I was so often reminded of my intent to read Middlemarch by many Middlemarch references everywhere. Now that I have read the said book, I have not found any... until now. In the March 22 NYT Book Review, Steven Johnson anchors his review of "How we decide" with a Middlemarch reference! ah... this is my first post-reading Middlemarch reference and it is so sweet. I understand what he was saying and, more importantly. I do not feel guilty. Now if I can finally read Proust...
By the way, "How We Decide" sounds like a fun book. I haven't read it but it seems like a book that resulted from "Predictably Irrational" and "Blink" getting married and having a baby.
27 March 2009
22 March 2009
acquisitions...
On sat.21.mar on the first day (or is it the second?) of spring 09, I have acquired the following pretty books (for between 4.95 to 6.95) at strand bookstore:
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| From knitting project photos |
from left to right:
housekeeping by marilynne robinson
northanger abbey by jane austen
essays of e.b. white by e. b. white (mickey i am finally going to read the essay you sent me)
the learners by chip kidd
16 March 2009
How do you know what to read?
I started reading Gilead entirely because of Alice. I've seen it in bookstores but the cover wasn't sufficiently pretty and the premise not terribly attractive. Besides, I am always skeptical of novels, probably because I have read so many terrible fiction. But anyway, Gilead was Alice's discovery. And because I like Alice, I trusted her and read the book. It is an amazing account of existence. That sounds really vague and pretentious. A better way to put it is perhaps that Gilead makes me want to write positive books and live a positive life. But the book is not cheesy. Really. Argh. It's hard to talk about Gilead. You should just read it and remember to thank Alice.
Anyway, I got to thinking about how we choose the book to read. It can be a daunting question especially for people who do not read. Whenever someone asks me how I know what to read, I give a detailed response devoid of an answer...I ramble on and on because I really should know the answer to that question. So sorry about that (esp to my students)! Well, I hope this entry sorta answers your question.
Picking books has become effortless. I have an ongoing list of books I want to read in my mind and on my Amazon wishlist (mostly because I don't trust my memory and neither should you). When I walk into a bookstore, I can identify right away the book I wanted to read, how much I wanted to read it, and whether or not the price is right.
But I guess what people are asking me is how I pick the books to go on the wishlist. Well, reading is addictive, isn't it? Initially, you have no idea what to read. But books pull you in. It's all very dangerous. You read an author you like, and then you read something else by that writer. Then you realized that you like to read a certain genre in general. You start reading the NYT book review every Sunday and drool. Your cool friend Natalie sends you Russian lit, and you are open to another genre. Then you find Alice's favorite book and you read it. Yea, that's what happens. The more you read, the more you know what book you will like before opening the book. Unfortunately, you inevitably do read a lot of bad stuff to get to this point.
And that's particularly discouraging, I know. It happens to kids. They read bad stuff (to them) in school and they think reading is bad. Adults too. They want to read. But there's a lot of bad stuff out there. They keep hearing about some awful fiction so they start reading it, get through the tediousness of it all, and well, by the end, they don't want to pick up another book.
But no, you have to plug on. Sometimes you pick a lemon, but that happens less and less as you become more experienced. I guess that statement can apply to every skill. So I guess my answer to THE question is that you kind of have to go by faith that the more you read, the more you'll enjoy reading.
Anyway, for fun, I am going to try to see how I picked the books I am currently reading and the books I have recently read:
Currently Reading:
"The Lost Art of Walking" by Geoff Nicholson: NYT Book Review + I liked one of his novel a lot + I am into walking now and thought maybe reading the book will inspire me to exercise more.
"The Nicomachean Ethics" by Aristotle: Alice got me in the mood for positive books + reading "Ours" reminded me of Natalie who asked me once if I had read this book + I really want to read Montaigne more but this book was shorter.
"Communicating Science" by Scott L. Montgomery: I like to read about writing than actually writing + book has info about academic publications that interested me.
"Interpretation of Dreams" by Sigmund Freud: I had interesting dreams + I missed reading Freud + I missed reading psychoanalytic literature.
Books I Recently Read:
"Ours: A Russian Family Album" by Sergei Dovlatov: I missed Natalie + I liked his other book + it was short and I wanted to read something that I can finish in one day.
"Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson: Alice Alice Alice.
"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and other stories" by Robert Louis Stevenson: Reading Poe made me want to read scary stories + the book was small and portable + felt like reading some classics.
"The Raven & Other Poems and Tales" by Edgar Allan Poe: I missed my old gothic lit class + the book had a pretty binding and nice paper.
Okay, I can obviously go on and on and on but I get the feeling that this info is interesting to no one else. My survey seems to say that a mixture of these primary factors dictate my reading choice: past reading, recommendations (friends and reviews), nostalgia, and the aesthetics of the book. Coming up with the precise formula is beyond my math skills.
Anyway, I got to thinking about how we choose the book to read. It can be a daunting question especially for people who do not read. Whenever someone asks me how I know what to read, I give a detailed response devoid of an answer...I ramble on and on because I really should know the answer to that question. So sorry about that (esp to my students)! Well, I hope this entry sorta answers your question.
Picking books has become effortless. I have an ongoing list of books I want to read in my mind and on my Amazon wishlist (mostly because I don't trust my memory and neither should you). When I walk into a bookstore, I can identify right away the book I wanted to read, how much I wanted to read it, and whether or not the price is right.
But I guess what people are asking me is how I pick the books to go on the wishlist. Well, reading is addictive, isn't it? Initially, you have no idea what to read. But books pull you in. It's all very dangerous. You read an author you like, and then you read something else by that writer. Then you realized that you like to read a certain genre in general. You start reading the NYT book review every Sunday and drool. Your cool friend Natalie sends you Russian lit, and you are open to another genre. Then you find Alice's favorite book and you read it. Yea, that's what happens. The more you read, the more you know what book you will like before opening the book. Unfortunately, you inevitably do read a lot of bad stuff to get to this point.
And that's particularly discouraging, I know. It happens to kids. They read bad stuff (to them) in school and they think reading is bad. Adults too. They want to read. But there's a lot of bad stuff out there. They keep hearing about some awful fiction so they start reading it, get through the tediousness of it all, and well, by the end, they don't want to pick up another book.
But no, you have to plug on. Sometimes you pick a lemon, but that happens less and less as you become more experienced. I guess that statement can apply to every skill. So I guess my answer to THE question is that you kind of have to go by faith that the more you read, the more you'll enjoy reading.
Anyway, for fun, I am going to try to see how I picked the books I am currently reading and the books I have recently read:
Currently Reading:
"The Lost Art of Walking" by Geoff Nicholson: NYT Book Review + I liked one of his novel a lot + I am into walking now and thought maybe reading the book will inspire me to exercise more.
"The Nicomachean Ethics" by Aristotle: Alice got me in the mood for positive books + reading "Ours" reminded me of Natalie who asked me once if I had read this book + I really want to read Montaigne more but this book was shorter.
"Communicating Science" by Scott L. Montgomery: I like to read about writing than actually writing + book has info about academic publications that interested me.
"Interpretation of Dreams" by Sigmund Freud: I had interesting dreams + I missed reading Freud + I missed reading psychoanalytic literature.
Books I Recently Read:
"Ours: A Russian Family Album" by Sergei Dovlatov: I missed Natalie + I liked his other book + it was short and I wanted to read something that I can finish in one day.
"Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson: Alice Alice Alice.
"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and other stories" by Robert Louis Stevenson: Reading Poe made me want to read scary stories + the book was small and portable + felt like reading some classics.
"The Raven & Other Poems and Tales" by Edgar Allan Poe: I missed my old gothic lit class + the book had a pretty binding and nice paper.
Okay, I can obviously go on and on and on but I get the feeling that this info is interesting to no one else. My survey seems to say that a mixture of these primary factors dictate my reading choice: past reading, recommendations (friends and reviews), nostalgia, and the aesthetics of the book. Coming up with the precise formula is beyond my math skills.
05 March 2009
a cheap safe.
I definitely knew what Henry Alford was talking about in his essay, "You never know what you'll find in a book" in Dec 21, 2008 NYT Book Review. Books become a receptacle not just for the ephemeral thoughts of the writers but for the physical relics of the book owner. I have often inherited, when buying a used book, not just the book but receipts, notes, and bookmarks. And because of my promiscuous reading habits, my bookshelves have become a purgatory of bookmarks.
Here are some other things I found in my books: postcards; pressed flowers; letters; post-its with notes sometimes relevant to the subject ("review integration by parts!") and sometimes not (a first draft of a really bad poem); class notes; essay assignments; sleep diary entry; drawings; and my letters to o-chem.
And why not? A book is a marvel of engineering that holds a surprising number of things. Books are prefect for preserving and hiding (from self and others). So why not take advantage of these storage spaces? Here are a couple of things I am planning on putting into books:
1. Perfume samples in large textbooks: You know, those folded papers that hold the scent, usually found in fashion/women's magazines. I figured if I put them in my large (usually science) textbooks, I'd make the reading of thick textbooks a more pleasing experience. Some of these textbooks go on and on for a thousand pages or so and they don't treat you like a human being with feelings. Besides, reading a science textbook is more like reading a magazine than a book: The reading material is not linear on the page because you constantly have to consult the illustrations (figures); there are columns of writings; and pictures and graphs abound. At least the Women's or fashion magazines are lovely to read because the colorful layout is visually appealing and there is a whiff of something nice every time a page is turned. Now of course good magazines don't smell quite nice due to the lack of perfume samples (The New Yorker, for example) and some magazines are too saturated with the samples resulting in a crowded elevator smell. But the point is, maybe adding a little scent to the textbooks will make reading those books more fun.
2. Notes to the next owner of my books: I also thought about making the process of leaving things for the next owner more incidental than accidental. I think I should write a brief note to the next owner of the book. I guess something like , "Hey you, I am the previous parent of this book. The fact that you have this book probably means I am now dead. I loved this book so very much and I hope you enjoy it too." And if I ever get really famous, this person can get super rich by selling the copy on ebay.
Here are some other things I found in my books: postcards; pressed flowers; letters; post-its with notes sometimes relevant to the subject ("review integration by parts!") and sometimes not (a first draft of a really bad poem); class notes; essay assignments; sleep diary entry; drawings; and my letters to o-chem.
And why not? A book is a marvel of engineering that holds a surprising number of things. Books are prefect for preserving and hiding (from self and others). So why not take advantage of these storage spaces? Here are a couple of things I am planning on putting into books:
1. Perfume samples in large textbooks: You know, those folded papers that hold the scent, usually found in fashion/women's magazines. I figured if I put them in my large (usually science) textbooks, I'd make the reading of thick textbooks a more pleasing experience. Some of these textbooks go on and on for a thousand pages or so and they don't treat you like a human being with feelings. Besides, reading a science textbook is more like reading a magazine than a book: The reading material is not linear on the page because you constantly have to consult the illustrations (figures); there are columns of writings; and pictures and graphs abound. At least the Women's or fashion magazines are lovely to read because the colorful layout is visually appealing and there is a whiff of something nice every time a page is turned. Now of course good magazines don't smell quite nice due to the lack of perfume samples (The New Yorker, for example) and some magazines are too saturated with the samples resulting in a crowded elevator smell. But the point is, maybe adding a little scent to the textbooks will make reading those books more fun.
2. Notes to the next owner of my books: I also thought about making the process of leaving things for the next owner more incidental than accidental. I think I should write a brief note to the next owner of the book. I guess something like , "Hey you, I am the previous parent of this book. The fact that you have this book probably means I am now dead. I loved this book so very much and I hope you enjoy it too." And if I ever get really famous, this person can get super rich by selling the copy on ebay.
03 March 2009
the notepad technique
Even though I obsess about reading, I am a pretty inefficient reader. I envy my friend shee, who reads super fast.
My problem seems to be intruding thoughts. It's too noisy in my head even when I read. And any reading material spins out a web of thought all fascinating and entertaining to me but causes me to slow down to a grinding halt with the book. A sentence later, same thing happens. My mind is like a nagging child who won't let me read.
So I started employing the notepad technique: I have a little notepad with me when I read and when there is an intruding thought, some related to the reading some not, I jot it down and move on. My mind does protest--I have to think those thoughts NOW! But I assure her that the ideas will be there to obsess over after I finish reading so please leave me alone with my book or now.
This method once helped me in college when I had too much on my mind and had trouble studying. I hope it helps me become a more efficient reader as well. The danger of course is having too many notebooks where my thoughts and lists proliferate. I feel I spend more time planning than living.
My problem seems to be intruding thoughts. It's too noisy in my head even when I read. And any reading material spins out a web of thought all fascinating and entertaining to me but causes me to slow down to a grinding halt with the book. A sentence later, same thing happens. My mind is like a nagging child who won't let me read.
So I started employing the notepad technique: I have a little notepad with me when I read and when there is an intruding thought, some related to the reading some not, I jot it down and move on. My mind does protest--I have to think those thoughts NOW! But I assure her that the ideas will be there to obsess over after I finish reading so please leave me alone with my book or now.
This method once helped me in college when I had too much on my mind and had trouble studying. I hope it helps me become a more efficient reader as well. The danger of course is having too many notebooks where my thoughts and lists proliferate. I feel I spend more time planning than living.
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