Challenge: Read a Book a Week
Posted in Links on September 2nd, 2010 by admin – Be the first to commentIt’s funny, you know. I cannot imagine reading a book a week on any kind of regular basis, and yet that’s pretty much exactly what I do. I mean, sure, if you separate paper books from audiobooks, I average a little under 8 days and a little over 10 days per book, respectively. But if you add them together, I finish a book roughly every 4.5 days.
Of course, this challenge isn’t for folks like me, for whom reading is already a major part of daily life. I could probably finish a book in a week if I only read one at a time. I suspect many of my readers are in a similar situation. But if you would like to read more, this is a good list of tips. (And it’s a pretty humorous post to boot.)
The 50 page rule, however, is not one I can stick to. That would mean never reading for less than an hour at a time (I’m a very slow reader), and that’s simply not possible. But I suppose it’s a reasonable goal to strive for if you have trouble finishing books.
by Daniel Quinn: I picked this up because a friend highly recommended it, saying it was one of her favorite books of all time. Basically, the narrator comes across a classified ad in the newspaper advertising a teacher in search of a student with an interest in saving the world. The narrator, who was too young to join the hippie movement but was nonetheless enchanted by their ideals, looks up this teacher out of curiosity. From then on the book is almost entirely their sessions together, learning about the mythology of the “Taker” and “Leaver” cultures, respectively, and how to “save the world”. I alternated between interest in the story and exasperation at the preaching. The ending was too predictable and too convenient, but I’m not sure how else it could have ended. As for the philosophy, well, it certainly wasn’t a life-changing experience for me. I was left with too many questions. Living in harmony with the planet is certainly a worthy endeavor, but never are issues addressed like, for example, travel. Transportation requires a disruption of the natural order: trees and animal habitats must be swept away to lay roads, runways, and rails. Sure, it’s easier to adapt to your surroundings if you never go anywhere, but such isolation also sows xenophobia and superstition. This is not to say we shouldn’t strive to coexist peacefully with the rest of nature, or that it is our right and duty to reshape the world to suit our purposes. Not at all. I just felt that the arguments presented here were incomplete. They also propose that we who have plenty should not aid those suffering from famine and drought. I understand the idea behind it – it will just lead to overpopulation and more famine in the future – but I am not comfortable with the lack of compassion.
by Louis Sachar: Stanley Yelnats is wrongfully convicted of shoe theft and sent to a juvenile detention camp to dig holes in a dry lake bed. Little does he realize, but he is about to be caught up on intertwining stories spanning several generations of his family and friends. Though I figured out how it would end early on, I still had lots of fun getting there. I loved how neatly everything tied together and how realistic most of the characters were, despite their rather silly names, like Armpit and Mr. Sir. I’m not surprised this won so many awards – it does a good job of storytelling without unnecessary conflict or controversy. Thumbs up.
by Tove Jansson: I love Moomins. Let me say that up front. They’re sweet and adorable and funny. In this tale, a comet is speeding toward the earth, so Moomintroll and Sniff have to journey to the observatory in the mountains to find out what can be done about it. Along the way they make many friends, and though there is a chronological order to these stories, you don’t need to read them in order. If something’s not explained, it’s probably not important (or purposely mysterious, like the Hattifatteners). The illustrations are darling and I enjoyed every moment of the journey. I love how all the Moomins are so accepting of everyone, no matter how bizarre or unfriendly. One day I hope to read the original comics, but for now I’m plenty happy with the books.
by Lois Lowry: It’s interesting how many novels about the Nazis are written from the point of view of a child. This is no exception: Annemarie is a 10-year-old girl living in 1943 Copenhagen, which Germany invaded years before. Her best friend Ellen is a Jew, and one day her parents flee to avoid “relocation.” Annemarie’s parents take in Ellen and have her pose as their daughter. There’s quite a bit of tension every time the Nazis show up; I doubt I could have been that calm in the face of such danger at that age. Don’t skip the afterword, which explains what parts of the book were based in fact; a surprising amount of details and twists turn out not to be just clever literary devices. It’s a good glimpse of history, and unlike most books written about this time period, I didn’t cry even once. Which was a nice change.
by Natalie Babbitt: Winnie Foster meets the Tucks, a family accidentally made immortal by a strange spring in the forest. I’m always interested in stories about immortality. Many of the common motifs involve the ability to be killed (Highlander, vampires) or stipulate that the immortality is only as long as the individual is rejuvenated with some sort of elixir of life. Here, the Tucks not only don’t age or get sick, they cannot be killed. Drinking from the spring is completely irreversible, and they will be around until the end of time. Which is a pretty scary prospect, if you think about it, and the dilemma is handled well here. The ending is bittersweet and satisfying. Now I want to go find a toad of my own.