Regardless, there have been a few books I've been sneaking in here and there this month, and, of course, my list of books to read is ever growing, as friends keep recommending books. I've definitely added more books to my library 'wish list' than I have removed.
For the ones I did manage to get to this month, I offer a brief commentary on each:
A friend suggested Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. I tried, I really did try with this book. It's a whopper of a book, being 600+ pages long. I made it through about 300 pages before I decided to quit. I normally hate leaving books unfinished, but I decided to give myself permission to walk away on this one. Which felt a little blasphemous, like there was a collective gasp from reading elitists the world over, because the guy won the freaking Pulitzer Prize for his book All the Light We Cannot See. One does not idly walk away from Pulitzer Prize-winning authors. But I did. 😬 I just couldn't get invested in the characters. He's a good writer, yes, but I didn't find the book all that emotionally compelling. Again, I can hear the collective gasp. And if you read the reviews, people are losing their minds over this book, which makes me pause for a moment and think, "What the heck am I missing here? Am I just being some sort of dense, fuddy-duddy of a reader?" I'm going to shrug my shoulders and move on from this one. If you decide to read it, let me know your opinion and help me understand what exactly I'm missing.
I also picked up Digital Minimalist by Cal Newport. I've been on a bit of a binge with reading books and content on how technology is shaping our brains and our habits. A friend had been reading this book, and I had just finished Stolen Focus by Johann Hari, so I was curious to see if there was any overlap in their perspectives. Hari's book focuses more on the psychology and science of how our phones, social media, etc. are shaping us, whereas Newport focuses on really practical tips. I loved Hari's book, but Newport's felt a little flat to me, a little too simplistic in his suggestions for how we handle our technology. Hari's arguments were much more nuanced and thoughtful, steeped in a much broader series of perspectives and science. Go for Stolen Focus over Digital Minimalist if you must pick.
The final book that's in process is Ranier Maria Rilke's book Letters to a Young Poet. I quoted this book back on Day 11. The whole reason I had long been familiar with that particular quote was due to the highly spiritual movie Sister Act 2 (that's sarcasm, in case you missed that), where Whoopi Goldberg quotes it in a particular scene. So, when I thought of it again for that particular post, I thought, "You know, I really should read that book some day to see what else it says." I haven't finished it yet, but this one particular quote resonated with me like some sort of deep bass drum pounding in my chest:
Have patience about everything that is still unresolved in your heart; try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms, like books written in a truly foreign language. don't look for the answers now: they cannot be given to you yet because you cannot yet live them, and what matters is to live everything. For now, live the questions. If you do, then maybe, gradually, without realizing it, some far-off day you will live your way into the answer.
😳
That's some good stuff right there. Better than anything I read in Doerr's book (no offense, Doerr).
On deck I've got Dear Fahrenheit 451, another recommendation from a friend. She sent me an excerpt from the letter the author wrote to The Hobbit, which was hilarious. I'm anxious to get my hands on this book. I've also got Andy Crouch's The Life We're Looking For on request from the library, per a recommendation from a sorority sister. Another book on technology and our relationship with it. Maybe February will bode better for my availability to read!
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