Naturally, this topic excites me, as I like to read, and read books no less (not a fan of magazines sad to say). Reading is a great passion of mine, and I often think it defines me as a person.
Beside my bed:
4 large psychology textbooks (for an essay)
When Elephants Weep: The emotional lives of animals by Jeffrey Masson
To the Is-land by Janet Frame
The Central Questions of Philosophy by A.J. Ajers
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
The War against Woman by Marilyn French
A Room of Ones Own by Virginia Woolf
I think that this selection represents how diverse I like to keep my reading material. I like biographies, science non-fiction, fiction, classic literature, philosophical non-fiction, feminist non-fiction, and so on.
At the moment, I am reading Slaughter House Five, which seems to be going well. I just finished Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys which is sort of an unofficial prelude to Jane Eyre. Before that was Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse which I have grown very fond of in retrospect. In fact, I really love Hermann Hesse, and I look forward to purchasing all of his books. I have also just ordered the complete Sherlock Holmes box set, which I can't wait to get.
It's true that I read a lot more in the holidays, and the only time I read books now is before bed, in a coffee shop, or at work (ahem, don't tell). I think that it's important to read when it feels natural, I do not think one should force themselves to read when it's the last thing they feel like doing.
I remember I was not such a big reader when I was a kid, I attempted to read the Hobbit in form 1 but failed miserably. I remember this girl at primary who was a friend of ours, and she would spend her morning teas and lunchtimes reading, just reading all the time. I wish that I could say that was me.
I think reading is important, it keeps our minds stimulated and most importantly, active! It improves our intelligence, (although that is an assumption, I should find some sort of official scientific evidence) is a relaxing pass time, can be informative, exciting, scary, and a million other things.
I am a bona fide book worm!
man i wish i were u! You make me want to read now, but... i am also not in the mood to read anything other than blogs. Regardless, I shall read more, hopefully during the holidays.
ReplyDeleteAlso, happy birthday once again and I hope u ate delicious cake :)
haha I love the "beside the bed" stack of books. I used to have 2 stacks, one on the bedside table and another on the desk. there is really no need for bookshelves.
ReplyDeleteI have recently defected from writing on the train to reading on the train. it's easier to do standing up.
I wish I could read on public transport but I confess that it makes me rather ill. I would also read whilst walking if it weren't for the high probability of me getting hit by a car in the process.
ReplyDeleteI bought 'Everything is Illuminated' last week when I went into a favourite bookstore of mine.. the copy has Elijah Wood on the front, apparently they made a film of the book starring him!
ReplyDelete(secretly I don't mind him, despite the Lord of the Rings thing)
I feel the same about read-walking too!!