I relate wholeheartedly with this fascinating post. I have always started 5 or 6 books at once, and forgot immediately and often didn't finish any of them. But I love reading. I love books. I don't apologize for it. And here you come, articulating some wonderful ideas that enliven something in me. I've been thinking a ton about Farenheit 451 and how books you can hold in your hand (and smell the ink and look at the pictures) soon may become extinct. In an increasingly digitized and online world, this would throw me into the deepest darkest depression.
I just lost my long time feline friend who I adored - had to have him put down. I am reeling, and too infused with grief to focus on much of anything like a whole book, so I'm writing more than reading but I love a nest of a bed with books within reach of all sorts, even if I just glean a couple of lines, a concept, or sheer pleasure - a necessity in its own right. Books are in every room, they are there to comfort me and keep me going in surprising ways with surprising messages. Ofttimes, I just open a book at random after asking the Universe for a sign I can understand or for what may serve me to know. They almost always deliver. I'm finding that right now, online is not doing it for me. I need flesh and blood people and animals and reading i can hold in my hands.
I love that you underline and write in margins of books! Yes, we are kin in that. If I love a book, I 'mark' it. I'm drawn a lot to naturalists, past and present - and poets, philosophers, biologists, biographies - and science fiction. But I love the fluff too - like cozy cat mysteries, haha.
I love so many of your ideas and how you have outlined an approach. Interleaving is such a lovely idea - and cross-book dialogues. Brilliant, Joyce - as usual. The idea to just pick 5, set a timeline, and see what happens, is bound to lead to adventures. I hope you share those with us. I believe that your Interleaving approach will help you know how to proceed to navigate through this first year of Trump/Vance - and not just with books, but with life approach. Self care, and care of/for each other, however that looks, is going to be super important.
Happy birthday - in advance or belated, or right on time.
BB … I’m so sorry about your cat. Such a gaping hole is left when they leave and take their warm purring with them.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about books … a bed without books spread about is a lonely place. And, I’ll definitely keep you posted on the reading experiment. I’ve added “Lit Soup” as a heading on my home page … https://gratitudemojo.substack.com/p/lit-soup … and plan to track the project there. So far, it’s fun and feels like I’m making friends with the books and the authors … a somewhat different experience from my normal reading. hugs.
thank you, Joyce, for the link - and the hugs and condolences. I'll be following. <3 I'm going to be thinking about the 5 books I want to read - may shop my extensive library of unread/want to read books. It may be about grief this year - not just for kitty but navigating through all that is going on in the world and the US - and learning how to be of service through that.
Just found this quote, which I thought you'd like if you don't already know it: "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a bible"
Reading tons and tons sounds like a good way to handle things right now. I’ve never read 5 books at a time. Usually it’d be 2. But now only 1. I like the way you wrote this post, in acts-scenes. Very inventive!
I relate wholeheartedly with this fascinating post. I have always started 5 or 6 books at once, and forgot immediately and often didn't finish any of them. But I love reading. I love books. I don't apologize for it. And here you come, articulating some wonderful ideas that enliven something in me. I've been thinking a ton about Farenheit 451 and how books you can hold in your hand (and smell the ink and look at the pictures) soon may become extinct. In an increasingly digitized and online world, this would throw me into the deepest darkest depression.
I just lost my long time feline friend who I adored - had to have him put down. I am reeling, and too infused with grief to focus on much of anything like a whole book, so I'm writing more than reading but I love a nest of a bed with books within reach of all sorts, even if I just glean a couple of lines, a concept, or sheer pleasure - a necessity in its own right. Books are in every room, they are there to comfort me and keep me going in surprising ways with surprising messages. Ofttimes, I just open a book at random after asking the Universe for a sign I can understand or for what may serve me to know. They almost always deliver. I'm finding that right now, online is not doing it for me. I need flesh and blood people and animals and reading i can hold in my hands.
I love that you underline and write in margins of books! Yes, we are kin in that. If I love a book, I 'mark' it. I'm drawn a lot to naturalists, past and present - and poets, philosophers, biologists, biographies - and science fiction. But I love the fluff too - like cozy cat mysteries, haha.
I love so many of your ideas and how you have outlined an approach. Interleaving is such a lovely idea - and cross-book dialogues. Brilliant, Joyce - as usual. The idea to just pick 5, set a timeline, and see what happens, is bound to lead to adventures. I hope you share those with us. I believe that your Interleaving approach will help you know how to proceed to navigate through this first year of Trump/Vance - and not just with books, but with life approach. Self care, and care of/for each other, however that looks, is going to be super important.
Happy birthday - in advance or belated, or right on time.
BB … I’m so sorry about your cat. Such a gaping hole is left when they leave and take their warm purring with them.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about books … a bed without books spread about is a lonely place. And, I’ll definitely keep you posted on the reading experiment. I’ve added “Lit Soup” as a heading on my home page … https://gratitudemojo.substack.com/p/lit-soup … and plan to track the project there. So far, it’s fun and feels like I’m making friends with the books and the authors … a somewhat different experience from my normal reading. hugs.
thank you, Joyce, for the link - and the hugs and condolences. I'll be following. <3 I'm going to be thinking about the 5 books I want to read - may shop my extensive library of unread/want to read books. It may be about grief this year - not just for kitty but navigating through all that is going on in the world and the US - and learning how to be of service through that.
i am fascinated by the concept of interleaving!!! thinking how to apply to my own reading projects.
Petya … it’s early days yet but it looks like it’s yielding cross-book conversations. Let me know if you decide to try it.
Just found this quote, which I thought you'd like if you don't already know it: "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a bible"
(Sinclair Lewis)
Thanks … he was one of my early heroes. This one is too true!
I am hopping to get back into reading in 2025 as this year I just lost interest in books which is odd for me
How might you feel if you gave up books in their entirety?
So your imagination is limited or something else?
Reading is important to me; learning is important. I'm not sure why I would want to not read ... maybe that's a lack of imagination.
Wow! That would be something too horrible to imagine.
Reading tons and tons sounds like a good way to handle things right now. I’ve never read 5 books at a time. Usually it’d be 2. But now only 1. I like the way you wrote this post, in acts-scenes. Very inventive!
Thanks, Jeanine … we’ll see where this goes.