How do you read?

Say it Rah-shay By Oct 04, 2009 3 Comments

A few months back a friend of mine invited me to become a part of a book club. Honored, she considers me a professional (!) and she is using the results of the meetings as part of a project for her pHD, I was also selfishly excited to have adult books to read. Dutifully I have been reading the assigned books making mental, sometimes a written note or two about something that I think I want to discuss and remember. Last meeting VJ threw out the idea of journals to record our reactions to what we are reading.

What a novel concept! How often have I read something and thought that I would like to share it with someone yet moments later I have forgotten that great line, that wonderful bit or that funny quote that made me appreciate the English language oh so much?

Journaling as I read was something that I have oft heard of but never personally experienced. While I love reading, I have often thought making notes in books was something reserved for my text books or work, not to extend the enjoyment that I have when I am reading something on my own. During one of my forays into college that I encountered a classmate who got ALL his money worth out of text books. This dude truly got his money’s worth! His text books would be underlined in pens of different colors, the margins written in, reactions to the book, the author, questions asked in class. I was always amazed at the brazen way he ignored that he may not get as much money back from the bookstore at semester’s end and went after his books with all he had.

I gave it a go. I tried it but never quite got the hang of the book (my procrastination probably had something to do with that but, ya know!). Through the years I have attempted to react to my books as opposed to just read them. I always feel pretentious, thoughts of who may use the book after me would color what I wrote and it felt like a chore. To use a tired phrase, I’ve seemed to mellow with age and now I am all excited about what a book says to me, makes me feel, changes something that I was sure of. It’s eye opening.

The Bee has also been encouraged to keep a journal although her pages are filled with fashions that she thinks she would like to design one day. I also found stories in which the main characters are mermaids or fairies. Oh well. At least the books are not going to waste.

I can’t wait to get back to my book. I finally, finally can appreciate this quote used by Cornelia Funke in Inkheart (which is excellent – the book, not the movie):
Some books should be tasted, some devoured but only a few should be chewed and thoroughly digested.

Getting ready to read,
-r

Author

I am mom, daughter, sister, yarn lover, word lover, crazy cat lady and library chick. Find me with book or with hook and a hot cuppa.

3 Comments

  1. Anonymous says:

    You are a phenomenal… phenomenal writer… I love just to read your blogs and how you use your words and punctuations. It’s as though I can hear your voice as your speaking and see your facial expressions. Very few people can actually do that and it seems as though you do it with such ease. You should really look into writing professionally, I’m sure you’ve heard that before.

  2. Anonymous says:

    No! I didn’t get an account yet, I’ll get around to it one of these days 🙂

  3. ~Rachée says:

    Hey John!
    Margaret and I were just talking about you.
    How’s everybody? Yourself? The job?
    We miss seeing you.
    Thanks for visiting and take care!
    -r

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