I realized the other day that I was reading quite a variety of books… simultaneously.
(* indicates a re-read)
Undefended Love – still slowly working my way through it. It’s a very hard read for me and I can only sometimes handle the intensity.
The Courage to Heal – also slowly working through it. I’m still trying to make progress, but it is interesting how I notice that I have only so much emotional energy on a given day so I can deal with my job or my personal shit. I think this will come to the front of the pile again when school is over.
*Walk in My Soul – I’m reading Noah one of my favorite books. It’s a neat experience because this book was one of my favorite x’s40 books growing up and I have never shared it with anyone before. I’ve also never really read to anyone before. It’s really good.
*One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – have to read along with the kidlets and make reading quizzes and study questions cause the ones I made last year were only so-so.
*I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – technically a reread, but it has been more than a decade. I’m doing this book with the kid I’m home teaching partially because he is a serious racist and I’m trying to get him to look at some of his opinions.
The Hobbit – I’ve never read this book. I’ve never wanted to. Comp and Lit picked it over Go Ask Alice. *sigh*
Freakonomics – I am really loving this book. It is awesome and amazing. I’m devouring chapters whenever I get a chance. Thank you Kevin!!
Radical Ecstasy – also slowly working my way through this one. It’s really interesting and it is inspiring me to feel like I want to be playing more even though I don’t have much time or energy. This summer, I am going to be wearing Noah out. Yay! Thank you Janet. I think you two did a marvelous job with this one. 🙂
I have also picked up and finished several Anne Rice books* in the past 3-4 weeks. 🙂
I forgot what it was like to love to read and to do it all the time. I am so happy that I got it back. Getting a degree in English killed my love of books for several years and I was worried that it would stay killed.
It’s been years since I read for pleasure, other than magazines. I still buy and hoard books, “for later.” I’m hoping as the small one gets older and more independent, I’ll reclaim my book time again. I’m worried that I gravitate towards the Internet for info and downtime, though… it might be a hard habit to break.
Anne Rice was a guilty pleasure of mine, too!
Her most recent stuff is utter crap. She has found God. It is best if you remember her how she was, as a twisted ex-Catholic…
I still need to read (and see) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
As for The Hobbit, I’m told it’s better read to than read.
I’m doing a lot of reading during my unemployment, but I find myself rediscovering non-fiction. The two current books are about the history (and culture) of spices, and a journalist’s life in (recent) Mongolia.
I love The Hobbit –
but I chose it for myself when I was 11 or 12.
I’ve never liked that basic genre of fantasy. *shrug*
Yah, I rarely read for fun anymore. I was starting to again back in SF but being in school again nixed that. The reading load for these classes is about all I can handle, and I’m spending free time gobbling everything I can get from the history channels (I got 3 of them, 3 if you include the military channel). I find my recall of things I hear and see is much higher than on things I read, I’m able to click my head into ‘record/analyze/criticize’ mode when watching, but can only read passively.
I am grateful I don’t have tv right now. I think I might actually like the downtime for my brain but it is so terrible…
Almost all of my reading these days is either assigned stuff for school, or background reading for _Girlfag_ — trying to sniff out great girlfags of the past (currently checking out Sarah Bernhardt, trying to find solid info on Annie Oakley, etc.). It’s fun, but it would be nice to just follow my urges for a while instead of being so directed in my reading.
You might find “Wild Women: Crusaders, Curmudgeons, and Completely Corsetless Ladies in the Otherwise Virtuous Victorian Era” an interesting read. I have a copy, and have skimmed some of the entries — enough to know that it’s going to be a fun read, when I have the time. I believe Annie Oakley’s included, as a matter of fact.
That’s why there is a split between mandatory stuff and things *I* want to read. I was about to just lose it entirely.
Completely randomly, and long after the fact — if you haven’t already found her, Hemingway’s wife is worth a look. I’m not sure she’s 100% what you’re thinking of, but I *am* fairly sure that they were into sodomy (in both directions), her generally thinking of herself as a gay boy, and otherwise treating the whole thing roughly as a gay (male) relationship.
Really?? That’s excellent info; thanks. I’m still struggling to integrate the historical bits and they may drop out before all is said and done, but I’ll read up anyway.
There have been several Mrs Hemingways, only one of whom I’ve heard anything about, so I should clarify — I mean Mary Hemingway.
“Undefended Love – still slowly working my way through it. It’s a very hard read for me and I can only sometimes handle the intensity.”
I understand. Same here.
“I’ve also never really read to anyone before. It’s really good.”
*nodding* Yup, I know what you mean. I read to my kids for years and years, and have the opportunity again with His kids. It’s definitely Good Stuff. Expressive reading feeds my craving for involvement in theatre.
Plugging along. I swear. 🙂
The Undefended Love authors have started doing workshops again, but I missed the one I wanted to go to in February because of some scheduling issue, and can no longer afford to sign up for the other one that interested me in June. I will go, eventually, I’m sure.
Holy crudmonkeys they are expensive. Yeah… it’s not that I can’t afford it, but that is not how I choose to spent that much money. *shrug*