Books and Reading
I Love Things By Examining Them
From Molly Templeton’s most recent Mark as Read column for Tor.com:
This is how I love things: by examining them. Some things, I want to look more closely at than others. Some I just want to bask in. Some I want to pick up and carry over to every friend I think will understand, to hold them out and say: Here. Try this. I know it’s a whole book and it takes longer than trying a bite of something. Trust me. Please? Or: Can I tell you the seventy-six reasons why this is the best thing I have ever experienced, or at least I think it is at this particular moment in time?
Molly Templeton’s writing for Tor.com is generally great, but this week’s column really resonated with me. A thing that often frustrates folks I know is that I want to pick at the things I read, consider them under a harsh light, poke and prod them until I understand them and how they work. I love things by examining them. That is exactly it. Exactly the thing. To be critical — not to criticize but to think critically — is the way that I engage with the writing I most enjoy. I find joy in coming to grips with a text, with the ways it says what it says, with the ways it succeeds and fails to convey what it means to convey. That’s fun!
Templeton is writing about reading generously, about giving the books we read the breathing space and the grace to be what they are. I appreciate that she makes a distinction between reading critically and being a jerk. These aren’t the same thing! It’s possible to see flaws in a book and still have a great time, to root around and find the inner workings without the whole falling to pieces, to weigh up and toss around and find real pleasure in the weighing and the tossing. And it’s possible to do all of these things without being unkind to an author or disliking a book.
What I Read in July 2023
As I write this, we’re just a few hours past the United States bowing out of the 2023 Women’s World Cup. I’m sad about the loss, but I’m hopeful that the team will come back stronger next time. It wouldn’t be a terrible thing if someone else won, I don’t think. Japan have done it before, in 2011, but they’re playing so well at this tournament that I might just have to root for them. Sweden are perennial contenders, Spain play beautifully, Colombia would are tremendous fun. I would love to see any of them make a deep run. It’s been a fantastic tournament so far. I hope you’ve been watching! Or at least reading while the games are on?
What I Read in June 2023
We’re halfway through the year, which is somehow a surprising thing. Time moves slow-quick these days, I find. The StoryGraph tells me I’ve read 65 books so far this year, which puts me just a little ways behind the pace I need to set in order to reach 135 books, which is my goal for the year. That’s okay! 135 was always aspirational. At the moment, the point is just to keep reading. I still feel like I’m being spurred on by all the books I wasn’t able to read in grad school. I’ve said this before, but it is a strange thing to feel stuck a little in program that asks you to read. I’m kind of gulping books now, whether I should or not? But I love how it feels to be able to read again and I’ll enjoy it while I have the time. Opening a new book feels wonderful, like opening a little world, and I want to absolutely revel in that feeling while I’ve got it.
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What I Read in May 2023
I made it a good way through the Joy Harjo collection I mentioned last month, but it isn’t quite done yet. The onset of spring (Summer? Does summer in Duluth really start until July?) and a wonderful trip to Montreal meant that I wound up focusing on other books. I’ll have it done soon, though. Montreal meant a slower pace overall, with a few big sci-fi novels taking over much of my reading time. I’m not sure if Adrian Tchaikovsky’s work is my all-time favorite, but it makes for good summer reading. Children of Time’s spiders are delicious fun.
What I Read in April 2023
It’s early May in Duluth, which means that though our days are cold, they are very long, they light is beautiful, and the lake looks inviting. I have tried to get outside a little more, but the books keep coming anyway. I’m not sure what’s up next — I need to finish a collection of poetry by Joy Harjo before I can pick something else out — but I’m looking forward to whatever it is. In the meantime, I wish everyone pleasant weather, fresh air, and happy reading.
As always, you can say hi anytime — just leave a comment or hit the email link in the sidebar — or follow me on The StoryGraph. As always, I’m happy to hear from you.