books – Page 10 – Sally Allen

May 10, 2016May 30, 2017

Reading pet peeve #2: The phrase guilty pleasure

I could live the rest of my life quite happily without ever, ever again hearing the phrase guilty pleasure applied to one’s reading choices.

What bothers me is, it constructs false binaries: pleasure or enrichment, entertainment or education, fun or value.

As an academic, I’ve seen how these binaries can taint the idea of pleasure, as if feeling happy or good is somehow unworthy or lacking in value. If we’re not suffering, we’re probably not being challenged enough, or working hard enough, or smart enough to understand that we don’t understand.

No.

We can enjoy books and still be smart about them. We can enjoy books and still be rigorous with them. Now I think about it, don’t we enjoy books because we find value in them? Continue reading “Reading pet peeve #2: The phrase guilty pleasure”

May 8, 2016May 30, 2017

Book club books for moms

If you’re a mom who has ever been in a book club with other moms (especially moms of children your child is friends with), this scenario may ring familiar: We get together to talk about the book. This lasts for a solid 12 – 17 minutes. The ensuing two hours of conversation are devoted to discussing our children.

To be clear: I’m not knocking this. It’s only natural since our children are fascinating, as are their experiences, their challenges, their relationships. Literature can help us work through and better understand all of the above, which is why we thought to start the book club in the first place! In honor of Mother’s Day, and in the spirit of reading as self-exploration, how about a list of book club books tailor made for moms?

I realize my list is slanted by my suburban, middle class mother experience. I would love to hear suggestions for further and broader reading in the comments. Continue reading “Book club books for moms”

May 3, 2016May 30, 2017

Ramping up my reading challenge in May

I'm kicking my 2016 Reading Challenge into high gear in May with the #SmashYourStack reading challenge.

My reading challenge has been my anchor during a busy first third of 2016. It has flown by in a haze of events, assignments, responsibilities, new experiences. In other words: life.

Through this rush, #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks has kept me focused without putting inordinate pressure on me to read a set number of books by a set date. It has reintroduced me to what is turning out to be an exceedingly well-stocked library (my very own!). It has staunched the slow bleed of my monthly earnings. Oh yes, this reading challenge came at just the right time, and I’ve loved everything about it.

Still…the rosy glow of affection and good intentions can dim over time, can’t they? Who hasn’t experienced the pull of old habits? Continue reading “Ramping up my reading challenge in May”

May 2, 2016May 30, 2017

The unabridged list of books I read in April

Another eclectic collection of books I added to my "read" pile in April

Am I really already talking about the books I read in April? Yes, the same incredulity that possessed me at the beginning of last month. This year is flying by at the speed of sound (or is it light?).

This month saw my highest “read” tally all year, thanks in large part to Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon. My titles included the usual mix of middle-grade and adult fiction and memoir. I also read a classic I’ve been meaning to read for a few months (or years…whatever) and finished a book that has been languishing on my “currently reading” list for a few weeks.

Books I read:

Reading Challenge-wise, I’m not doing too badly: 60 percent of the books I read this month were books I already owned. Although … When I look at it that way, I’m barely passing. I will have to keep working on this!

* Indicates a #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks title Continue reading “The unabridged list of books I read in April”

April 29, 2016May 30, 2017

My overstuffed shelfies are driving me mad

Trying to find a specific title on my shelfies is like trying to find the Rosetta Stone, without the benefit of Napoleon’s army.

Recently, I was looking for a book I knew, with absolute certainty, lived somewhere on my shelfies. The *real* ones. The ones that hold my paper books.

So many pretty books on my shelfies. Now if only I could find them. — *Here is another beauty.*

Though I am a devoted e-reader (and devoted to my e-reader), I love paper books, especially hardcover paper books. Hardcovers have weight and heft. They have physical presence. They feel friendly in my hand. They can be art objects in themselves. Here, the first titles that come to mind are The Enchanted Wanderer: And Other Stories by Nikolai Leskov, The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker, and Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami.

This is one reason I have so much trouble getting rid of paper books, even the ones I probably won’t reread, or (ahem) read for the first time. It’s their beauty and sense of possibility. Continue reading “My overstuffed shelfies are driving me mad”

April 23, 2016May 30, 2017

Dewey’s Readathon Wrap-Up

My Readathon staples: A full mug of coffee and fully charged Nook

Before Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon started, I set myself the goal of enjoying the experience, no matter how many books and pages I read and how many hours I lasted. Since this was my first go, I knew I’d be figuring things out and exploring the social media communities. For me, the point of participating was to engage not only with books (which I can do on my own anytime) but also with the awesome book people participating.

I had a chance to do that and adored it. Readathoners are the nicest people on the Internet (if not the planet). Full stop. One of my other favorite parts was doing mini-challenges. They gave me a little break from reading to process my experience. Next time, I will try to organize my time in advance. I don’t want to be too regimented but do want to make sure I’m giving myself structured time to engage, read, and write.

And now for my end of event survey and (at the end of that) my perfect reading day (another mini-challenge after my heart): Continue reading “Dewey’s Readathon Wrap-Up”

April 23, 2016May 30, 2017

Dewey’s Readathon: Opening meme

Ready for Dewey's Readathon with all my essentials!

This is my first time participating in Dewey’s Readathon, and I intend to enjoy it. In the past, my perfectionism has had a habit of tarnishing experiences, so I’m kicking it to the curb for today. I woke up at my start time of 8 a.m. and enjoyed setting up my reading space, settling in, and drinking my coffee.

With the first hour up, I’ve already accomplished one of my goals: to finish Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass. Next up: El Deafo by Cece Bell.

In the meanwhile, Continue reading “Dewey’s Readathon: Opening meme”

April 21, 2016May 30, 2017

Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon Gameplan

It’s beautiful to see and be part of a group of people joining together to experience and celebrate a shared love. The rallying point is our consensus that reading books is awesome, whatever books those may be.

The Readathon concept isn’t entirely new to me. It’s what I call “therapy time,” or “Saturday” (ha).

This is to say, submersing myself into a long uninterrupted reading stretch is how I relax, unwind, de-stress, refresh. Books are my personal decompression chambers. However, what I’ve not done before is participate in a Readathon as a social activity.

I have no idea why. But that omission is about to be corrected: I signed up to participate in the Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon on Saturday. As I live on the East Coast, my starting time is an eminently reasonable 8 a.m. Not that I have a problem sacrificing sleep to read. Continue reading “Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon Gameplan”

April 18, 2016May 30, 2017

Why I love reading classic literature

Classic literature literature reminds me not to take things too personally. It allows me to reconnect with the idea of literature beyond the context of my time.

One reason (among many) I enjoy reading classic literature: It’s a finite world.

Having gone on to claim their “celestial rewards,” as Charles Dickens put it so elegantly (Pickwick Papers, I think, or maybe Hard Times?), authors are safely out of the picture. Therefore, they can’t get into Twitter wars with critics over how their work has been interpreted. They can’t reveal appalling personal views after I’ve already fallen in love with their work. They can’t continue releasing more and more information about characters or stories that obliges me endlessly to reframe the original. They can’t write sequels, disappointing or otherwise.

Just David Copperfield and me ... and coffee, and s'mores. — Just David Copperfield and me … and coffee, and s’mores.

To be clear, I don’t mean to say there’s anything wrong with the above. In fact, I love attending author talks and hearing what inspired a story I enjoyed. I love being able to say to an author, “Thank you for this experience. Thank you!” I love knowing Nick Hornby and Haruki Murakami and Zadie Smith are still alive and well and hopefully, if I’m lucky, writing more books. Continue reading “Why I love reading classic literature”

April 17, 2016May 30, 2017

Do you remember the book that made you a reader?

I may not remember the name of the book that made me a reader, but I remember the feeling of becoming a reader.

The Center for Fiction has a lovely series called “The Book That Made Me a Reader.” It features acclaimed authors sharing their gateway books—the ones that inspired them to become readers. I love discovering what books moved authors as children and trying to find connections between that work and their work.

As for me, I can rattle off long lists of my childhood favorites, books I read and re-read so many times that their plots are more familiar to me than the events of my own life. But when it comes to the title of the first book that turned me into a reader, I find myself at a loss. I cannot remember the name of the book. What I remember is the moment reading became fluent for me, when the lines and squiggles lined up neatly on the page coalesced and bloomed into meaning, scenes, ideas. Continue reading “Do you remember the book that made you a reader?”