Booking Through Thursday - time to read

Time is of the Essence


1. Do you get to read as much as you WANT to read?

(I’m guessing #1 is an easy question for everyone?)

2. If you had (magically) more time to read–what would you read? Something educational? Classic? Comfort Reading? Escapism? Magazines?


I'd have to say Yes. I do get to read as much as I want. Reading is so much a part of our lives and always has been. I've been known to get grumpy if I don't get my reading time.

If I magically had even more time to read, I would read more classical books. I generally read for relaxation, escapism. Occasionally, I'll wade into a classic, but they take so much more time to absorb, that I read more slowly. A couple years ago, I bought Well-Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. The book gives a brief history of five genres - fiction, autobiography, history, drama and poetry and includes a list of 'great books' to read out of each category and how to read them. I found I had already read quite a few over the years such as Pilgrims Progress, Heart of Darkness and Jane Eyre.

I decided I would work my way through the list of books in each genre and I started with Fiction and Don Quixote and think that's about as far as I got. There are others on the list I want to read that we have on our bookshelves: Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, Dostoyesky's Crime and Punishment, Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby, Augustine's The Confessions and Merton's Seven Story Mountain. So thanks to this question, I just decided to join Should Be Readings Casual Classic's book challenge for 2009 which is simply read 4 classic book between January and December. I can do that.

I am magically making more time to read for 2009. How about you?

9 comments:

  1. Hi Robin,
    I'm glad you find as much time as you need for reading. You must be the first bibliophile today who has :o).

    I agree that classics can be a bit labourious and slow to get through but don't you just feel such a greater sense of achievement when you do? It may just be a kind of placebo effect but I also feel a few brain cells have been permanently 'polished up' too :o)
    Happy Reading
    Rob

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  2. No one has enough reading time, and we all could use more to read what we like. Happy BTT!

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  3. If I had more time, I would also read more classics. They're difficult to read without quiet hours for contemplation.

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  4. I get grumpy too if I don't get my normal amount of reading time. But Iwould still like to have more time! Of those classics you'd like to read I enjoyed Anna Karenina the most, although Merton's Seven Story Mountain is a close second. I haven't read Don Quixote of the Heart of Darkness - needless to say that I want to.

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  5. Thanks for visiting my blog! I know what you mean about Classics, they do take longer to read, your challenge sounds good though. Happy BTT!

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  6. Hi Robin, I have Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, Dostoyesky's Crime and Punishment too and they're part of the reading list for my "999 Challenge"...

    I think we all wish for more time (and with it, more strength as well) :D

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  7. I vote for Crime and Punishment. I recently finished reading it for the first time and found it to be pretty funny in places which came as a bit of a shock.

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  8. Robin, I think you are the only person whose blog I have come across who answered yes to tat question. Go you!

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