I read a lot of books...clearly not as many as my sister even though I was the English major not her, but still. . . a lot. I have always enjoyed literature from an early age when I took on the entire babysitters club series which includes over 100 regular series novels and almost just as many special features and spin offs. I think I got through most of these books in one summer (its no surprise why I didn't turn out to be very athletic) I remember reading so many books in the summer reading program at the library that I got multiple free books and other awards (which I honestly traded in for more free books...who needed t-shirts and lunch boxes and stickers when you could trade in all of them for a paper back copy of little house on the prairie) That whole summer I read my baby sitters club and before that I had listened as my mom read the little house on the prairie but I hadn't read any really heavy yet...all light hearted and all-in-good-fun brain candy (as an ex sister in law by my same first name once described such novels)
Then I reached into the book prize bin....and pulled out The Devils Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
I remember reading this book as if I had discovered something new and secret...like I had stepped through a door and appeared in a different world. The world of powerful novels was at my finger trips. It was also the first time I had ever heard of the Jews and the holocaust and it ignited my love of Jewish culture.
I really believe I became me that day...shaped my entire future by grabbing that one book out of that bin because since then I've kept grabbing books, meaningful, intense, powerful books...and haven't looked back.
To be honest I didn't realize that since Devils Arithmetic I hadn't picked up any brain candy novels until a few years ago when ex sis in law mentioned a book to me and told me I should read it because it was as she described good "brain candy" - a break from the serious literature typical of English majors. I dismissed it and said "I don't read brain candy books. I love the in depth stuff that's what I choose to read...if I want brain candy I turn on a sitcom." This has been true for me since Devils Arithmetic.. That is until last February when I got snowed in to my sisters house and was forced to watch twilight and have discussions about the book verse the movie which I couldn't participate in due to having not read the novels...so I did it. I admit to becoming uncontrollably addicted to them even though the whole time I was screaming inside how awful the writing was. But I read it, And I learned for the first time the value of the not so great novel as it shows me the difference. It shows me writing techniques in practice...both what's working and what's not. Its helped give me the brain of an writer/editor and for the first time I could take Professor Abeytas words and put true visible meaning to them ("Show don't tell" "Vary your characters" "Write from unique and authentic voices" All things I hadn't really fully understood because I had only seen really good examples of this working and no examples of it not working.
A light bulb goes off in my head once again. So this year, the year of 2013..the year that wasn't supposed to exist...I have decided to read 100 novels. And not just any novels...but a variety of novels. Not just the ones similar to those I've read previously. Great novels, not so great novels, young adult, historical fiction, Christian literature, sci-fi, romance, mystery, westerns.....and on and on and on. I want to really get out there and jump right in. Check a few more genres off my literary bucket list! (A book lover can never die, there are too many books to ever complete said literary bucket list)
So here's to a New Year, some new books and hopefully some new "light-bulb-moments". I promise to blog about each and every book I read (I already am into my 5th book so I better get busy writing!)
Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment