|
I enjoy trying to collect the works of an author I like all in the same edition; it makes a book collection look much more aesthetically pleasing on a shelf and it is helpful for organizing too. Those Penguin pop books look really beautiful, but I would worry that nothing would stand out if I tried to fill a library with those. And, while I suppose that's more or less the point, I think that having 20 or more would make my eyes glaze over while browsing the shelf and that I would be turned off from reading them with each one staring me down like so many terracotta soldiers. Each to their own, I guess. Well, here's an interesting blog I came across while trying to find out more about the Penguin covers. It briefly describes the history of book cover art and it has some neat pictures: http://bookpros.blogspot.com/2008/05/chronicle-of-covers.html 
|
#
¿
Mar 16, 2010 05:59
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 1, 2024 23:58 |
|
|
Rotten Punk posted:Here is a question I've been asking myself.. How can I read more? Back when I didn't have internet access, or cable TV, or video games I could get through huge books in no time flat. I understand your situation and I think that many people could relate to the feeling of disappointment that comes from once being a quick reader (in childhood, usually) and now being a relatively slow or unenthusiastic reader. But here is another question for you to ask yourself: what do you want to get out of reading? It seems that for fewer and fewer people today the answer is sheer entertainment. Stimulation of a certain kind can more easily come from the other media that you mention. Your post makes me think that you read as a kid for entertainment but you have now found better, surer ways to engage your imagination and distract yourself from life. I don't mean for that to sound too harsh because, after all, entertaining ourselves is not a crime; it is a luxury and a prerogative we have as human beings. On the other hand, you seem to have some indistinct feeling of guilt for not reading as much as you used to read. If your motivation for reading as a child was to both satisfy and deepen your curiosity about the world, it may be that you now read less because this sense of wonder has been deadened by an overexposure to information. With too much to think about, we tend not to think very deeply about any one thing. Novels require their readers to be disciplined and sometimes monomaniacal to get to "The End." Of course, even more intellectual rigor is needed to reflect on and understand a novel. I know that my own motivation to read comes partly from wanting to give myself the shivers from the experience of revelation and partly from wanting to relieve my anxiety that whatever imagination and intelligence I do have is stagnating with so many easier options available to me. Lastly, reading is a habit and like any habit it becomes 'second-nature' only with practice. Your reading pace, your ability to concentrate, and, most likely, your enjoyment of reading will increase as you read more often. The idea mentioned earlier of setting reading goals for yourself shouldn't be dismissed outright. You may find that your satisfaction of completing the goal for the day is gradually taken over by your satisfaction for reading itself. Also, if it helps, drive to a coffee shop or a library to read for a designated time every day. Only bring your book. You can be a better reader than you ever were if you want to be and if you work at it. Good luck. Free Gucci Mane posted:A fun little thing I like to do is to read while playing turn based rpg's. Setup your attacks, then read while the fight happens. I used to be able to get through 75-100 pages a day like that. Where did this clever response come from?
|
|
#
¿
May 29, 2010 00:34
|
|
|
Yes read Pale Fire! Read it with a pencil in your hand. As Nabokov would say to his students, you need to "carrrrress the details." It is not a long novel but it is very time consuming if you are willing to try to trace out its web of sense. There are some companion pieces that might help you see some of what is going on hidden in the background of the novel: The Vane Sisters (short story) Signs and Symbols (short story) Good Readers and Good Writers (Essay)
|
|
#
¿
Jul 24, 2010 05:54
|
|