reading
A few days before my vacation Toronto, I went through the library of books in my apartment, and organized them into two shelves, one for the books I've read and another for the books I haven't read. My situation isn't as bad as Ealasaid's, with a bookshelf of unread books that at least doubles the size of mine, but at least until I read them all, a new rule: for every book that I buy, regardless of whether I've read that newly bought book or not, I will give away one book. No rules around size or whether I've already read it, or who gets it (a friend, a stranger, the used bookstore, or the library). This is just my way of keeping the number of things in my apartment to a minimum, and ensuring bookshelf sustainability, while at the same time knowing that I'll never have to worry about running out of things to read.
Monique links to the miniBookExpo for Bloggers, where you claim a book in exchange for sending in $3, and promising to write about the book within a month. If my unread pile weren't as high as it is, I'd be interested in claiming a few of the books listed, including The Best American Magazine Writing 2006 [claim by leaving a comment] and The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami (audiobook, not many of which I've listened to) [claim by leaving a comment], but if you're looking for some sweet summer reading, the miniBookExpo might be for you.
A suggestion for next year: a small maple leaf next to each book's listing. I'm making an effort to read more local authors, and I'm sure Canadian publishers could use the extra little indication that the writers are themselves Canadian.
Not sure I agree with reading *only* what you think you would enjoy, because what if there's something you didn't think you'd enjoy? His point that reading should not be hard work is valid, though.
Amber Simmons on writing for the Web.
Hugh McGuire, linking to Steph (Dandruff) about reading books compared to reading online materials (which I've quoted and discussed): “Some of the problem is also the insidious effects of too much online reading. For everything Dandruff has to say about reading a real paper & ink book, the opposite is true of the internet… the mind becomes accustomed to skimming not for the detail, but for the general, and once the gist is gotten, more info (from elsewhere) is sought — I often don’t even read whole short blog posts, once I get the drift I’m done, and then it’s onto the next link. This lack of ability to pay attention to detail is deadly, and pervasive.”
I'm lucky if I read 4 books in a month (these days, more like every 3 months).
