Rebecca Reads

I’m already planning to read a Harlem Renaissance Classic for the Classics Circuit (Black No More), but I decided rather belatedly to read some more African-American history for Black History Month.  I went to my own bookshelves and was surprised to find I don’t have very many African-American books I haven’t read. I realize, as Teresa wrote about the other week, that I need to make acquiring African-American fiction a priority so I have it on my shelves.

I did find A Raisin the Sun, recently arrived from bookmooch, and I have a few Toni Morrison books and some others. I’m not sure I’m in the mood for another Morrison read right now, but I also requested a few books from the library: Frederick Douglass’s autobiography and Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches in particular. I look forward to adding more African-American reading to my lineup in the future, even if I don’t get to them all this month.

I finished one book since February began, and it was a good one. On the other hand, Sense and Sensibility feels a bit disappointing. People kept telling me it wasn’t their favorite Austen, and I suspect it won’t be for me either. The characters feel flat and stereotyped. But, the romantic tension is starting to build, so maybe it will improve.

I’m making slow progress on Inventing English but I enjoy it and since I’m finished with Half the Sky (great book!) I’ll make that a priority. I also really need to read Dorian Gray this week, as my book club is coming up soon, and Schuyler’s novel: my Harlem Renaissance post date is approaching.

I keep checking out books. I’m never going to catch up.

Are you reading anything special in honor of Black History Month? Even if not, I hope you follow the Harlem Renaissance Circuit.

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Yesterday began Black History Month in the USA! The Harlem Renaissance-themed Classics Circuit began yesterday as well, and I hope you follow along as bloggers unite in reading classic works by African-Americans.

Although this post is not for the Circuit, in preparing for that Classics Circuit, I did a lot of preliminary reading about the era and I really wanted to dabble in the poetry. I meant to post this weeks ago, but it never happened and now it’s already February! It works well, though, because I’d like to write at least one post about African-American literature each week in February.

In my library shelf searches, I could not find a comprehensive collection of Countee Cullen and Claude McKay and any of the other, less well known African-American poets of the Renaissance. I still haven’t really found a comprehensive Harlem Renaissance poetry anthology at my library, but I did find an out-of-print 1941 anthology of poetry for children that met my needs. (Thank goodness for my library’s reciprocal borrowing program with 15 other libraries!). This allowed me to read a number of different poets who were writing during the Renaissance and before.

Although Golden Slippers was edited and prepared for a “young readers” audience, it’s applicable to all, and while the poetry in it is not my favorite, it seems to have an important overview of some of the poets of the near-contemporary age to the Renaissance. Researching online, I found more poems by each poet. I also focused on Langston Hughes a little bit in the past few weeks. Read the rest of this entry »

At the beginning of the month, my friend gave me a calendar called “The Reading Woman.” Apparently she knows I like to read. Each month has a different painting of a woman reading. I’ve decided to use it to keep track of the books I’ve read each month: when I finish a book, I write the name and author in on the date. That way at the end of the year, I’ll see where I’ve been and it will be full of books finished by date.

I liked January’s lady, but I rarely read sitting at a table and not with such a huge book. It’s calming all the same. As you can see (although you problem can’t read it), it took me a week to finish my first book in January. But I got plenty of reading in overall! I really enjoyed the books I read, for the most part, and while a few were not favorites, I’m ultimately glad I read them. I think finishing each month with “no regrets” is a goal for the year!

Because I have red hair, February’s picture kind of looks like me (but not really). I like it already and I look forward to another great reading month. I’m going to try to get a number of African-American books read in honor of Black History Month, but I also have my book club books, the start of the Lord of the Rings readalong, East of Eden, and some other classics and retellings. We’ll see how it goes this month!

I was going to get my Langston Hughes review up, but I figured the “month in review” would be quicker to get up. And since I wrote half of it and then my laptop turned off (apparently it wasn’t plugged in) I had to start over so it’s even later than I intended. And I’m not as long-winded as I was the first time (which you’ll probably consider a good thing). I guess later postings is what happens when I unplug for Sunday and Saturday my blog was down for about 16 hours.  Oh well, we do what we can.

My February project book is DNA by James Watson. Since it’s about 400 pages it may not be tough going. I may try to read my mom’s PhD dissertation as well. It’s about Eve’s role in Medieval English literature.

How was your reading January?

Have you ever lost a blog post after writing a good portion of it?

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I know May is still three months away, but I just want to gauge interest and see what you all think. I loved reading Paradise Lost a decade ago when I was in college and I’ve been thinking it’s about time to revisit it. The language of the poem was so beautiful, and I loved the retelling of the Adam and Eve story.

Because it is epic poetry (and it’s so great I’d love for others to join me!), I’m hoping that someone else might like to read along with me. My copy (Norton Critical Edition) is about 300 pages, and there are 12 books. I’d probably post once a week about three of the books, and I could link to any participant’s posts each week too.

Here’s the idea:

Week of May 3: Books 1-3

Week of May 10: Books 4-6

Week of May 17: Books 7-9

Week of May 24: Books 10-12

Is three books a week reasonable for other people that might be interested? We could do two books a week, and go into June, but then it might feel slow, I don’t know.

Why May? Well, I’m participating in the Lord of the Rings read-along starting next month and going through April and I need to also read Crime and Punishment for my April book club. May gives me time to get ready for it. Besides, doesn’t the story of Adam and Eve in a garden just call for springtime? (At least, it will be springtime for the Northern hemisphere.) I could also wait until June if that’s better for others.

And one other thing: I need a catchy name. I almost called it Milton in May, but since Woolf in Winter is kind of the same thing, I don’t want to appear to be copying on the alliteration thing…

Would you like to join me in reading Paradise Lost? Even just one person reading with me would make me happy!

Although To the Lighthouse is told in a similar stream-of-consciousness manner as was Mrs. Dalloway (reviewed two weeks ago), it struck me as different, and I’m not sure why. Was there more plot? Maybe. Was it the setting (the Hebrides versus London)? Maybe. I do know that as I read, I was less emotionally drawn in to the characters, and I found myself disliking all of them (yes, all of them). As I read the thoughts of each character, I found it to be incredibly realistic. I was in awe, once again of Woolf’s ability to capture the mental process of such a variety of fictional people. The fact that I didn’t like any of the people once I could listen in on their thoughts was telling: I suspect most of us wouldn’t get along very well if we could read each others’ thoughts!

Although I’m glad I read To the Lighthouse, I can’t say I’ll ever revisit it. I am looking forward to reading others’ posts today, though, because as with the other Woolf novel I read, I think I missed a lot! This post is a rambling collection of my thoughts about the book, and if you’ve also read the novel, I’d love to hear your thoughts too. What did I miss?

Because I read this book as a part of the Woolf in Winter read-along (hosted at Emily’s blog today), this post and the comments may include spoilers as a part of the discussion of the book. Read the rest of this entry »

Maybe this is odd but I’m not crazy about adventure stories. Characters are stereotypes, the adventures they must go through are stereotypes, and all ends up well in the end. I guess I just hope for a little depth or humor or ambiguity when I read.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was, in many senses, a knight’s adventure story as I’d stereotype them, with the addition that in the end (mini-spoiler!) he learns a lesson about Christian goodness that was necessary and appropriate for the 1400s, when this story was captured. What made reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight a delight for me, then, was not the story, or the characters, or the lessons learned. I enjoyed reading Sir Gawain for the language. Read the rest of this entry »

I volunteer at a local library on Friday mornings, and I noticed something odd about myself. As I was going to leave the library, I realized I hadn’t checked anything out. I had a book on hold for me at a different branch, and I had more than a dozen books at home. But I hadn’t checked anything out that day. I was itching inside. I was ill-at-ease.

So what did I do? I browsed among Charles Dickens and found a book, a beautiful new book with a nice binding and new book smell, and checked it out. I felt so much better.

I don’t buy books. In fact, when I moved to my first home last year, we were under budget constraints so except for a few $1 books from the library sale cart, I purposely did not buy a book between February and December. But it surprised me that checking out a book was as much an addiction as some people find buying books. At least it’s free!

Weird sensation, though, to realize my body and mind felt the need to check out a book. Not that I’m going to read it this week or next. I just needed a book as I walked out of the library.

Are you addicted to checking out library books?

Are you addicted to buying books? I’ve always wondered how people fund that addiction. Books are expensive!

My week in reading was good. I enjoyed Sir Gawain, although it wasn’t a favorite, and I’ve already talked about The Housekeeper and the Professor.  Although I’m finding my project book a little bit of a drag, I’m making progress. And the Zora Neale Hurston is a fast-paced novel that I really enjoy! I plan on reading To the Lighthouse first (for the Woolf in Winter readalong), and while I’m not enjoying it as I did Mrs. Dalloway, it’s also not bad. I shouldn’t give an opinion until I finish, because my mind could be changed.

I started dabbling in Inventing English, and I look forward to reading it slowly. Half the Sky is fascinating: it shows me how naïve and ignorant I am of the plight of women around the world. I suspect I will go through it quickly because it is so interesting to me.

What are you reading this week?

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I created the 1000 Books Project for myself when I reviewed an inspiring book about infant and toddler literacy, and I picked that book up because I felt bored with the picture books I’d been reading and rereading and rereading with my son. There, I said it: I was getting bored reading with my son.

Besides, reading the children’s books that I wanted to read (like Newbery or Caldecott winners and historical children’s literature) wasn’t always at the right level for my young son: my son is only two. I needed a way to be motivated to read with my son.

I read a lot of books myself (as my 2009 in stats might attest) and yet, a good part of my day before, after, in between my reading is taking care of my young son. My new goal is to read 1000 books with my son in approximately four years. Not just any books: different books. (Note: Before, I intended 1000 books by his fifth birthday. I have since decided on his sixth birthday.)

A few people have questioned the reasons why there is a number: Why not just spend time reading? I think that’s a great goal for any parent. Although I am not a professional by any means (and please don’t take my comments as if I were), I think reading and rereading is what a kid needs most, and I intend to continue rereading with my son all the time.

But as I mentioned, I was getting bored. I really didn’t look forward to the ten minutes before bed when we read because I’d already read The Little Red Caboose five to ten times that day.

My goals in this project is to go beyond togetherness time and make it fun for both of us. My goal is that in seeking out new books every few weeks, we will find new favorites, my son will find new concepts that interest him, and as a result, he will develop new vocabulary and understanding of the world around him. At some point, I anticipate reading together might help him when he needs to learn to read, but for us now, when he’s two, it’s to help him learn about the world around him.

Current goals:

• Find new favorite books (books we reread five times a day)
• Learn new vocabulary and concepts
• Try to find an interest beyond trains and trucks because Mommy is getting bored

Our First 80 Books (or So)

The running list of 1000 books in progress is on the 1000 Books Project page. Below, I will mention books that have not been mentioned already elsewhere on this site.  Because this first batch of books includes books we own and already reread many times a day, it was much easier to get to 80 books than the next ones will take! I will have to seek a bit more carefully for the next group of books. Finally, a number of books we own that we’ve read did not make it on this list so I’ll make sure to count them next time.

Also, this post is incredibly long. I’ll have to post about children’s books more often, I guess, because I have so much to say! Read the rest of this entry »

Because of my positive experience reading Sei Shonagon’s The Pillow Book, I thought I’d try some more Japanese literature. Amanda wrote a positive review of The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa and I noticed that this was the selected book for the Japanese Literature Book Group run by tanabata at In Spring it is the Dawn. Then I noticed it was less than 200 pages, and I thought it was sign I should give it a try.

Obviously, comparing Ogawa’s modern novel to Shonagon’s 1000-year-old journalistic notes is like comparing apples to oranges. If you ask, I’ll say I much prefer the old classic. But I did enjoy the Japanese novel too. Now I feel I am about to embark on a new genre of interest: Japanese literature, classic and new.

The professor of the title was once a famous mathematician, but a car accident 25 years ago left him unable to remember more than 80 minutes at a time. Now he lives in the past and every 80 minutes he must learn again the events and people from the 25 years he’s forgotten. Nevertheless, the housekeeper is able to develop a friendship with him as she learns about the beauty of numbers. Mathematics, not memory, is a universal language of their friendship. Although the science of the memory aspect of the book seems suspect, the themes of friendship are universal. In the end, it was an enjoyable book, although not a favorite.

As a part of the book group, Tanabata at In Spring it is the Dawn asks a few questions and includes the publishers’ book group questions. Note that this post (and probably the comments) will include spoilers as a part of the discussion of the book. Read the rest of this entry »

Although Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a slim book (124 pages), the issues raised are relevant today. I wouldn’t say Gilman’s writing is stunning or beautiful. The plot is not engaging or page-turning. It is predictable and overly “convenient.” The characters are stereotypes on steroids. But rather than expecting any of those other things, the reader of Herland should expect an issue book, and Gilman manages to address a number of issues in its pages.

Herland is nearly 100 years old, but the fantasy-adventure story of three men discovering a country of women still has some relevance. In some aspects, its age shows, but I’m glad I reread it ten years after my first read so I could get a fresh perspective.

I’m also willing to send you my twice-read, still-in-good-condition, ten-year-old Dover Thrift Edition so you can read it for yourself.

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