Reading: The love affair continues.

Before I get to today's post, I have to be mercenary for a second and make some announcements about my own writing. (I know: obnoxious. I'll try to be quick.) If by any chance you are a librarian or library staff member, and you are at the PLA conference in Portland today, AND you are reading this blog (what are you doing here? Go to the exhibits and get some free advance reading copies already!), you should know that Nancy Pearl is signing copies of our new book, Now Read This III: A Guide to Mainstream Fiction, at the ABC-CLIO/LU booth (#1723) from 2:30 to 3:30. (Other good signings are taking place there today too.)

Also: A new book about readers' advisory to which I contributed a chapter is now available! The Readers' Advisory Handbook, edited by Jessica Moyer and Kaite Mediatore Stover, has been published by ALA Editions. My chapter is about "Nonfiction Speed Dating"--getting to know nonfiction books in a few easy steps--and if you'e so inclined, you can preview it here (my chapter starts on page 6 of the PDF file). The book also includes contributions about audio books, how to write reviews and annotations, preparing materials like bookmarks and booklists, and how to host author events. Good stuff!

And now: the love affair with reading stuff. Something you should know about me is that I continue to struggle to find ways to make a living that include reading and writing.* To some extent I have been borderline successful at this, but the thing about reading for a living is that you put in a lot of hours that aren't, for lack of a better term, billable. For example, yesterday I started a book titled Memoir: A History, by Ben Yagoda. I'm reading this book for work, as I hope to review it over at the Reader's Advisor Online blog. But the time it takes me to read the book is time that I can't really bill to anyone. So sometimes I do feel I should stop mucking about, and go back and get a real hourly job already. But then...something happens. I've only read the first chapter of the book so far, and it was wonderful. I took notes, and it felt so good to be learning and doing something that wasn't (to me, anyway) pointless. And it was satisfying because I know something about memoir and many of the landmark titles Yagoda mentions (and everyone sometimes likes to know they know what they should know). So I decided, what the hell. Even if I have to put in ten unpaid hours for every paid one, I am going to find a way to make this life work.

The feeling was compounded when I walked to the library and home yesterday, and picked up a book I had requested, titled Pictures, by Jeff Bridges (yes, the actor). It was big and beautiful and I was so excited it came in that halfway home, when I had a long block to walk, I took it out of my bag and looked at the pictures while I walked. I hadn't done that for ages, and it felt really good. Just for today, if you can--rekindle your love affair with reading. Take a book outside at lunch. Take a small book with you wherever you have to wait in line. Ignore a household duty to read an extra chapter. You'll feel better for it, I promise.

*And by "making a living," I don't mean anything crazy like getting rich or even borderline affluent. I mean being able to buy my own health insurance for me and Mr. CR (and have some cash left over for food), which I couldn't do at this point. It's so sad that that's the real yardstick for success in this country. Greatest country in the world!

Comments

[Rachael]

Isn't it a treat when a book just makes you happy?

Thanks again for the suggestions!

Also, I don't usually buy personal copies of "librarian" books (I would buy more, but $!!!--I let the library shoulder the burden), but I think I'll be getting this one for myself.

[Donna]

I enjoyed reading Ben Yagoda's book, especially after our email exchange about autobiography and memoir. Not only was this book worth reading, I think it will help me in RA work on the library's collection.

Now if we only could get paid to read!

[laura]

I love this post so much. I was thinking about our book discussion book yesterday (Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks), and thinking how glad I am to have read Camus's The Plague, and some Samuel Pepys, and Thomas Nashe, and countless other books and bits of books, and how reading each of those things enriches your encounters with the other, and how much I wish I could all my time reading and writing and thinking and being in that state where things seem worthwhile instead of pointless. Sigh. I wish you the best of luck!

[Melanie]

I read on my lunch hour today. I first started looking through a catalog for an office chair to put in my budget. But then I realized I was on lunch and I could look at office catalogs later.

[Citizen Reader]

Rachael,
It IS a treat, just like it's a treat to sometimes have time to read, and I am heartily grateful for it.
I never suggest these "professional" books for personal purchase--the best I hope for is that someone gets interested and suggests to their library that THEY buy it (I do this a lot--my fabo library has a very easy link to solicit "purchase recommendations.) It's a good book, and I'm proud to be part of it, but at $55? Uh, yeah, I'd suggest you ask your library to buy it instead. Don't tell on me. It's just that I know how personal economies in this tough old world work.

Donna,
I can't wait to read the rest of the Yagoda! (Particularly since I never really cared for him before, his books seemed kind of dry to me.) I'll post more on this one later and we'll have to discuss!

Laura,
I'm glad. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in what you need to do to pay bills. Which is very, very important. But it shouldn't be one's only concern. What's a shame is as everybody fights a little harder to borderline survive, they lose time to read or do other leisure activities that might sustain and calm them. Ridiculous, in this day and age. Really, in the twenty-first century, I thought we would have come further.

Always wanted to read some Pepys (especially since Helene Hanff loves him). I know just what you mean about prior reading enriching later reading! It's beautiful. Where should I start with Pepys?

Melanie,
Good on you! Catalog duties is work duties, ma'am, not lunch fodder.

[lesbrarian]

Say-- I think I wrote a chapter for that book, too, the one edited by Jessica and Kaite.

[Citizen Reader]

Lesbrarian,
You did! And it's fantastic, as is your author bio. You funny. Did you get your free copy yet? Mine just came yesterday.

[Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness)]

I loved Memoir: A History when I read it about a month ago. He did such a good job balancing out some of the dry stuff with the more interesting anecdotes, and I love the time he spend exploring the idea of truth and honesty in memoir. I think you'll like the rest of the book just as much.

[laura]

I've only ever read bits and pieces of Pepys, although a few years back, someone started blogging his diary, which is kind of fun: http://www.pepysdiary.com/.

[katharine]

Another photography book you might fall in love with, Picturing the Promise, The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington. Somebody donated a copy to our library and I can't stop looking at it on the reference desk. Paging through this book on the desk counts as readers advisory right?

[Citizen Reader]

Kim,
Great--I'm glad to hear you liked it too. I'm really looking forward to the rest of it!

Laura,
Thanks for the Pepys link. It's not quite as glamorous as ordering used Pepys books from a London bookstore, as Helene Hanff did, but then, I'm not as glamorous as Helene Hanff. :)

Katharine,
Of course it counts. All reading/perusing you do on the desk counts. :) Thanks for the suggestion--you've never steered me wrong on photography yet!