Book Journal: Thursday’s Reflection

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, there are two things you know about me for sure. 

I love books. Reading books--lots and lots of books-- talking about books, reading about books, listening to podcasts about books, and keeping lists of books.

AND

I love lists--creating lists, checking items off my lists, saving lists.

The two loves come together in my Book Journal.

Last year I kept my book lists in my bullet journal, which is where I make my weekly and monthly lists, along with other miscellaneous lists and notes, but this year I decided to devote a separate journal to all things BOOK. 

This is where I maintain my TBR (To Be Read) list, an ever-growing list plus, of course, my list of what I have read, divided into fiction and nonfiction categories. I also keep track of books acquired during the year, books eliminated from my shelves, books abandoned before finishing, book ideas for other people, favorite quotations from books, selections for our book group. Recently, I added a copy of a great list of books for those traveling to England (or in my case, wishing I could travel to England), suggested by Anne Bogel in her Modern Mrs Darcy blog. (Book List) 

I know this must seem silly, over-the-top and/or obsessive compulsive. Perhaps you are shaking your head and saying, "Get a life!" or "Who cares!' 

I do hope you won't abandon reading my blog because of what seems like a trivial, time-consuming distraction from the more important concerns in life. 

Let me explain. Earlier this month I discovered my Word of the Year is Fullness (See Word of the Year) Fullness to me means staying awake to the sacred in life--and I consider books and reading sacred. Fullness is being aware of the abundance and richness in my life. Fullness does not mean avoiding the tough, the difficult, the painful, but in order to stay connected and informed and responsive, I must honor what gives me pleasure. Books and my reading life give me pleasure. Books are a part of the fullness of life, and dipping into my book journal to add a title to one of the lists reminds me of the many gifts writers and words add to my life.   

Somehow keeping a book journal enhances my ability to engage  with what I am reading, deepening the insights, the perspectives and connections and moving me towards a life lived with greater meaning and purpose.  

Tomorrow I will note on a new list my favorite books for the month of January: Kindred by Octavia Butler (fiction) and Ordinary Light, a memoir by poet Tracy K. Smith. I recommend them both.

Now excuse me, I have reading to do. 

An Invitation
What activities in your life now add to the fullness in your life? I would love to know. 

To Be Read: Thursday's Reflection

I guess it is time to make a confession:  Books Are My Addiction. (Or at least my main one). 

I have stashes of books I have not yet read. More than one stash. 

One stash is on a shelf in the snug--mainly books I have found at Little Free Libraries in our neighborhood. 


Another stash is hidden from view--on the back side of a pillar in the garret.

And then there are the miscellaneous books stacked on other shelves throughout the house. I think I have actually read more books currently in the house than there are books waiting to be read, but I am not willing to do a count. 




And still I add more books, although not at the same rate as I did in earlier times of my life. Since January I have acquired eighteen books, and I confess that I purchased most of those. But not all, I hasten to add. 

I know I could go a long time--a VERY long time--just reading what I have at my fingertips, but sometimes my TBR (To Be Read) list tugs, and I yearn to wander the stacks in the library. There is a kind of thrill, a rush, when I find a book that is on my TBR lists. One list in rough alphabetical order is for fiction and the other, which is more random, is nonfiction. Both lists are on my phone--handy when the car stops all on its own by the library entrance. 

Recently, I made quite a haul at the library. Ten books--three nonfiction titles and seven novels. Once home I browsed my booty, both to determine what to read first, but also to make sure I wanted to actually read each one. In the process I realized that I have already read one  of the titles, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, and rereading the summary, I remembered enjoying it. Cross that off the TBR list--no one said my lists are foolproof!

I decided the first book I would read from this current treasure chest would be On Beauty by Zadie Smith, a writer I have heard about, but have never read, and I love this book. Now you know what that means--her other books are now on my TBR list! As luck would have it, a few days after I started On Beauty I spotted her book White Noise in a Little Free Library--no question about bringing that home with me. 

Has anyone read books by Maggie O'Farrell? Well, I checked out two novels by her the day I roamed the library--Instructions for a Heatwave and This Must Be The Place. I have no idea how those titles ended up on my TBR lists, but would you believe in the next couple days I heard glowing reviews of her books on a couple podcasts about books? I will read one of those titles next. 

I know there are people who do not keep a backlog of books, who don't worry about having a book for every mood, every reading emergency, and who only bring one book at a time into the house  and then read that one before getting another book, but that clearly is not me. Who are those people anyway? And I know there are people who have a philosophy of one book in/one book out. I do that with pairs of shoes and blouses, but not books. 

I am apologizing ahead of time to my family when it is time to dispose of my books. I have been trying to clear the space of other belongings, but that just is not going to happen with my books. Here's my suggestion: Invite everyone who comes to my memorial service to take a book or two or three. Open the house to everyone on the block and tell them they can't leave without an armload of books. You are smart people, and I know you will figure out what to do. 

In the act of confessing there is the underlying intention to do better, to change one's wayward ways. Well, I have another confession, I am not going to conquer my book addiction. I love having a store of books, read and unread, to remind me of all the beauty in the world, of how much I still need to learn and all the ways I need to grow, and to inspire me to stay awake to the glorious diversity around me. 

I have 20 more pages in On Beauty to read, and I am going to do that right now. 

An Invitation
What addiction do you have no intention of reforming? I would love to know. 

Choices: Thursday's Reflections

I think of myself as a voracious reader, but lately, my reading has been scattered, and I have been yearning for a reading retreat. I fantasize about heading to the North Shore for several days to read. I would want a view of the water and a comfortable chair and ottoman because I like to read with my legs stretched out in front of me. A fireplace would be nice. Good simple food, hot chocolate, some wine, and a shawl wrapped around my shoulders. 

And, of course, a big pile of books. I would bring more books with me than I know I could read in the allotted time, but a book lover is always concerned about finishing a book and not having another one right there. Read the last page of one book and immediately open to the first book of another. Or there is the anxiety of bringing a book you are sure you will love only to discover you don't like it at all. Be prepared, is my motto, and bring a stack of possibilities. (I know that issue could be solved by reading E books, but I cling to the feel of a book in my hand.)

Louise deSalvo, author of The Art of Slow Writing, Reflections on Time, Craft, and Creativity, refers to "in and out" reading. Reading  a few pages in-between other activities. I think of that as "stolen reading." She recalls the luxury of falling into reading when she was a child, bringing home a stack of books from the library in the summer and sitting on her porch and reading as long as she wanted.  

The summer before sixth grade I read so much my mother said I wore out the upholstery on a chair. How delicious were those days of total reading immersion.

So what is preventing me from doing that kind of reading right now? I don't have the water view, but I certainly have more than one comfortable chair and ottoman in quiet spaces. Hot chocolate and wine are available. Plus, I have more than enough books to stack at my side, awaiting their turn. 

I have been making different choices about my time. I do read in the morning during my morning meditation and devotion time, and  usually I read a bit before turning off my bedside light, but more and more I put my head on the pillow and close my eyes as soon as I crawl into bed. What has changed in recent months is how I spend my evenings. We have been eating our dinner on trays in front of the tv (I can't believe I am admitting this!) and have immersed ourselves in one series after another on Netflix or Acorn. We just finished watching season one of The Great British Bake Off, for example, but we also loved Restless and George Gently and Foyle's War and Partners in Crime and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Being able to watch one right after the other and as many as we want is seductive. One of us will say, "Just one more," and there we are for another hour. 

In conversations with others in our age category I have discovered we are not alone in this new attraction and I don't feel a need to justify it, but like everything else, when I choose to spend my time in this way, I am not choosing something else. 

Elizabeth Gilbert in her book Big Magic says, "If you can't do what you long to do, go do something else." I may long for a reading retreat, but I also know I don't want to take more time away from my writing. That happens enough as it is.  Going away for a chunk of time just isn't in the cards right now. That means it is time to make some different choices.

This week we are eating at the dining room table, and after dinner I gather my current pile of books and move into the room we call the Snuggery, our sun porch, and I read ALL evening and even read more when I crawl into bed. It is divine. I am immersed in a novel called The Tortoise and the Hare by an English writer in the 40's and 50's, Elizabeth Jenkins, previously unknown to me, but I am also reading Mary Karr's The Art of Memoir and a memoir by Sandra Gubar, Memoir of a Debulked Woman, Enduring Ovarian Cancer.  I have another book in the stack, The Last Gift of Time, Life Beyond Sixty by Carolyn Heilbrun, but haven't started that. Yet. 

I am not saying this is what I will do every evening, but I listened to my yearning and realized what I needed in that moment was to make a different choice. I did that, and I can do that in the future. 

An Invitation
What different choice could you make right now that would touch a yearning within you? I would love to know. 

Thursday's Reflection: A House of Books and Art

I know the home decor magazines tell us to decorate bookshelves in our home with interesting objects, not just books, but in my opinion, bookshelves are mainly for books. And if there is space on the shelf, that means there is room for another book. At least that is the way it is in this house. Here is a sample of some of our bookshelves. 

Books in the entryway.

Books in the living room.                       

 

Annual Favorite Books of the Year List, a post by Nancy L. Agneberg

Lists. I love making them and love reading them. I come by that naturally, for my father is a great list maker. For example, he has kept lists of every single flight he has taken in his life. Recently, he made a list of all the people with whom he has worked over the years. Over 300 names! He even made a list of everyone in his first grade class. Not bad for an 89 year old man. 
My favorite lists, however, are lists of recommended books--many are added to my ongoing list of books I hope to read someday. In that spirit I offer my own list of Favorite Books of 2012. Here they are in no particular order:
Fiction
* The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obrecht
* Coral Glynn by Peter Cameron
* Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
* Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith
* The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
* Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
* Room by Emma Donoghue
* The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philip Sendker
* The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett
* The Forever Marriage by Ann Bauer
* Joe Sandilands mystery series by Barbara Cleverly (still have a couple left) 
* The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones
* The Chaperone by Laura Moriarity
* The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
* A Good American by Alex George
* Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
* Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
* Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (AGAIN!!! --almost an annual read)
Nonfiction
* Awakening the Energies of Love, Discovering Fire for the Second Time by Anne Hillman
* Aging as Spiritual Practice by Lewis Richmond
* On Rereading by Patricia Meyer Spacks
* You are Here, Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment by Thich Nhat Hanh
* Wild, From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayed
* Kayak Mornings, Reflections on Love, Grief, and Small Boats by Roger Rosenblatt
* When Women Were Birds, 54 Variations on Voice by Terry Tempest Williams
* Patience, The Art of Peaceful Living by Alan Lokos
* Against Wind and Tide, Letters and Journals 1947-1986 by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
* The Morville Year by Katherine Swift
* Healing the Heart of Democracy, The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit by Parker J. Palmer
* In Lieu of Flowers, A Conversation for the Living by Nancy Cobb
* Help, Thanks, Wow, The Three Essential Prayers by Ann Lamott
* The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
* The Emotional Life of Your Brain by Richard Davidson and Sharon Begley
Sneak Preview. Currently, I am reading two books I am positive will be on the Favorite Books of 2013 list: Seven Thousand Ways to Listen, Staying Close to What is Sacred by Mark Nepo and Dearie, The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz. And I am adding to my "want to read" list by reading My Ideal Bookshelf, Art by Jane Mount and Edited by Thessaly La  Force. 
A List Gene. It seems, by the way, that the list gene in our family has passed down the generations. Our grandson, Peter, almost 5, is a great listmaker already. He suggested we make a list of all the animals we saw at the zoo this fall. He asked his mother to make a list of what he could take for lunch at daycamp this summer and all the things he and his buddy could do when she came over to play. And, of course, there was his list for Santa. Someday, maybe he will make a list of his favorite books as well, too.
Your List. I would love to know what is on your favorite books of 2012 list and what you hope to read in 2013. Send me your list. 

Book Talk: Favorite Books About Books and Reading, posted by Nancy L. Agneberg

After writing the previous post, I realized there is a whole genre of books about books and reading. The books themselves give great pleasure on their own, but the hidden treasure is how one book leads to another. Reading about someone else's delight in a specific book often makes me want to read it myself and thus, the list grows longer and the shelves get fuller.

Here are some of my favorite books about reading and books:

1.     The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs. "The extreme reader, to coin a phrase, is a rare bird indeed. ('I have done what people do, my life makes a reasonable showing,' Lynne Sharon Schwartz writes. 'Can I go back to my books now?') Such people are born, not made, I think; or mostly born and only a little made. They take care of themselves; they always do go back to their books." 

2.      Howard's End is on the Landing, A Year of Reading from Home by Susan Hill. "A special relationship is formed with books that have been on our shelves for years without being read. They become known in a strange way, perhaps because we have read a lot about them, or they are books that are part of our overall heritage. I think I know a lot about Don Quixote. I do know a lot about Don Quixote. I have just never read it. I doubt if I ever will. But I know what people mean when they talk about tilting at windmills; I recognize a drawing of Quixote and Sancho Panza. I believe Cervantes to be a great European writer. Why do I believe that? What possible grounds have I for believing it? Other people's opinions, the fact that it has an honorable and permanent place in the canon? So, Don Quixote has an honorable, permanent place on my shelves. It would be wrong to get rid of it and, besides I should miss its red leather binding."

3.       Reading Lolita in Tehran, A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi. "The best fiction always forced us to question what we took for granted. It questioned traditions and expectations when they seemed too immutable. I told my students I wanted them in their readings to consider in what ways these works unsettled them, made them a little uneasy, made them look around and consider the world, like Alice in wonderland, through different eyes." 

4.       Walking a Literary Labyrinth, A Spirituality of Reading by Nancy M. Malone. "So what is it, this appetite for reading? I have often thought when watching nature programs on TV that the most basic act of animate nature is eating--not mating, which most animals do only when the female is in estrus. Everything living is eating something else in order to stay alive. That is why I read, I guess, to stay alive, to be as fully alive as I can be. In books, almost the whole world and everything in it are available to me to feed that life. The words we usually use to name that appetite--interest, curiosity--aren't good enough to describe the impulse and pleasure doesn't adequately describe its satisfaction. It is the need to know and understand--myself, others, the world beyond me, God--to ask about what is real and true and good and of value, about how we should live our lives. "

     Then of course, there are books of book lists like SuperLibrarian Nancy Pearl's Book Lust series and a teasingly fun book, Between the Covers, The Book Babes' Guide to a Woman's Reading Pleasures. There are many other books I have read and enjoyed in the past: Book and Islands in Ojibway Country, Traveling Through the Land of My Ancestors by Louise Erdrich; Ex Libris, Confessions of a Common Reader by Ann Fadiman; The Yellow-Lighted BookShop, A Memoir, A History by Lewis Buzbee: So Many Books, So Little Time, A Year of Passionate Reading by Sara Nelson; and a favorite from last year, Tolstoy and the Purple Chair, My Year of Magical Reading by Nona Sankovitch. 
     And finally, there are the books waiting to be read, including The Reading Promise, My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma; A Jane Austen Education, How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship and The Things That Really Matter by William Deresiewicz; and a brand new title just reviewed in the New York Times this past Sunday, When I Was a Child I Read Books by Marilynne Robinson. 


Are books about books and reading part of your personal reading canon? If so, tell me about your favorites.  I am always eager to add another title to the list. Happy Reading! 

Birthdays, Books, and Being, Spiritual Reflections on Time and Choices, posted by Nancy L. Agneberg

I recently celebrated my 64th birthday and am now in my 65th year,  as "kindly" pointed out by a teasing friend. I was celebrated in many ways and am so grateful for my loving family and friends. I must admit, however, that this birthday has raised some mild panic and anxiety in me. Of course, the days of our lives are always numbered, but the number of days left, while unknown, feel tangible.  I know, if I stay mindful, calm, and aware, these feelings can be a valuable teacher for me.  What am I noticing and what am I learning?
As always, I turn to books for guidance, but here's the dilemma. Too many books, too little time. I used to say that with glee and great anticipation, but now each book I choose to read feels more like a decision of what I won't have time to read.  I stand in front of my bookshelves after completing a book and agonize about what to read next. I want it to be absorbing and worthwhile. I want to know that when I read the last page, I will want to recommend it to my reading friends and will feel blessed by the words and thoughts. I want to be enriched for the time spent in its pages, its world and wisdom.  However, more and more often I read 20 or 30 pages and then toss the book in the "Help Yourself" basket in our first floor bathroom. I wonder, as I shop my shelves, if my tastes have changed. I am more attracted, for the first time in my life, to nonfiction than fiction, but nonfiction feels more like a commitment, and I am cautious about making the right commitment. 
     One recent read has complicated the issue, On ReReading by Patricia Meyer Spacks. http://www.hup.harvard.edu/ Spacks makes a strong case for rereading favorite books. 
      Reading a book for the first time can rarely if ever offer the kind of relaxed pleasure that comes with previous knowledge of how everything is going to turn out. It is equally true that reading a book for the first time rarely stimulates the kind of subtle discriminations that become possible when much in the text feels familiar. (p. 34)
      Second and subsequent readings can intensify the delight by diminishing concern for how the plot will work out...We want to see more clearly the steps by which the plot achieves its intricacies or we look forward to re-encountering a delightful character, or we hope to revel in the language of a narrative when we no longer need to pay such close attention to events. (p. 140)


     Oh great, not only do I have shelves of books I haven't yet read for the first time, but now I am thinking about all the books I want to reread: all of Jane Austen's books AGAIN, Possession and also The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt, the Harry Potter books,  Madeleine L'Engle's memoirs, Romantic Education by Patricia Hampl and many, many more. 
   There's another problem. Bookstores. I love good bookstores and want to support them, especially since independent bookstores are not much in evidence these days. Last week I made a pilgrimage to Garrison Keillor's bookstore Common Good, http://www.commongoodbooks.com/which has recently opened in a new and larger location in St Paul. Yes, I came away with a new pile to add to existing piles. Never mind that only days earlier I had been to Arcadia Books in Spring Green, WI http://readinutopia.com/and had helped boost their daily profit. Plus, I am thrilled to say that several people gave me books for my birthday. All terrific titles that tantalize me with taunts of "Read me next." 
     Theoretically, I have more time to read and that is a good thing, but there is so much more to read and that includes blogs and other online material and newspapers and magazines. I have always been addicted to magazines, but there is simply not enough time left to devour it all, and I am painfully aware of that fact.  
      I turn to Thich Nhat Hanh for advice.
                    In; out.
                    Deep; slow.
                    Calm; ease.
                    Smile; release.


Ah, I am ready to choose my next book and to live my 65th year, but   I must admit I wonder what will be the last book I read!  


     So what's on your Book Bucket List? What do you want to reread and what books are waiting to be read for the first time? I would love your list, even though it makes me shudder to think about how my own book lists and piles could grow as a result.