Tuesday, December 03, 2013

On why we read

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.
A man who never reads lives only one."
George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons
I have my wife to thank for this one. She posted it to her Facebook wall, and in doing so inspired me.

I don't read as much as I ought to - probably because I spend too much time writing. Wait, that's a lie: I read a lot, but not as many books as I'd like. Most days are spent trolling the Internet, hoovering RSS feeds, grabbing snippets on my smartphone while I'm walking the dog, reading summaries and getting myself up to speed on my tablet while I down the morning's bowl of oatmeal.

I read like a sponge, but not the leather-bound literature I grew up with. Time to get back to that. I've got to get better at carving out more time to curl up with an actual book.

Speaking of which, I'm writing one now. Hopefully when it's done it'll help other folks live another life, and inspire them to share their own stories, as well.

Your turn: What have you read lately? How did it move you?

3 comments:

Kalei's Best Friend said...

Right now, I am reading Ruth Ozetki's "All Over Creation"... Wow, it's about a Amerasian/hapahaole/Half Japanese half white female growing up in Idaho dealing w/her potato farmer father and Japanese mother... its an eye opener not only if the reader is Asian/ part Asian/ is a relative to a potato farmer/ a potato farmer... This is one author I am going to always read... She's a first time author who I have read that seems to know how to show her characters' feelings, thoughts, personalities... before this, I read 12 Years A Slave... U would get an eye opener w/ this one, C. I could go on, once I start reading, it seems I can't stop... its addicting- I am learning a lot.. Writing has changed and so has my taste in what I read.

Kavi said...

There is a charm in reading a book. Allowing the characters to settle in the mind and unravel them over a period of time. I relish that.

As much as reading some stuff from a website or a twitter feed. Hmm...well, actually, I relish reading a book more.

Need to do more of it

Gilly's Camera said...

That quote, love it.
I volunteer with local children so they know me quite well; and they well know my love of reading (books) everywhere.

"Miss, whatcha reading now?"
So rather than continuously explain about older books that they wouldn't be able to connect with, I now merely show whichever library book I've taken home to mend, a book which will be back on their shelves next week, After I've finished reading it!
Current ones on the go are a couple of Anne Fine's: 'Anneli the Art Hater' and 'Flour Babies' (which got a pasting in the UK's Guardian recently, unfairly I think but hey, it was a young person's review so what do I know....?)