Joy of Reading - Wrap Up

 It's hard to believe that I spent the past week reading and listening at home during Bout of Books Read-A-Thon (Jan 2022). 

I had the joy of finishing starting 10 books and finishing 7. YEAH! That's a fantastic start on my Goodreads reading challenge for 2022 https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/31914700.

I shared some of my books with friends and swapped others including The Women of Chateau Lafayette
by Stephanie Dray https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55502887-the-women-of-chateau-lafayette.  It was a wonderful piece of historical fiction and kept me on the couch all Saturday.

If you want to know more about one of the three plot-lines, the Marquis de Lafayette and his wife Adrienne, this is the book for you. A related or parallel book is Ribbons of Scarlett by Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray (and others) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43521355-ribbons-of-scarlet, a series of interconnected novellas about the French Revolution. 

It won't surprise you to learn I'm busy reading something else today, Kathy Reichs' Bone Code, the latest in her Temperance Brennan Series #20 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54304127-the-bone-code.

If you to follow my reading choices and informal reviews, you'll find me on Goodreads here https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1557957-miriam

Here's leaving you with the wish that all your reading be joyful.

Joy of Reading 7

 I skipped day 6 of Bout of Books and am wrapping up this week with Joy #7 of my Read-A-Thon with audio books.

Joy of Reading by Listening to Books

 Yes, listening is definitely a form of reading. Most of you know I've been reviewing audio books since 1989. My first encounter with audio books, was Peter Ustinov reading "Peter and the Wolf" on LP. I must have listened to more but I cannot remember. My first audio book review was of Homer's "Iliad" on multiple cassette tapes for Library Journal. I went on to listen to thousands more since then, now exclusively for AudioFile Magazine http://www.audiofilemagazine.com.

It took a while for me to become comfortable with the idea that audio and paper books were equivalent experiences. In the beginning, I feared, like most librarians and educators, that listening would curb or curtail the physical reading I would do. But no, I actually found I read more books and listened also.

In reality, listening and reading aren't the same, yet I remember the audio just as clearly and precisely as the print. I see images from the audio performance just the way I do when I pick up a physical copy of a book. Sometimes listening is a more vibrant "read", sometimes the physical book is better. There's no rhyme or reason.

Listen or Read? Which Do I Choose?

How do I decide which books to consume? Well, some are audio books I'm reviewing so I don't have much choice. I've actually read the physical copy of some first, others afterwards, mostly when I want to see how the audio performance changes the reading experience. This is particularly true when the audio book is performed by multiple narrators.

I prefer non-fiction in print but I do listen frequently to history and biography. 

Some books are best suited to paper, like spinoffs from self-help lectures. On the other hand, I've reviewed tons of self-help and business audio books, most of which have stuck with me. 

Since I review (and judge) lots audio books a year for AudioFile Magazine and the Audie Awards through the Audio Publishers Association https://www.audiopub.org/, I rarely listen 'for fun.' 

No matter what, I love both the listening experience which allows me to "read" and drive or stitch or cook at the same time. I also crave time to curl up with a good book and just disappear into that world. 

No matter what, listening to books brings me just as much joy as reading print versions. Give audio books a serious try. You'll find they are perfect for your next road trip.

Joy of Reading 5

Contemplating on the joys of reading during Bout of Books Read-A-Thon Jan 2022, I consider how that joy is spread. It sounds very missionary, very much like proselytizing, but how do you spread joy and reading at the same time. So here goes.

 Joy 5 is Reading with friends

Have you ever read a book at the same time as your friends? It's an opportunity to share what you are learning, enjoying, and even disliking. 

Reading with friends gives you an outlet to discuss the book. Do you like the writing style? Is the genre suitable for the content? Are you getting anything out of the book? What about the author? Is the writer a favorite of yours or your friends? Will you read anything by them? Maybe you share your delight in the topic, be it history, science, a craft, or a time period. 

The best books leave you yearning to share them with your friends. Just make certain you get your copy back if you lend it out!

If you are gritting your teeth and saying "I must finish this book because Z is reading it," you should probably bail on the book and give it away or back to the library. Your friends will be fine with it. After all, not every book is written for every audience.

Group Reading

I like to read books with friends in a group or a book club. This is an opportunity to read the book at the same time or within the same month and then get together to discuss the book.

Book clubs come in a variety of flavors: 

• Read the book, talk for a few minutes then chat and gossip about other things or books.
• Use discussion questions to talk about the book for a set time, say an hour, staying on topic. 
• Read the book, listen to the author speak about it and answer questions. This version may be informal or an prepared presentation.
  

Over the past two years, I've been part of all three types of reading groups. If you read the books as part of a group, you'll probably get more out of it.

Just recently I stumbled upon the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History https://www.gilderlehrman.org/ . They host a series of talks and Q&A sessions with authors and scholars of American History. It's an opportunity to read with a group and learn about the past.

I leave you with the suggestion that you read books together with your friends. Pick a book, share it, or read it at the same time. Then talk about it. It's much more fun than moaning about being home in the grey and the cold.

Joys of Reading 4 - Bout of Books Read-a-thon - Jan 2022

 

We’re half way through the January Bout of Books Read-a-thon for January 2022 and I’m thinking about how happy reading makes me. It’s a subtle form of joy that creeps into my body and imbues my soul with calm. Reading is all the more joyous when shared with others.

Joy 4 - Recommending Books

What’s more joy-filled than sharing a good book with friends, acquaintances and even near strangers. As librarians, we are taught to evaluate books, read them, and recommend them to anyone who asks. I learned that skill early in my career while working at NYPL at reference desks and helplines.

As a librarian, I often recommended books I hadn’t read, didn’t have an interest in. I was told, “it’s a skill you need to embrace.” So I did. Suddenly, a world of books in genre I had never read were open to me. What a joy!

Sharing books through reviews

When I began writing reviews, in 1989, I was able to recommend all sorts of books with readers far and wide. Some readers were strangers who became first acquaintances and then friends. Others were friends and neighbors who were always asking me to recommend ‘a good book.’

In my retirement, I continue to spread the joy of books and reading (and listening). While I write tons of reviews on Goodreads based on my own eclectic reading choices, I also review and judge audio books for a general reading, or listening, audience for AudioFile Magazine http://www.audiofilemagazine.com.

So, what book would I recommend to you today?

“The Baker Street Letters” by Michael Robertson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8087812-the-baker-street-letters. It’s a charming book about two British lawyer/solicitors who are renting the building at 221 Baker Street in London. Their lease requires they answer letters address to Sherlock Holmes. That’s right, Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous detective lives on and gets tons of queries every year. When the lawyers find a dead body in their offices and their files ransacked, they realize there’s a mystery to be solved posthaste. I hope you enjoy this recommendation. Want more? Check out my Goodreads page https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1557957-miriam 

Best of all, I get to share the books with friends. I’ll write more about that tomorrow.

Joys of Reading 3 - Bout of Books Read-a-then Jan 2022

On day 3 of the Bout of Books Read-a-thon (Jan 2022), I’m concentrating on a personal joy of reading, especially reading in place.

Joy 3 - Learning Something New

What’s the best thing about reading and books? You can learn something new with each book you open, with every new subject you explore.

Learning doesn’t have to stop when you graduate high school, college, or even graduate school. Learning should continue for your entire life.  In fact, it’s called life-learning and, for me, it’s the highlight of my day and week.

Life-long learning

There’s nothing like exploring a new subject through a book. Now that I’m retired, I can take a deep dive into a subject, explore a tangent, or even dig into those small niggling details an author throws into a book. 

Historical fiction, be it a straightforward story or a mystery always teaches me something. In the past few months of reading historical fiction, I’ve learned about stock market manipulation and crashes, lots about World War I and World War II, and even about ladies’ fashion. 

This weekend I read “The Blackbird Girls” by Anna Blankman  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40939440-the-blackbird-girlswhich was set in the aftermath of the nuclear plant explosion at Chernobyl. The book, written for teens and adults, focused on the fate of two young teens as they were sent to Leningrad while their mothers (the fathers having died in the aftermath of the nuclear meltdown) healed, found work, and were finally able to bring their daughters home. I learned not only about how Russia covered up the incident, but also about Russian life and struggles in 1986. 

Reading fiction or non-fiction brings me joy and an opportunity to learn something new. What types of books bring you joy as you read in place today?

Joys of Reading 2 - Bout of books (Jan 2022)

 On day 2 of the Bout of Books Read-a-thon (Jan 2022), I’m contemplating which types of books bring me joy. Here goes.

Joy 2 - Going New Places through books

Books take us places, new and old, through words, descriptions, and illustrations. I know in the summer, I explored travelogues and books about places. (See my August posts on this blog.) This is particularly fun when reading in place, when savoring the adventure while in your armchair or on a beach.

Where’s the joy? It’s two fold. 

The first is going to a new place, a place you always wanted to go and haven’t yet. It’s learning about the buildings, the history, and culture in anticipation of an in-person adventure. Perhaps you saw a movie or TV show about a  place and now you want to know all about it. Books will take you there! What Joy!

The second joy is re-encountering or re-experiencing a city or place you went to in the past and just loved. Maybe you went to a city as a child and now want to “see” it through adult eyes? Or you want to learn more about a place you’ve just been to but didn’t have the opportunity to take a tour or see the sights. Joyfully, books can take you to a city or country and show you ‘everything’ about the place.

Maps and illustrations will set the location in context, letting you “see” what buildings look like, or a river, or the countryside.

In all, taking time to read and savor a book about a place will bring you joy along with an adventure.

Let me know if you want a reading suggestion.

That’s my reading nugget for day 2.

Joy of Reading - Bout Of Books 1 Jan 2022

I have friends who read, who read voraciously, quickly, slowly, and sadly, some who say they don't read much at all any more.  As Bout of Books for January 2022 begins, I want to focus on the joys of reading, of what reading can do for you.

Joy 1

Reading is the best way to start your day. You get to reacquaint yourself with the book you were reading the night before. You can start a new adventure. Best of all, you can start you day with a quiet moment reading in place, at home, or even on public transportation.

Start your day with a book

For those of you who say, "I don't have time to read," the truth might be that you don't set aside time to read and relax each day. 

I've started my morning with a book for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I read for a few minutes as I was eating breakfast, other times, like this morning, I finished the last 80 pages in a thriller. In each and every instance of reading in place, reading with joy, I am taking time to refresh myself and to dive into a book or at the very least an article.

Where's the joy? The joy is diving into a story and letting it encompass you. The joy is savoring the words, the illustrations, and the setting of the story. Best of all, it's a chance to start the day with something other than the news.

I leave you today with the suggestion that you take a few minutes to read every morning, be it five minutes or fifty. Let the joy of the written (or spoken) work work its way through your whole self. And ENJOY.

Tomorrow, Day 2, I'll share more ways to en-JOY reading in place!