As I was contemplating aspects of writing this blog post, I looked ahead and backward for a minute, just to make a comparison. These are the titles I'm reading now or have recently finished:
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates---a letter from a black father to his teenage son about what it like living in America as a black person. It was so heavy and dispiriting I had to read it in small doses. (Finished 4/23/19)
- A Street Cat Named Bob: How One Man and His Cat Found Hope on the Streets by James Bowen---though it is a cute cat-rescue story, James is a recovering drug addict with all kinds of related problems. (Finished 4/19/19)
- Ten Windows: How Great Poems Transform the World by Jane Hirshfield---a book about poetry, with few actual examples. (Started 4/10/19)
- Small Wonder: Essays by Barbara Kingsolver---the author of this essay collection began it on September 12, 2001, the day after 9-11. (Started 4/24/19)
- The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai---a novel about the AIDS epidemic from its beginnings to present day. (Started 4/24/19)
These five books are my most recent selections. I tend to read heavy stuff. I doubt that will change. But after finishing today's book I've decided to be more purposeful about taking a breather more often. How about you? How do you balance your reading selections?
I have had Coates' next book, We Were Eight Years in Power, for almost two years now on my shelf and I have yet to bring myself to read it. I used to read a lot of heavy crime fiction, but over the last six months I've been making my way through James Herriot's series on his being a vet in England and I'm enjoying the break. With changes at my workplace and dealing with a badly bruised knee, I'm dealing with enough IRL (in real life) that I don't need any "heavy stuff". Plus I'm turning 50 in June and I'm trying to keep my spirits up as I head into the next phase of my life. :)
ReplyDeleteI love James Herriot books. I remember going through a phase where I read them all the time, then I got picture books of his stories to read to my children when they were young. He has such a gentle sense of humor. I am sorry to hear that your knee is bad. Did you fall? I've started walking with a walking stick when I take the dog out because I fell once and don't want to do that again. 50 will feel like 49. You'll love it.
DeleteBumped my knee about a month ago. But it's finally getting treated with prednisone and exercise and I just started wearing a knee brace while at work. I already feel like 49.😉
DeleteI'm much more inclined to NOT read the heavy stuff. Only occasionally. Maybe if you recommend it....;)
ReplyDeleteWhen I read too much lightweight stuff I get impatient because I am not learning anything. But obviously I need to mix it up more.
DeleteFunny that you've taken a breather as I had to the do the same this past weekend. I was sick and couldn't remember the last "fluff" book I'd read so I read two in a row, both YA, and it felt good!
ReplyDeleteI'm sick, too. What did you read? You didn't consider the book about the German students who stood up to Hitler as light stuff, did you?
DeleteFluff and frill are fun every once in awhile. :D
ReplyDeleteThe James Herriot books, Harry Potter, and some of my mysteries are brain candy for me. I love the literary reads, but they can often be dense and depressing.
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