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January 14th, 2009
05:28 pm - Bibliophilia
My love-affair kink attraction to addiction to books (literary and notebooks) notwithstanding I have, in the past few years been somewhat lax in actually reading. Part of this stemmed from a problem created when I was alot younger- I reached a point in which I stopped going to the libray because I had read pretty much everything in the children's section, felt intimidated and lost in the adult's section, and the 'teenage' section was nothing more than a handful of babysitter's clubs (which I'd read age 11), point romances (blegh) and point horrors (urgh). Fandom was kind of the saving grace to me, because for years after I found it in my mid-teens I had MILLIONS OF STORIES to read and re-read at leisure, and if some were really awful, or there was the odd spelling mistake, or I couldn't take them out with me, then that was okay (indeed, the latter was considered all-to-the-better as it led to a cessation of the Constant Fury of being interrupted by a family member and dragged to do Other Things). But anyway, I've been slowly trying to improve. lycoris inspired me to keep a list of books I read each year, which has sometimes proved fun and other times frustrating (as in: I Can't Believe I read so few books! What was I DOING all year? Why can't comics count? Can I really count poetry on individual merits because mostly I don't read poetry bookd in one go?) Last year was a particular low.
This year wasn't off to a great start. I have loads of books I intend to read (and at least four Phil Rickman's included in that, and one on homosexuality in Victorian Britain) but I didn't fancy it. What I wanted was something light and comforting. So I started with my Christmas favourites- two Enid Blyton stories (one the sequel to the first) and that helped. Then I read two more children's books. Still I looked at the shelf of New To-Read things with some trepidation. So yesterday, I picked up one of my new Miss Read books 'Village Centenary'.
I finished it at half past ten this morning, tucked the second book in my bag and sped off to the dole a good quarter-hour later than I would usually set off. I arrived five minutes before I would go to the dole (in order to be ten minutes early) and nipped in the library. They were putting their new stock on the shelves and I just thought I'd have a wander. I haven't been getting anything out of the library for months because the pile of To-Read books on the bookshelves made me feel guilty but then today, I found something marvellous:
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett. I have been wanting to read this book since I first saw it in Foyles last October, but the price (£6.99) for such a short book made me balk (especially as I was going to have to choose between that and another Oscar Wilde book which was a great thick brand-new hardcover) and today IT WAS IN MY LIBRARY. Furtively, realising it had never been taken out before and was probably brand new, I got it out. I was seized with a deep concern that, should I leave it for five minutes to go over to the dole, someone would have it when I got back. So I took it out, went to the dole (the queue of New Persons Signing On was OUT OF THE DOOR and probably would otherwise have been very depressing but I HAD A BOOK)and then I went back to the library, ordered a tea and spent a happy hour reading my newly borrowed book and eating a mint aero until it was itme for my driving lesson.
Post-driving lesson, I came home, wobbled a bit about Sore Feet, Shaking Hands and Why Does Runcorn Have To Be So Ruddy Hilly?, and then finished the book.
( A Short Review )
and here is a better written review, done by someone else should you prefer to avoid my...seemly overly verbose drivel today.
Perhaps this is a post which some might lable: tl;dr ?
To summarise then:
I HAZ BOOKS
I HAZ READ BOOKZ
(and also a wonderful Top Gear fic about Hammond and Oliver)
I HAZ TEA.
END.
*coughs*
In other, more mixed news I've just had a terribly exciting email inviting me to go to Lancaster, but I'm worried that I might not be able to go as, at present, I already have official boring things booked both that day (which isn't so bad) but also very early the next morning (which is the main problem, though it wouldn't be if there was a train home later than 9 o'clock. But there is. And it is, worse luck.) so I'm going to frantically try and change my commitments and reschedule...but I have a sneaking suspicion the rule is that one has to reschedule earlier than this in order for it to be allowed. Fingers Crossed!
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