(no subject)

[pegkerr]

My reading faculty seems to be out of whack. I have been unable to pick up and settle on a book for the last half week or so, which is maddening, and not my usual experience. desayunoencama wrote an entry about finishing and enjoying a trilogy of Robin Hobb's and so I thought, ok, I'll re-read Wizard of the Pigeons. I enjoyed that one. I took it with me to work, and started it, and it's well-written and all, but I couldn't get into it. Once Wizard started getting upset because he feels MIR is threatening him, the urge to close the book was irresistable. My attention wanted to skitter away. I realized, thinking about it, that I didn't want to read about anyone being upset. I want to sink mindlessly into a book, to have my attention shunted away from my boring job and the dark days around me, without asking anything of me that it unpleasant. Once I figured this out, I felt pretty disgusted with myself for my own intellectual laziness.

Days are getting brighter. Hopefully this won't be a problem for long.

Very cold again today.

Must find and try another book. Goodness knows we have enough to choose from in our house. But it is very unusual for me to have such difficulty deciding upon and settling on a book. *Sigh* An unpleasant and unfamiliar feeling.

I probably better use the light box again today.

Comments

[oracne.livejournal.com]

I want to sink mindlessly into a book, to have my attention shunted away from my boring job and the dark days around me, without asking anything of me that it unpleasant. Once I figured this out, I felt pretty disgusted with myself for my own intellectual laziness.

I get the same way, except without the disgust! I usually go for historical romance novels when I'm in a similar mood. Or sometimes just certain parts of novels I've read before.

[satakieli.livejournal.com]

Have you read The Thirteen Clocks, by James Thurber? It's perhaps not quite what you're looking for to achieve the goal of sinking mindlessly into a book, as it's quite short (you could read it in an hour).

However, since you can read it in an hour, your attention doesn't have to stay fixed very long to enjoy the entire experience. I think you might like it; it's a fairy tale for adults, though unlike many beasts of that description, it's entirely suitable for children. If the child isn't precociously culturally literate, some of the humor will go over her head; I grew up on it, reading and loving it for many years before I understood lines like, "I am the only Gollux in the world, and not a mere Device," or registered the fact that every bit of dialogue is written in straight iambs, though not in any particular meter. It's witty, mildly disturbing, sweet, and funny, and it's full of word play. And it's short, in case I haven't already mentioned that three times. See if your local library has a copy; it's fairly hard to find in bookstores.

[desayunoencama.livejournal.com]

I am very aware that a large part of my current devouring of traditional mystery novels comes from a personal disgust with the injustice I see in the world around me, and a grasping for a world where justice is seen as not only possible but the correct outcome of whatever disruption of the social order has occurred. It's not always legal justice, given the sometimes corrupt police/judiciary forces at work, but there is a moral justice that is achieved.

I also think it's important that reading be fun and not just a matter of intellectual edification, it's too easy to loose that joy of reading otherwise, for it to become an effort like one's mundane job. (One of my frustrations with writing children's books here in Spain is that the culture treats kidzbooks as educational, and there's very little tradition of letting or encouraging kids to read for pleasure, of giving books as gifts because they're seen as schoolwork, etc.)

I've had a copy of WIZARD OF THE PIGEONS sitting on my to-read stack for years now, and have not yet been in the right mood for it.

I know that, when trying to change your mood via music, they always recommend that you first match your mood and then slowly proceed form there. That is, if you're depressed, you can't just put on a happy-go-lucky song and expect your mood to suddenly spring up to that level. You put on something deep and mournful and gradually escalate the happiness-quotient of the tunes until you're pulled out of your funk. But first, you wallow in the funk.

For books, the equivalent would be to read something for pleasure, something that will make you feel safe, cocooned in its world. Then you can work up to intellectually edifying/rewarding later.

[siriologist.livejournal.com]

Sometimes you need a mindless book. Think of it like a light excersise day. Sometimes you can do the full out cardiomax and other days light yoga is about all you can take. Reading should be the same. Sometimes you can handle an intellectually complex book, other times a mind candy novel is what's called for. Don't beat yourself up. Get something light and trashy and let Calgon take you away :)

For future reference...

[rabican.livejournal.com]

I tend to read a lot of books with people getting upset, so I wasn't sure if I had anything useful to say, but one nice, short, and utterly charming book I read that I found very cheering was J.R.R. Tolkien's Roverandom. It's about a little dog who gets turned into a toy and goes on some very strange adventures.

[sternel.livejournal.com]

have you read any of Diana Gabaldon's books? She is my favorite can't-cope-off-to-Mordor escapism. Great historical romance, with enough research and plotting to allow me to feel like i'm not being a complete slacker. If you haven't encountered them yet, definately give them a whirl.

::hugs you::

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

I'm in a similar situation right now, having just finished a huge novel centering around a Victorian era prostitute. It was quite good, but emotionally draining, and I'm right there with you looking for something fun and easy and not so taxing emotionally. I thought I'd suggest Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones if you haven't read it already. Quite sweet and funny, it is one of the books I turn to when I need some literary comfort food. Don't be disgusted with yourself, anyone who invests their minds in their reading as much as you clearly do is bound to run out of patience and energy occasionally.

Getting into Live Journal community !

[nermina.livejournal.com]

Hello Peg,

This is Nermina, girl from Croatia who lives in Georgia at the moment and has sort of adopted your mom and dad. :)
You told me about livejournal long time ago and I took your advice and made my own. You can check it out at: www.livejournal.com/users/nermina/
and tell me what you think. I write it in English mostly and turn it into reflections on "American life". :)) People got a kick out of it. :)
Thanks,
Nermina

Re: Getting into Live Journal community !

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

How nice to hear from you again! I am glad you've given LiveJournal a try and hope that you find it as much fun as I have. Looking forward to chatting with you more.

Cheers,
Peg