Almost everyone at home teases me about my books. My vast collection, the sheer overwhelming number I have to that haven’t been read. The fact that I read books over again (Do people really just read good books once?). The fact that when I am reading the house could literally start on fire and I wouldn’t notice. The look I give people when constantly interrupted during my book. You get the picture. But for those of us who read, we will never understand how you don’t get it. And we will try to explain it to you. When you still don’t get it, we will be completely baffled and feel a little bit like there is something wrong with you. But don’t worry. We understand that the feeling is mutual.
There is a special connection that all book lovers have. When you find someone else who reads you’re like, “oh there you are!” When you find someone else who has read the same books as you and loved them, well, there just aren’t words. It’s kind of like finding your long lost most bestest friend. And if there isn’t squealing and “oh my God when this happened didn’t you just…”, you’re not doing it right.
As many of you know, I read a lot of young adult and teen fiction to share with my students and because, *hangs head* I just really LIKE them. I’m currently reading a book that I hope to read as a class next year. It is an entirely different way of reading than reading for enjoyment. For one reason, analyzing a book does take some of the fun out of it. In a way I wish I had just read the book cover to cover once for my own enjoyment. Instead I am going through the novel meticulously looking for vocabulary that may be troublesome, themes, how characters are developed, figurative language, setting, and connections that students can make. I’m looking for those teachable moments and yes, I am writing in my book.
I do enjoy marking up a book. It’s one of my guilty pleasures (hey - I’ve got a blog about that I’m working on too). I love to jot things down as they come to me, make notes in the margins and underline things. I may never go back to that book and I know it decreases the value to others. But it increases the value to me. It makes the book mine. It is almost like journaling as I read. It is part of why I hate checking books out of the library (I feel a little bit like reading with a straightjacket on) and I hate digital copies as well. I just want to be able to record my thoughts and feelings! And this book is getting REALLY marked up.
I’ve made some startling revelations as I’ve been reading this book so analytically. One is that, while an author might use new vocabulary that students haven’t seen, they use the same vocabulary throughout the book. Now that wasn’t brand new information per se. But when I connected it myself as a “writer”, it made me question what vocabulary I use repeatedly. For example, this particular author always uses the word “vex” to describe something annoying, “imperious” to describe someone snotty and “taxing” to describe something that wears on a person. I wonder which synonyms I use for those same feelings. Pretty sure it’s “pissed”, “bitchy” and “exhausting”, but I’d like to think I have more intelligent vocabulary in my arsenal. Time to start breaking out the thesaurus. (Which reminds me of an episode of Friends everyone should watch.)
The other thing that really jumped out on me is how sometimes books make me stop in my tracks and just go, huh. Wow. In fact, I underlined a quote in the book I’m reading and wrote that exact word in the margin, “wow”.
Here’s the quote, I made it into a meme.
That’s a “wow” kind of quote, now isn’t it? I have thought and heard similar things in relation to a person’s religious faith. And I agree wholeheartedly. But what if that quote, that thought, applies to so much more than just your faith is a greater power. For me, it is love. After everything I have gone through the past 20 years it would be very easy for me to not trust anyone ever again, to not trust in love, to not trust in the goodness of people. But the fact that I did find someone I can trust, that a person is willing to open themselves up to trust again, makes that trust all the more powerful and special. It is wondrous. I see!
Another quote from the book that struck a chord with me was a brilliant metaphor. “Each lie they told fell from their lips and scattered on the ground, tinkling and glittering like broken glass.” I don’t think I’ve read a more perfect description of lies. If only actual lies did the same, I would love if they were to break apart as soon as they were said. In my mind’s eye I interpret this quote to mean that they knew they were being lied to and the lies were breaking as fast as they were said. If only!
The last quote that I’m going to share in my long and wordy blog is my personal favorite. “Hope is those first tiny buds that form at the very end of winter. How dry they look! How dead! And how cold they are in our fingers! But not for long. They grow big, then sticky, then swollen, and then the whole world is green.” Another amazing metaphor that perfectly describes how hope really and truly is. Hope is what keeps us all going and it starts out so small and weak, but it doesn’t take much cultivating for hope to grow into a beautiful and wonderful thing.
As I leave this blog, keep hoping! Keep trusting! Keep being honest! And most of all, keep reading and being inspired.
No comments:
Post a Comment