Voracious & Eclectic (Sydney Salter)
Reading is like chocolate--it's all good. More is better. And I'm willing to try anything.
When my first daughter was born 18 years ago, I started to keep a list of the books I'd read--because I feared that my brain would shrivel up with baby-talk and dirty diapers. I need not have worried. That child challenges my brain more than anything, but that's a whole other blog post. I treasure my little book of books read.
I read to keep myself out of college. Otherwise I'd study anything and everything, happily collecting majors and degrees forever and ever. Buying books is less expensive. I think.
I meander through through my to-read stack. Right now I'm finishing a biography of Cezanne because he was mentioned in an odd little "alphabet" book about the artist Antoine Watteau that I discovered while taking a workshop on collage writing. Random recommendations guide much of my reading. Last year I used my holiday gift cards to buy the year's best books list from The Atlantic Monthly (a fun mix of nonfiction, history, and novels). I'm a sucker for a compelling author interview on NPR.
A few years ago, I decided to read all the books that I encountered in the media on June 15th. I read about world economics, psychology, wine corks, and William Shatner's biography (thanks Parade Magazine!) which turned out to be the best of the bunch.
Right now my reading gift to myself is a subscription to Powell's Indiespensable book club. Every six weeks or so I receive a signed book and some goodies. So exciting--and mind-stretching!
Exploring an eclectic mix of books sparks my creativity as a writer. Reading about Cezanne's artistic suffering sure inspires me to push myself as a writer.
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| Books & truffles: equally colorful and delicious! |
When my first daughter was born 18 years ago, I started to keep a list of the books I'd read--because I feared that my brain would shrivel up with baby-talk and dirty diapers. I need not have worried. That child challenges my brain more than anything, but that's a whole other blog post. I treasure my little book of books read.
I read to keep myself out of college. Otherwise I'd study anything and everything, happily collecting majors and degrees forever and ever. Buying books is less expensive. I think.
I meander through through my to-read stack. Right now I'm finishing a biography of Cezanne because he was mentioned in an odd little "alphabet" book about the artist Antoine Watteau that I discovered while taking a workshop on collage writing. Random recommendations guide much of my reading. Last year I used my holiday gift cards to buy the year's best books list from The Atlantic Monthly (a fun mix of nonfiction, history, and novels). I'm a sucker for a compelling author interview on NPR.
A few years ago, I decided to read all the books that I encountered in the media on June 15th. I read about world economics, psychology, wine corks, and William Shatner's biography (thanks Parade Magazine!) which turned out to be the best of the bunch.
Right now my reading gift to myself is a subscription to Powell's Indiespensable book club. Every six weeks or so I receive a signed book and some goodies. So exciting--and mind-stretching!
Exploring an eclectic mix of books sparks my creativity as a writer. Reading about Cezanne's artistic suffering sure inspires me to push myself as a writer.
I just started keeping a book list and I love it! The Powell’s book club sounds so cool, too. I might have to gift myself with it at some point!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that Powell's book club, but that sounds like fun! It'd be fun to get a new book every few weeks, especially because I'm always on the lookout for a good read.
ReplyDeleteI always knew there was a mad method to your methodical madness! (Or something like that. It sounded cooler in my head.)
ReplyDeleteLOVE that June 15th reading challenge!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check out Powell's. Never heard of it either. It would be like getting a little gift in the mail every month.
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