I haven’t disappeared off the Interweb…I’ve just gone underground to work and do some reading. I need to immerse myself in reading from time to time just to feed my brain and get a dose of enthusiasm for my own writing. I can’t seem to do it all: work, have a blog life, read, and write. But when I start to feel myself getting stupider, I stay away from the computer and open a book. Or five.
I’m one of those people who read two and three (or more) books at the same time. I’m currently reading five books and re-reading one (Naked, by David Sedaris). I’m also savoring the current issue of Vanity Fair; today I read an excellent article on James Frey.
The time of day and the mood I’m in dictates what I read. I like to start the day with something upbeat and funny, so lately I’ve started the day with Chris Zell’s If Life’s An Experiment, I’m A Lab Rat. You know Chris as blogger Bound and Gags. I’m enjoying Lab Rat (he’s written several books) with my coffee each morning. He tells stories that make me laugh and that’s how I like to start the day, laughing.
I read the others throughout the day, but I like to end up on Archimedes to Hawking by Cliff Pickover just before bed. Cliff writes about science and mathematics in a way that makes it actually interesting. Reading about the celestial bodies and the quirky lives of geniuses is great stuff to fill your mind with just before you drift off to sleep … so much healthier than the evening news.
This weekend I’m looking forward to focusing on The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing. It’s a novella that would probably take a normal person two hours to read, but I’m a slow reader; I consider each sentence and turn it over in my head, thinking about the words. This is why it will probably take me all weekend to read it. It was recommended to me a couple of weeks ago and, ever since then, in one of those weird coincidence-type things, I’ve run into references to it three or four times and have heard nothing but good things about it.
So that’s what I’ve been doing.
Peace out,
W
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