Slump Part Deux
Thanks to all who posted comments and suggestions on getting over/through a troubling loss of reading mojo. I didn’t have any Stephen King lying around, but I did manage to pick up Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, which I’ve read before, and I think, qualifies as bon-bon fiction—the Purdy’s kind, not the 7-Eleven kind.Laisha’s suggestion of a small island somewhere reminded me of the India trip and how John and I devoured 3 books that didn't necessarily stand out as life-time favourites while we were reading them. In no particular order, Ford Maddox Ford’s The Good Soldier, Bernard Malamud’s The Natural and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.
I’ve been wondering if my bookshelves are to blame for my reading malaise. As some of you know, I separate my books into “read” and “unread.” The read section houses only books that I have enjoyed enough or learned enough from to think I might read again. The unread section is self-explanatory. Yet, nothing, and I mean nothing, in the unread section appeals. Have I loaded myself down with too much literary dead weight? Is it time for a brutal culling, a serious, “Who are you kidding, when are you EVER going to read that?”
Do John and I really need two copies of The Tale of Genji?
What I’m trying to say is: could it be time for a trip to Henderson’s?
posted by Pants at 8:57 AM|
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4 Comments:
Ooh, is it ever not time for Henderson's?
Culling is sooo great. And it gets easier. Just remember: there aren't many books you couldn't replace easily if you regretted letting them go.
I'd love to go to Hendersons again. Sadly, I need to get a Canadian passport first for both me and Atticus. But I'm ready for a big cull.
Yes, I'm all for the culling. I've culled dozens of books in the past and I've only regretted one, which, as you say, Jennica, I could easily buy again.
m, you're such an international woman of mystery, you definitely need a passport!
Culling is a good first step. Then, I would suggest you need to try chris abani's novel graceland. It is funny, smart and unlike anything i see on your book shelf.
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