Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Left Unread

  And that's okay.


  1. "We both occupy and are colonized by books. I can't imagine ever completely freeing myself from their benevolent tyranny."—I believe that Jane would say that that is a truth universally acknowledged, or it should be. I cannot make any sense of the world without narrative. Did it come from losing or finding myself in all of those books that served as a template for the person I was to become? I have questioned the fact that I re-read my favourite books constantly rather than opening up new worlds by diving into the unknown. Reading this gave me the answer to that question that I have longed for. And the idea of being my own jailer pierced that fragment of my soul that knows I have secreted myself in that carefully constructed prison. I will have no grandchildren and can only hope that the words and characters who have accompanied me through life are with me at the end. A stirring, provoking and in some ways, for me at least, confronting piece of writing.

  2. The way you have such a love for books shocks me that you only read To Kill a Mockingbird last year. I thought that would have been a book that you read over and over again. In my opinion it's the best book ever written. Besides reading it in English class in high school, I've read it at least four times. Kids these days don't appreciate a good book, including my own kids. Call me crazy, but something so personal about the pages in a good book. Well lets hope that never changes.

  3. Okay, so I found your blog while looking for season info on Ghost Whisperer. My guilty pleasure with that first cup of coffee after the kids are on the bus. I've worked backwards to your first post where you say you are putting this out there for critique good or bad (does anyone really mean that?) Well I am not a writer but I read more than is good for anyone. You obviously are well read (Jane not withstanding) and your words do flow gracefully and paint a picture. But I have to say in the passage where you refer to a girlfriends letters as 'being somewhere you could lay hands on them with out to much explanation' that image was so easily identified with. That is good writing, finding a human truth such as vulnerabilty and loss and putting it in a way that makes someone say "yes,yes.exactly" That's the passage you read again,w hen you share something with an author that you want to say you've said something I was afraid to say to myself.Great writing takes great bravery you give away pieces of yourself, lay yourself bare. I personally couldn't do it but I admire those who can. You, I think could do that if you choose to. And as for missing out on books," when the student is ready the" book "appears". Okay what is it about the internet that makes everyone think their two cents is of value. That's enough coffee for today!

  4. Books give us dreams, glimpses of the past or parallel dimensions, opening our minds to innumerous "what if" 's.
    I don't think I could live without having at least one book to read - like you, I have many I don't know if I'll ever get to reading or not. But it comforts me to know they are there, within my reach, ready to make my imagination fly above and beyond the day-in, day-out we live in.
    A.S. Byatt, Pablo Neruda, Jorge Luis Borges, Steinbeck, Tolkien, Marquez, Mailer. We're all Yahoos, but some of us open their minds to words of love, enlightenment, learning, and why not? simple fun.
    That's the power of the Word, and you've got it.

  5. Dave,

    I don't know if you read comments on old blog posts or if you get notifications, but I have a question for you. Can I use this post in my English 1102 class? Being an instructor of English, this is the message I want my students to hear every semester. Really hear and understand. The students keep a reflection journal with entries for each piece that they read. Sometimes they can surprise you. I can send you their reactions if you'd like. They already read The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly in my class, which has the same message within it. So many tell me how much they loved the book at the end of the semester and some even say that they will keep it. This baffles me. I kept all of my books from school. They are currently sitting on my shelves like trophies.


    So true.

    Thank you,

  6. It's funny, weird funny, that I felt almost outdated commenting on another post from 2013, but I comforted myself by saying, even if no one ever reads my comment it's not just okay, but it's something better, sort of a secret, for me. I don't believe that words go out of style, sure there are phrases that seem to "go out of style" (which I think that quote might be "out of touch") but no matter what I will always think things are "rad" or be "down" with going to a drive-in movie theater. But truly I believe words are timeless. A kind word or mindful insight can inspire through all times and generations, a good book, is a good book and if the back drop of any story is hundreds of years ago or set hundreds of years in the future all themes have relevance; love, hate, revenge, greed, fear and whatever else all humans can relate to. For me it's always cheeky mystery. I always have and always will love Agatha Christie, I thought I had read every work ten times over, then at a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store I found Agatha Christies' "The Mysterious Mr. Quinn" a volume of short stories all relating to a Mr. Harley Quinn, yeah I know, but it was truly amazing. I sat up like a teenager reading well into the night because I could not get enough. I should have started with I recently read the new Agatha Christie, "The Monogram Murders" (obviously not new, because she is dead, but her estate left the rights to her assistant who was allowed to write it). I really liked it and it made me completely memleket for her older works and since I usually share books I love in order to bribe others into talking with me about the books, I was all out and went to my favorite thrift stores to find some .10 cent gems and that is when I found it. I couldn't believe that she could surprise me all over again, I read it twice. I sometimes joke that with all the horrors I have witnessed senility is a welcome end of life, that not having memories will be my comfort in old age, of course there are things that will escape me that will make me sad, but since I won't remember what they are I somehow feel better. But I won't be sad if I forget all the collected works of Agatha Christie, I'll just read them again. I do hope I remember that I love her.