Recently I went through my Goodreads “want to read” list and took off almost 200 books. Now I have a little over 100, which feels more manageable. I removed books that I’ve already read (duh), books I own (I don’t need a virtual reminder when I have a physical copy), and books that have […]
Somebody once defined a children’s book as “any book that a child will read.” Which could be nearly anything–some children will read very strange and unexpected things, while other books earmarked for children languish on the shelf. I think our usual definitions have to do more with what adults think children will read, or […]
This week’s Nonfiction November topic, hosted by Rennie of What’s Nonfiction, is Reads Like Fiction. Nonfiction books often get praised for how they stack up to fiction. Does it matter to you whether nonfiction reads like a novel? If it does, what gives it that fiction-like feeling? Does it depend on the topic, the writing, […]
Almost five years ago, I started this blog on a total whim when I had some extra time during vacation. I used a free Blogger site and a very basic template. I began with some reviews I’d written originally for the Green Man Review, then slowly started writing about some of my current and […]
This question follows on from last month’s about rereading. As I grow older and reread some of my former favorites, I find that some of them have lost their luster. What formerly seemed so powerful and full of insight now shows its limitations. I might find it poorly written, or full of holes and inconsistencies […]
There are two kinds of readers: those who re-read, and those who don’t. The latter group, represented in the extreme by Marie Kondo of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up fame, feels there is no reason to read a book again once it’s entered your brain. You’ve gotten what there is to glean from […]
When I started this blog, I thought I would focus mainly on children’s books and fantasy, which for years formed my main reading interests. And I was excited to read and review new releases from many genres. But as things developed, and I discovered more blogs and The Classics Club, I began reading and […]
This query is twofold: how do you decide which books to pass on, and what do you then do with them? I’ve been dealing with these questions lately after completing my three-month book acquisition ban. I had gathered all (well, nearly all) of the unread books in my house into one place, and after three […]
I used to read a fair amount of poetry but have fallen out of the habit in recent years. Lately I’ve been hungering for it, though, and so I picked up The Heart’s Time compiled by Janet Morley, which offers a poem a day for the season of Lent and the first week after Easter, […]
By this I don’t mean to ask for specific suggestions of books I should purchase (though you can feel free to make them), but to question what criteria I should employ when facing the vast multiplicity of reading material available. Now that my three month book acquisition ban is winding down, I can start […]