My reading time and habits changes every year, and I do my best to be content when they do. I often read before bed, although I'm currently teaching my children the classics and going back to re-read (young reader) versions of the Odyssey and others is fun. It makes me want to read the originals too.
My reading time and habits changes every year, and I do my best to be content when they do. I often read before bed, although I'm currently teaching my children the classics and going back to re-read (young reader) versions of the Odyssey and others is fun. It makes me want to read the originals too.
I'm doing the same with poetry, as my children have a goal of memorizing a poem a month in our homeschool. My dream would be to learn enough Persian to read Rumi in his original language, but that dream sits much like your reading year, George.
I find that when a book piques my interest, I immediately buy it. That way I don't have to keep a list, and I have an ever-expanding shelf of "read next" options. Once a year or so I go through them and books I've read, and I donate books that no longer fit with my interests or just don't call to me anymore. The local library or Goodwill or our local neighborhood library enjoy these donations. All in all, as long as I'm reading (and I always seem to be), I'm happy. Whether it's for inspiration, for pleasure, for learning, or all of the above.
I once taught a class called "Road Trip!" that attracted a lot of Kerouac fans. The reading list was primarily road trip novels of American Lit. But I included "The Odyssey" to set the stage for our journey motif. This was a required sophomore level lit class. When I polled the students at the end of the class to see which books they liked the best (some great ones - Huck Finn, Lolita, Grapes of Wrath, Wizard of Oz, and more..), they overwhelming chose "The Odyssey" as their favorite. Shows you the power of the classics. I would not have bet that. I stay away from Vegas. :)
That may not have been the driving reason for me to leave Los Angeles, but it reminds me I made the right choice. I have ended up in Bozeman and find this to be more supportive of weird literary rabbit holes in the local neighborhood libraries.
Ha! I love Los Angeles! This is--not joke--a cultural wonderland full of creative people from all walks of life. I do understand loving Bozeman, though.
I grew up in a different part of LA, more industrial, less creative. I joined the navy a few months after 9/11 and never moved back. I don't want to raise my children there anymore, even though for years I thought I wanted to write and direct movies. We visit once a year, and oh how I miss the ocean, the marine layer, a beer at Neptune's Net, or many of my old favorite places, but something about being in the mountains and away from it all captured me.
Totally understand. I live in north hollywood, an area not known for beauty. And i raised my kids on an island in Washington State—there was one high school. It was paradise. I miss the mountains and the small town. It’s taken me more than a decade to finally love LA, and it helps that my daughter lives here, too. And my husband is in entertainment. But I hear you! (Love Neptune’s net!)
My reading time and habits changes every year, and I do my best to be content when they do. I often read before bed, although I'm currently teaching my children the classics and going back to re-read (young reader) versions of the Odyssey and others is fun. It makes me want to read the originals too.
I'm doing the same with poetry, as my children have a goal of memorizing a poem a month in our homeschool. My dream would be to learn enough Persian to read Rumi in his original language, but that dream sits much like your reading year, George.
I find that when a book piques my interest, I immediately buy it. That way I don't have to keep a list, and I have an ever-expanding shelf of "read next" options. Once a year or so I go through them and books I've read, and I donate books that no longer fit with my interests or just don't call to me anymore. The local library or Goodwill or our local neighborhood library enjoy these donations. All in all, as long as I'm reading (and I always seem to be), I'm happy. Whether it's for inspiration, for pleasure, for learning, or all of the above.
I once taught a class called "Road Trip!" that attracted a lot of Kerouac fans. The reading list was primarily road trip novels of American Lit. But I included "The Odyssey" to set the stage for our journey motif. This was a required sophomore level lit class. When I polled the students at the end of the class to see which books they liked the best (some great ones - Huck Finn, Lolita, Grapes of Wrath, Wizard of Oz, and more..), they overwhelming chose "The Odyssey" as their favorite. Shows you the power of the classics. I would not have bet that. I stay away from Vegas. :)
This post reminds me that all those free little libraries are a great place to look for one's next book!
They truly are. Sometimes I find unknown gems in there that our city library and our university library don’t have access to. It’s a treasure trove.
You are lucky. Here in Los Angeles I find a lot of James Patterson.
That may not have been the driving reason for me to leave Los Angeles, but it reminds me I made the right choice. I have ended up in Bozeman and find this to be more supportive of weird literary rabbit holes in the local neighborhood libraries.
Ha! I love Los Angeles! This is--not joke--a cultural wonderland full of creative people from all walks of life. I do understand loving Bozeman, though.
I grew up in a different part of LA, more industrial, less creative. I joined the navy a few months after 9/11 and never moved back. I don't want to raise my children there anymore, even though for years I thought I wanted to write and direct movies. We visit once a year, and oh how I miss the ocean, the marine layer, a beer at Neptune's Net, or many of my old favorite places, but something about being in the mountains and away from it all captured me.
Totally understand. I live in north hollywood, an area not known for beauty. And i raised my kids on an island in Washington State—there was one high school. It was paradise. I miss the mountains and the small town. It’s taken me more than a decade to finally love LA, and it helps that my daughter lives here, too. And my husband is in entertainment. But I hear you! (Love Neptune’s net!)
Yes! And the giveaway shelves at campgrounds and also recycling centers in our small New England towns