for the remainder of the transaction.
Sexy or not, it’s nonetheless true. Looking at our overflowing bookshelves, there are clearly My Books and His Books, things that we’ve purchased for our own reading enjoyment. The difference is that I will read all of the books, while he sticks to his nonfiction-only repertoire.
This means that in addition to my book club selections like The Time Traveler’s Wife, I’ve also read Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Rigged, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman”. Not to mention my hardcover edition of Anna Karenina, purchased as a souvenir to remind me of my days studying Russian literature in college. It’s an eclectic collection, to be sure, but that’s what makes it interesting.
I am always looking for suggestions, so feel free to comment and offer up your favorites to add to my nightstand.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
[...] The Daily Procrastinator » Blog Archive » For the Love of Reading [...]
February 26th, 2009 at 8:10 am
I hear ya, sister! If I didn’t buy and read at least 3 books a week I might actually have a life…but the constant lure of a book and a cup of tea is just too strong. (And while I love libraries and greatly enjoyed working in one for a number of years, I just don’t trust the books. I don’t know where they’ve been.)
Last night I finished Flashman’s Lady, the 6th (I think?) volume in the Flashman series. Written by George MacDonald Fraser, they’re the fictional memoirs of the great coward and scoundrel Harry Flashman… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashman
I’d highly recommend them to anybody who likes a laugh mixed in with a spectacular view of 19th-century history. Despite his best attempts at avoidance, Flashy becomes embroiled in just about every significant 19th century battle (the English attempt to take Afghanistan, the Charge of the Light Brigade, etc), and often manages the alter the course of each one, despite the fact that he’s usually hiding, fleeing, or bedding a convenient female.
And to prove that truth is usually stranger than fiction, the books feature extensive appendices. I’d never heard of Lola Montez until I read Royal Flash, and, good lord, what a life…
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