Bibliophile's Lament

[qos]

Someone, somewhere, must have written a song expressing the frustration of a book lover with too many books to read, who keeps buying books even when there are unread volumes piled next to overflowing bookcases, and who is falling even further behind because there is both required reading and pleasure reading. (If anyone knows of such a song, please send it to me!)

Being on LiveJournal is not helping. Thanks to conversations with thomryng and queenofhalves I've been cheerfully ignoring the reading I'm supposed to be doing for my classes and buying books I'd never considered before. In addition, of course, to the books I was buying anyway.

Here's the list. . .



I'm currently reading "Ficciones" by Jose Luis Borges, on the recommendation of thomryng, after an exchange about reading habits with coookingwithgas. It's fascinating and challenging, and like nothing else I've ever read.

Thanks one of the Listmania lists written by queenofhalves I have two graphic novels about heroic women on the way from Amazon. With Miyazaki and Alan Moore, it's hard to go wrong.
“Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind"
“Promethea”

Already on order was:
“Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals: Weaving Together the Human and the Divine” -- because it sounds fascinating, blending something I love and am comfortable with (stories) with something for which I have ambiguous feelings but is a necessary part of my path as a priestess/pastor (ritual).

And add to the above:

“The Secret History of the Sword” -- because I remain fascinated by warriors and warrior art, and I have a novel about medieval mercenaries to finish.

“Driving the Pacific Coast Highway” and Frommer's "California 2003" -- because I hope to make a particular long-held dream come true this year.

“Shelter for the Spirit: Creating Your Own Haven in a Hectic World” -- because I'm trying to cultivate some domestic virtues by considering them in a new light. I've always wanted a beautiful, cozy castle, but since I'm not going to be able to hire a housekeeper in the forseeable future, and I'm the only adult in the house, it's my responsibility to create and maintain a pleasant environment. (The Little Princess helps a lot, but a seven year-old is still in the "taking direction" stage.)



Then there's the required reading for my classes, which I'm *not* going to go into here.

Comments

the next step...

[thomryng.livejournal.com]

Have you read any Italo Calvino? My favourite is Invisible Cities. It seems so simple when it starts...

Re: the next step...

[qos.livejournal.com]

I started "If On a Winter's Night A Traveller" several years ago. I was delighted and charmed by the 2nd person voice in the introduction, addressed as one bibliophile to another. The intimate, knowing description of "you" (me) buying and starting to read the book was one of the best descriptions I've ever read of that experience.

Then Calvino came to the moment when he made it clear that "you" was a "he". In that moment I was jarred by dislocation and felt an irrationally intense stab of betrayal. Here he had been addressing me, a female reader, as if he knew me. Then he made it clear he wasn't talking to me at all. But he kept on addressing me while telling someone else's story as if it were my own.

Like I said: irrational. But even though I kept reading for a while, I could never get over the sense of falseness. A failure of imagination on my part, perhaps -- but also an interesting example of what can happen when a writer "breaks the contract" s/he has with a reader in the initial pages.

Do you have another Calvino you can recommend?

Re: the next step...

[qos.livejournal.com]

Wait a minute.
You just *did* recommend one.
Never mind. . .

[queenofhalves]

who keeps buying books even when there are unread volumes piled next to overflowing bookcases, and who is falling even further behind because there is both required reading and pleasure reading

ohhhhh, me too.

[qos.livejournal.com]

< grin >

Why does that not surprise me?