March was not a good month for finishing books. Well, it was’t bad, just not as productive as I had hoped it would be. Of all the books I mentioned reading and planning on reading soon in my March book chat post I finished four of them. But then I did manage to slip in several gardening books that weren’t even on my radar at the time of the post. Still, I feel a bit mired. I am reading a bunch of great books and enjoying them all but it seems they are all long and/or slow reading (in a good way).
So what do I have on the go?
In my NYRB Classics subscription reading I am very close to being at the end of An Armenian Sketchbook by Vasily Grossman. It is only 114 pages when the notes and photos are excluded but it is not a fast read. Grossman writes so beautifully I don’t want to read it quickly. I even find myself rereading passages just because they are so marvelous. I have 20 pages left and it will take me at least a day or two to read them. After that, it is March’s NYRB book, Pitch Dark by Renata Adler. I am very much looking forward to this unusual sounding novel.
I am also still reading The Collected Poems of Marcel Proust. I have an April 23rd deadline for these because I signed up to be a stop on Serena’s poetry month blog tour. There are 104 poems and the pages of notes providing context for each poem are often longer than the poem itself. It’s not bad, but it does get tiring.
I am making my way slowly through One Green Field by Edward Thomas. The book is just over 100 pages with each “chapter” usually about 2-5 pages long. I only read one chapter and then put the book down. His descriptions and writing are so lush and rich I can’t read more than a small bite at a time. I borrowed The Collected Poems of Edward Thomas from the library hoping I would have time to enjoy some of his poetry too but sadly the time has not materialized. Maybe soon.
I am still making my way through Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector by Benjamin Moser. The book is incredibly detailed and Lispector a fascinating woman. But all the detail, wonderful as it is, does not make for quick reading. After about 30 minutes to an hour my brain begins to sizzle with information overload.
I have information overload issues with How We Became Posthuman by N. Katherine Hales too. This is a dense book that forces one to pay close attention. I think I am going to count it among my science books by women because while its topics include literature it is about information theory and computer science at its heart.
I am reading something light too: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin. It is the third book in the series. I am reading it on my Kindle which is difficult because it means I am reading it in short bursts while commuting to and from work and during my lunch break. I have lost track of how many times I have almost missed my stop because I was absorbed in the book. And thank goodness my coworkers don’t pester me about being a little late now and then returning from my lunch break. Just one more paragraph! I am at about the halfway mark and enjoying the book immensely.
In the gate and waiting for their turn is To Save Everything, Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism by Evgeny Morozov. The book “Argues that technology is changing the way we understand human society and discusses how the disciplines of politics, culture, public debate, morality, and humanism will be affected when responsibility for them is delegated to technology.” Sounds interesting, yes? Also in the wings is Virtual Love by Andrew Blackman. It is a novel “about the identity that people project about themselves in the social media world and the real life identity that we all cannot escape from.” Given the Hales book I am in the middle of and the other book in waiting I just mentioned, Virtual Love seems like the perfect novel companion to the nonfiction.
Of course I have several other books in progress that I am dipping into now and then but not enough for me to add them to the actively reading chat. And of course I have a bunch of books I want to start reading right now. But I think I will try and stick with what I just told you about as best I can. No promises though that something might not sneak in. I am in line for a bunch of books at the library and we all know how books on long holds list all seem to become available at the same time.
Alright, that is a lot of books. A lot of dense reading! No wonder you aren’t speeding through. I’m reading quite a number concurrently right now, but only one is dense like these. The rest are simply fiction 🙂
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Melwyk, I’ve got to work on achieving a better dense/light balance 🙂
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I’m interested to read your thoughts on Proust’s poetry as you know I’m doing the Proust read-along now. I know this is poetry month, but still thinking of which poems to read. 😉
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An impressive set of books that demand careful and close reading – I’m glad you are allowing yourself some George R.R Martin! I am wading through Dominic Sandbrook’s Seasons In the Sun which is a doorstopper history of Britain 1974-79. It is hugely readable and has the fascination of reading about the day before yesterday.
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Ian, George R. R. Martin is so much fun. When I am done Bookman and I will watch season three of the TV show and I will annoy him by complaining that the book wasn’t like that 🙂 He’s read all the books already long ago. Your history book sounds like fun reading. I find it a somewhat odd experience reading recent history that I lived through even if I wasn’t very old because I have my own memories and impressions of the time bumping up against the book.
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Arti, I know you’ve got the Proust read-along going at the moment. I can tell you Proust’s poetry is nothing like his prose. I hope you figure out what poetry you want to read before the month is over 😉
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Do find time to get to the Edward Thomas poetry, you really won’t regret it. And oh that ‘one more chapter’ syndrome that has made me late for so many occasions I’m running out of excuses. Soon I shall simply have to tell the truth and say that the book was more enticing than the prospect of whatever I was late for.
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Alex, I will get to Thomas’s poetry, promise. It’s fun to be reading a book that is so captivating even when the cause certain life difficulties like being late 🙂
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Just to add to the pile, the list of books to choose from for the next Slaves meet is up and voting has begun! I know just what you mean about non-fiction. I am trying to train my brain to take in more information and have more stamina when it comes to reading chunky biographies. It isn’t easy!
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Litlove, oh, thanks for heads up about the Slaves! Reading a bio about someone I have a passing knowledge of is a bit easier because I know some of the details already. But I know nothing about Lispector and Moser also takes a lot of time detailing cultural and political events that affected her and her family. Fascinating but a lot of information!
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I have not started the Proust book yet, but I hope to sometime next week. I had wondered about getting bogged down in notes…I tend to like to read the poems as they are on the page without noise in the background.
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saqustocox, the notes a very boggy. I’ve reached the point where I skim them before reading a poem only to see if there is a word or phrase I should know about and skipping all the biographical information about the people whose names he drops. I will be very curious to see what you make of them!
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Your reading list makes mine look very intellectually non-nutritious. I’ve been gorging on murder mysteries – with several vitamin-rich exceptions.
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Grad, mine is a little over-nutritious at the moment so thank goodness for George R.R. Martin and epic fantasy! Sounds like you’ve got a nice balance at the moment. I am hoping I can manage something more balanced soon!
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I try to read just one book at a time, but in truth I’m currently reading three: The Season of the Witch (David Talbot) (my “real” book — the one I read every night in bed), The Woman in White (inconsistently on my Kindle, only when I travel) and Dragonfly in Amber (Diana Gabaldon) — totally indulgent cheesy time-travel historical romance, which I keep in the car for when I have to wait in the car for something. I find that each suits its purpose!
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wherethereisjoy, soon you’ll be reading four and then five at a time if you aren’t careful 😉 I enjoyed the first six books in Gabaldon’s Outlander series but gave up after that because, well, if you keep reading them you will understand.
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Hmm. I wonder how I did if I look back on any of my ‘reaidng in progress’ monthly sorts of posts. Am a little afraid to know as March was not so good for me either–especially for planned reads! Still you have lots of interesting sounding books on the go and isn’t it nice knowing you have a variety to choose from depending on mood?! I could almost join you for the Edward Thomas book, but I had better stick to finishing a few I already am in the middle of. I am closer to the beginning of the Grossman than the end–it is indeed good, but dense as you say–the sort of writing it is best to slow down with. Here’s to great April reading! 🙂
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Danielle, I looked back only because March ended up feeling sort of like nothing much had happened with my reading. Looking back then should me that things did happen, just not what I had planned to happen! It is always great to have a variety of books to choose from though sometimes it is hard to choose! I’ll probably still be reading Edward Thomas come May at the rate I am going. I am sure you will love Grossman. I have about five pages left so will be writing about him next week.
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There is a NYRB classics subscription? That sounds very tempting! I’ve noted the Grossman book and will look for it at my library.
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Michelle, yep. You can get a six-month or 12-month subscription and so far I can say it has been worth every penny! http://www.nybooks.com/books/imprints/classics/the-nyrb-book-club/
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Stefanie, your “bad book month[s]” are nevertheless better than my best ones!
I’m actually wondering if my failing eyesight is causing me to read less than normal, because after a few pages [lately] I have to stop. Whereas I used to read for hours and hours, unstopping.
You have been reading some very deep stuff here. I am always impressed and inspired by the extent of your many interests. When it comes to reading, you definitely possess what the great Abraham Maslow would have referred to as “a freshness of appreciation.”
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Cirpriano, get thee to the optometrist and buy some glasses! Even before my eyes started to get “old” I wore reading glasses because I read so much I got eyestrain headaches. When I told the optometrist how much time I spent reading his jaw dropped to the floor 🙂 “A freshness of appreciation,” I like that. Thanks! 🙂
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