I had a post ready for today, but I liked this suggestion from Chris even better, so … thanks, Chris!
Here’s something for Valentine’s Day.
Have you ever fallen out of love with a favorite author? Was the last book you read by the author so bad, you broke up with them and haven’t read their work since? Could they ever lure you back?
I'm either pretty loyal or my favorites are fairly consistent because I can't think of anything that applies here. I have read mid-career books I consider so good that I'm convinced the author can never write anything else that comes close; unfortunately, that has the effect of stopping me from reading the books that come after. . . I haven't read any Ian McEwan since Atonement topped my favorites list of 2002 and I haven't read any Barbara Kingsolver since Poisonwood Bible (although I did buy Animal, Vegetable, Miracle last year so maybe I can get over this foible and stop punishing authors for past achievements).
And here's last week's But, enough about books. . .
Okay, even I can’t read ALL the time, so I’m guessing that you folks might voluntarily shut the covers from time to time as well… What else do you do with your leisure to pass the time? Walk the dog? Knit? Run marathons? Construct grandfather clocks? Collect eggshells?
Obviously, I procrastinate since this should have posted this last week! Sometimes it amazes me how well I've honed this skill while neglecting so many others that would do me more good.
I like to hike, go to museums, concerts and plays. I go to "cards night" with the girls. I like to go out to dinner so that I don't have to cook. But since I can't do any of these activities near as often as I'd like I find myself:
~obsessing over politics
~obsessing over future reading plans
~messing around with the parrots
~annoying the cats
~listening to music
I don't watch a lot of TV--Stewart and Colbert sometimes, and usually then only clips on the internet-- and sometimes I wonder why we bother to have Netflix--we'll often have a movie for weeks before we get around to watching it.
Booking Through Thursday
Please read 'Prodigal Summer'. It was the first Kingsolver I ever read and although I love all her novels I still think this is the real masterpiece where literary standards are concerned.
ReplyDeleteI will add it to my wishlist.
ReplyDelete'Prodigal Summer' is indeed a wonderful book. I also enjoy Kingsolver's essay collections - 'Small World' is the most recent I believe.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I pretty much do what you do. Sometimes, I obssess over my cats and annoy my politics. Just to change things up.
ReplyDeleteI've found myself reading what I think is an author's best work and not wanting to read the other stuff -- why waste time on second best, right? But you never know ... you might be surprised by something. I did like Prodigal Summer.
ReplyDeleteI'm the opposite. I run out and get another book by the author and read it up. Then, it usually isn't as good. But, I don't take it personally. Maybe it's the other way around for other people.
ReplyDeleteCarl Hiaasen, is one of those authors I used to love and then he seemed to run out of new things to say. His bks became a bore. He has redeemed himself a bit by moving on to write YA bks.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love movies... maybe you just need to watch the right movie to get inspired?
Aren't annoying the cats fun? :-)
ReplyDeleteI find that I hesitate sometimes to read another book by an author whose first book I read I loved, but I usually do get around to it eventually.
I fell out of love with Laurie Colwin for a few years, but I was back again by the early 90s, and very sad when I read that she died.
ReplyDeleteI loved The Poisonwood Bible but haven't read anything else by her either.
ReplyDeleteI fell out of love with Kingsolver for a while when I finished Prodigal Summer. She sometimes gets didactic when she should be telling a story. I hated the ending of Prodigal Summer. But I liked her nonfiction Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
ReplyDelete