Yup. We're back here again already.
Here's the thing, though: the first installment of this year's new speed-dating project was pretty darn successful. In the time since I wrote it, I've read four of the titles I chose. Not joking! (Look for an update with their reviews, coming within the next week.)
The difference is, that the reasoning behind it last time was to break out of a slump; now, I'm just looking for a little more inspiration to continue reading at such an improved pace since last month's lack of finished titles.
What can I say? It's a really good system!
I'm actually thinking that I might mess around and try and do one once a month for the foreseeable future... at least while we're all still in quarantine / social distancing / shelter-in-place-ing. It will give me a positive focus for my attention, a way to clean off my shelves, and a great reason to continue reading the way I am now.
In case you've forgotten since the last time we were here, here are the rules again:
- First, you pick a stack of books you want to read from your shelves, usually between 8 and 10.
- You gather the rest of your materials: a notebook and something to write with, a timer (or your cell phone), and maybe a snack or something.
- Assemble the books in a randomly-sorted stack, and set your timer to approximately five minutes.
- When you start the timer, you pick up your first book, and read for the complete duration, until your timer goes off.
- Then, quickly jot down a couple of notes on how you think it went! Did you enjoy the style, the voice, the action? Would it be a stretch read, or an easy one?
- At the end of your notes, write down whether you want to read it "Now," "Soon," or "Later." If "Later," try to specify when, like an appropriate season, occasion, etc.
- When you feel satisfied with your notes, start the timer again, pick up your next read, and repeat the process until the stack is finished!
(Note to my lovely teacher friends: I know it's hard being away from your kiddos right now, but this might be a great activity to extend to them - in a varied format, of course - to make sure they're still picking up plenty of books while they're away from the daily structure of school. Invite them to gather a couple of titles they're interested in, go through the process, and have them send you a picture of their set-up and notes, if they're able. You'll be able to stay involved in their reading habits, and they'll probably be excited to show you what they've been working on, too!)
the exercise
Smoke, Dan Vyleta
In a Fantasy version of Dickensian London, the moral value of a person is determined by the amount of smoke that shrouds them, with the poorest and meanest covered in soot and ash. However, that doesn't mean that those clean of smoke are pure of heart...
It is quite intriguing, and has a really gorgeous central conceit, but I can't help but feel right now is not the correct time to reach for it... it does feel very Victorian, which I normally save for Fall or Winter. Maybe that will be the right time to read something as dense as this hardcover.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver
Noted novelist and writer Kingsolver moves from Arizona to a farm in the East Coast, and decides on a new family project: they will spend a year eating only what they can grow, pick, raise, and cook themselves!
This will be really good, I think, to read in June or July, when my future garden will really be embracing its destiny. What better time would there be to read about someone growing their own food? Besides, it will give me even more reasons to work hard this Spring.
Crazy Rich Asians, Kevin Kwan
The bestselling novel that inspired the critically-acclaimed movie, a young woman follows her boyfriend home to Singapore, only to realize that his family is impossibly wealthy.
Really fun, but bordering on crazy amounts of exposition as I read. Felt a little too bright and frivolous of a read for when Spring is still working out its moods. Maybe I'll revisit it sometime this Summer? That being said, though... I'm not sure that I loved it enough to jump right for it when the weather turns.
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
The timeless tale that also inspired a recent award-nominated film adaptation, this novel follows the lives of the March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, as they grow up together, and apart.
The selection I read isn't terribly representative, being that I keep on reading for several minutes after the timer had gone off, because I was still trying to sort out some thing in my own head. I did enjoy what I read, but the book is a little long to be jumping into as I'm still climbing out of a slump. Maybe I'll keep reading it and make it into a kind of "project" read?
Atonement, Ian McEwan
A young girl - taken to naive flights of fantasy - witnesses the flirtation of her older sister and a family servant, and misinterprets major events in a way that plunges all three of them into a future they can't control.
Beautifully written, and really quite easy to read; however, I know too much about the emotional nature of this book to choose it as a regular sort of thing. Maybe I'll save it for later on in Spring or early Summer, when the sunshine can keep some of the tears at bay... then again, I'm not really sure, having already been aware of the twist, whether I want to read it at all.
Stardust, Neil Gaiman
One of my favorite Fantasy authors delves deep into a fairy tale world, as a unique boy ventures into a magical realm, to claim a fallen star for his lady love. But the star is not what he thinks it is, and he's not the only one searching for it...
A regular favorite. I've been meaning to watch the movie again, but haven't read the book in a while. Including it in my upcoming TBR would give me plenty enough reason to do both!
The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry, Kathleen Flinn
A masterful food writer recalls her attendance at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, France, and how her education developed through its tutelage.
Everything about this is so freaking right. I knew it the second I pulled this book from the stack... realistically, I probably didn't need to make it a part of this exercise, but its a great reminder of how much I adore Flinn's work. I can't wait to read this, especially its descriptions of culinary school.
The Liar's Club, Mary Karr
A master memoirist reflects on her explosive family and blue collar childhood, in a small, industrial-focused town in 1960s Texas.
I cannot wait to read this book, though I know I cannot do so right now. This book would be enjoyed so much better in Summer, sitting out on my back deck with a cold beverage in hand and the heat frying up my legs. I can't wait.
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard
The Pulitzer prize-winning collection of Dillard's reflections on the natural world around her, over the course of a year in Virginia's Roanoke Valley.
I shelved this lyrical and loving portrait of wildlife and flora back in summer, after I tried reading it in Oregon on vacation, but kept losing focus. Maybe now that its the ever-changing Springtime, instead, I'll be able to pay more attention to its varied seasons.
An Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin
The Founding Father, master writer, and diplomat recounts his life and his learning in his own words.
It's not the first time I've tried to read old Franklin's autobio, and each time, I've read a little, ruminated on how accessible it was and how it would probably benefit me to read it, only to decide that it didn't quite fit my mood. This is another one of those times.
the outcome
Gaiman's Stardust and Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek both wound up on my list to read "Soon," but I'm not entirely sure when. Probably some time in the next month or so, so I'll add them to my April TBR, next to some of the chosen ones from my last round of speed-dating!
I also liked the idea of getting around to reading Alcott's Little Women soon. There's a bit of a personal history there - one that I'll probably have to talk about on the blog at some point - so I'm excited to finally give it a shot. But it's not exactly the kind of thing I think I'll be able to get done quickly, so maybe I'll break it up into chunks.
There were quite a few titles that ended up in the "Later" column... mainly because none ended up in the "Never" column, which is, I guess, a pretty good thing (though to be completely honest, McEwan's Atonement might eventually make its way there). I moved Ben Franklin's Autobiography to be read some other time, just because I didn't really find it all that compelling right now, while Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians was designated for a sunnier clime. Mary Karr's Liars Club was similarly marked for a dog-days-of-summer kind of environment, and Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Mineral was made for days when my garden is in full bloom, like July. The only one that got significantly bumped down the TBR was Vyleta's Smoke, to November or December, when the world is a little gloomier and more open to Dickensian-inspired Fantasy reads.
What is your quarantine reading looking like right now? What books have you been inspired to pick up? Let me know, in the comments below!
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