Today I read about an author who commits to reading 100 books each year! After several years of nothing longer than Goodnight Moon, Real Simple magazine and friends' blogs, I have been trying to read more grown-up books this year, so I thought I'd go back and count them up. I'm afraid I am not quite on pace. I have blogged nine book reviews since January and am about four posts behind. That puts me at about one book every 10.61 days; while the pace setter reads a new one every 3.65 days. Well, he does get paid to read and write, right?? Actually, I'm pretty pleased with my increased consumption this year. Glad I got four new books for my birthday last week! Got to get crackin' (see my other blog for updates).
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I would like to read more also... However, I'm not sure if this is a personal desire or the desire to be like many other book reviewers in blogland. I even listed books I've read on my blog page like many others just to "hang" with the crowd.
I've noticed my list of reads this year is six. So, I'm going for quality I guess. Don't get me wrong; I love the book reviews of others. It helps me filter out the fluff and get to the meat of the matter. I’ve just ordered 2 more books from Moyers. 12 books this year will be fine with me. BTW, there were 12 tribes in Israel, 12 apostles so it looks like 12 is a good number to start with.
I’ll end with this scripture that has always been close to me.
Acts 4:13_When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
peace.
Reading just to get a high book count or to be like all of the cool kids is not a good purpose for reading. This got me thinking about why I think it is important that I read more. A couple of reasons...
First, I used to dwell in an academic world. In grad school, reading and actually thinking was a necessity. Going into the professional world where my peers were psychologists and we discussed journal articles ad nauseum, my mind was constantly stimulated. That all changed September, 2000, with the birth of my first child. I haven't had the mental space or energy to be that absorbed in academia since. I kind of miss the challenge.
Second, A book can waste your time as much as watching t.v., depending on your choices. But, at least with reading brainwaves are in action. I let my brain go into no-wave mode too often by watching nothing of importance on t.v.
Third, and probably most important to me, is that I want to be a better writer. I want to transfer my thoughts to paper in a compelling way. As I imagine the motivation is with the author I mentioned, in order to be a better writer, it is necessary that I read from varied authors and a wide genre of books.
I am a junkie for non-fiction business books. I know this might qualify for some sort of clinical diagnosis. I have several stuffed bookshelves at work and like drawing inspiration and ideas from them. My typical mode of consumption is reading two books at once...generally around the same topic, but from different angles or perspectives. This way I can compare the two approaches and challenge my own thinking further.
Fact is, I can hardly read a novel (who needs more "drama" in their life and already feel bad that I know more about some fictional characters than I know about some of my friends and co-workers). Maybe this is why I enjoy my clever friends who blog! I can read vicariously and get to know them better in the process.
So, I wonder why some of these prolific fiction authors haven't started blogging. Not as themselves, but in the voice of a character. I bet some of them would have huge followings and perhaps someone has already figured this out. Even classic characters (ie, Scarlett O'Hara, Emma Woodhouse, etc) would make interesting bloggers. You know people would read a blog in the voice of Clancy's Jack Ryan or other characters featured in a popular series.
As a preteen I did a lot of reading, but put the books aside as other things crowded them out. In the last year, or so, reading has again become a favorite recreation. I have no idea how many books I have consumed, but my wife estimates around 50, even though I am a slow methodical reader. Our TV sits quietly in it's corner, and the operative word in that statement is "quiet." The emphasis on violence, murder and gross death, bad language, sex, and noise leaves me near physical illness. Oh, I enjoy some violence, but it is called football. Most TV has become so empty it is a waste of electricity to turn it on. So it is back to reading. Some of it is just as shallow, but at least there are no advertisements to challenge my sensibilities. It is easier to control ones reading than when watching TV with whatever it offers for several hours per evening. I mostly enjoy the Christian writers - they usually have a moral and morals. There are one or two popular writers who seem to enjoy writing sensuous books with the justification that the sinner eventually repents and turns their life over to God. Christian porn may be worse than straight out porn. I am wandering. It has been a joy to rediscover the pleasure of loosing myself in a good book. My greatest satisfaction, however, has been to read God's book for 30 - 60 minutes in the quiet of the new day, while drinking a cup of hot coffee. (Coffee is not a sin, is it? After all it is 50% decaffinated.)
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