Claire's Corner

Posted on | March 4, 2010 | 23 Comments

Each month the Riverside Readers book group meets on the South Bank (close to the London Eye, photographed above) to discuss our monthly book choice. I noticed earlier this week that all but one of our choices feature on the Guardian’s 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read list, which is entirely coincidental although when I came to make my choice it was a book that I was aware of because of the list. The list was compiled early last year and ran as a weekly feature, with the books separated into different categories; I followed the series with interest at the time and have since used the complete list as a handy reference. No list is definitive, of course, but I do like a challenge; by no means will or would I want to read all 1000 Novels but some of those included are books that I have been meaning to read and an incentive (a sense of accomplishment by striking through a title on a list) always helps. So far I have read 187 of the novels and would like to achieve a fifth of the 1000 read by the end of this year and a quarter by the end of next, at least; from my to-be-read piles alone, I should accomplish this and it helps that the Riverside Readers are contributing to the tally, albeit unconsciously. Thank you to Mae of Mad Bibliophile for reminding me to talk a little about the list as lists like that one (and the book 1001 Books) are timeless book-guides.

In this week’s Guardian is the feature “A week without books”, in which the writer blogs of her experience of giving up books for one week. I am not thoroughly convinced by her motivation -I can understand giving up buying books for Lent, as an experiment, as a means of saving books … but giving up reading? If I did that then I would be starved of oxygen to the brain. I read to enjoy, to educate, to entertain myself and I would be lost without books. I recognise myself in van der Zee, I am that girl with her nose in a book on the tube, going up the escalator, walking along the travelator in Waterloo station; I always have a book in my bag as you never know when you will be caught waiting whether it be for a person you are meeting or a train that is delayed. A few months ago I went to see my grandparents -who were visiting my aunt- and they were caught up in traffic for some time; I stood on the doorstep and occupied myself by reading and when they did arrive I reassured my uncle by honestly informing him that it was okay, I had packed a spare book. I am never caught without a book and a day doesn’t go by where I don’t read one, at the very least in bed, unless I need a break from reading; sometimes a well-deserved book holiday is prescribed but even then it is only for a day or two and only as a result of severe symptoms i.e. a migraine or a major book slump. I cannot foresee an occasion where I would deprive myself from the pleasure of reading for an entire week.

Last February I read Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez (funnily enough because its inclusion on the 1000 Novels list prompted me to finally read it) and I found it time-consuming; it took me a week to read and, to offset the time invested into one book, I decided to read seven books in seven days. Now, reading a book in one day isn’t a rare occurrence for me but nor is it a regular one either; I am no speed-reader and although I do set aside a Sunday afternoon here and there to read a book, sometimes it doesn’t happen unless it’s a book that I simply cannot put down or an occasion such as Persephone Reading Week or the seven books in seven days goal that I set myself. I read: Chéri by Colette; Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka; Fireworks by Angela Carter (reread); The Lover by Marguerite Duras; Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams; Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary by Ruby Ferguson (three of these featured on the Guardian list along with the Marquez novel). Where I will never intentionally have a week without books, I am more than willing to have another conscious week-with-a-book-a-day. Sometimes it is easier to read one book a day, even two (novellas are great, aren’t they?) but it is never something that I manage often in succession; I find myself often craving something more substantial that I can fully immerse myself in for a few days without it finishing too quickly. I am not a particularly fast reader, nor a slow one (maybe a page a minute?) and I wouldn’t change the rate at which I read as I am quite content to luxuriate in a novel, bath in its words and submerge myself in the plot. However, when the to-be-read piles are overwhelming me it is nice to know that I can kickstart my progress by ticking off seven at a time and I would never hinder my reading quota by taking an extended reading break. What about you, could you go a week without books?

Comments

23 Responses to “Claire's Corner”

Jackie (Farm Lane Books)
March 4th, 2010 @ 3:37 pm

I could easily go for a week without books, but the question is why? I don’t see what it would achieve. I often go for weekends away without reading anything as I don’t read in the company of friends. As long as I am well occupied then I am quite happy not to be reading.

I think my reading habits are very similar to yours. I read at a similar pace and sometimes read a book in a day. I don’t like reading lots of short books together though. I like to read a long one, followed by a short one. The idea of ticking 7 books off my TBR list is appealing, but I find finishing a long one much more satisfying. I have a few long Persephones lined up for May.
Verity
March 4th, 2010 @ 4:08 pm

I read that Guardian thing as you know – I couldn’t go a week without books. But I do wonder about cutting down sometimes – I’m reading so much at the moment that it’s not always pleasurable. I like long books and short books too. I do find it relaxing and would be traumatised if I couldn’t read before lights out (it’s only happened once in my life when I was 7 and had eye drops at the opticians – I was up until 2am in tears which ruined a dinner party that my parents were holding – the eye drops prevented me from reading and I just couldnt’ sleep without reading, particularly as I was in the middle of Dr Doolittle!)

I am aware of that list but at the moment I prefer to drive my own reading choices. I’d be interested to know how many of them I have read though.
kiss a cloud
March 4th, 2010 @ 5:02 pm

I’m definitely with you on this one. Cannot live a day without reading. Only happens when I’m too ill to read. My regular pace is one or two books a week. There are days I will read 200 pages, and other days maybe just 10. Depends on what the day has in store (or what my kids will allow!).

I do love the idea of reading 7 books in 7 days. If you do that again I might join you. If my husband is on duty at work during the next 24-hour readathon, I won’t be joining that anymore, as the last time I only got to read for a total of about 5 to 6 hours, I believe, because of the children. And what good is that for a 24-hour readathon? Maybe a 7 books in 7 days event is more feasible for me. As I can stay up late in bed after the boys are asleep and finish one off each night.
kiss a cloud
March 4th, 2010 @ 5:04 pm

P.S. I do remember having done the 7 books in 7 days thing, though it was done less consciously. It was the Narnia series! I loved it so much I just couldn’t get by till I was done with the last. Did it all in one week.
Amy
March 4th, 2010 @ 5:29 pm

Like Jackie said, I could, but why? I fail to see the benefit of such an undertaking. A friend of mine is going to do a book-a-day challenge for a week or two next month. She blogs over at http://www.girldetective.net/
Vasilly
March 4th, 2010 @ 5:40 pm

I just had the worst reading rut ever! I refuse to go a week without reading just to do it. I love the 7 books in 7 days. I’ve been thinking about doing it.
kiss a cloud
March 4th, 2010 @ 5:43 pm

P.P.S. I just checked out the Guardian 1000 list and crossed out those I’ve read. Only 85! Though most of the books on my TBR are on it, so maybe I can reach a hundred by the end of the year. You’re awesome, though, almost 200 already!
Book Psmith
March 4th, 2010 @ 6:06 pm

I would never voluntarily give up reading for a week. If I go a day without reading, I am acutely aware of missing it. Even when I went through a nightmarish reading slump in 2008, I still read something whether it was an article, essay or a favorite passage from a book. Do you ever find yourself wishing a person would run late to meet you just so you can get in a few more pages?
Annabel (gaskella)
March 4th, 2010 @ 6:47 pm

I don’t see the point of giving up books – I’m addicted but don’t need to go cold turkey. I’d like to be able to read more not less!

On the Guardian 1000 books, I’ve done a quick tot up and I’ve read 173 – admittedly, many of those were years ago, and I’d love to re-read almost all of them.
vivienne
March 4th, 2010 @ 7:52 pm

Nope, I couldn’t do it. I can go about a day with out a book and then I start pining for one. I just love my books so much and have to read rather than watching television. I struggle to understand the people that don’t read at all. I always think they don’t know what they are missing.
Michelle (su[shu])
March 4th, 2010 @ 9:17 pm

I don’t know if I could actually go a whole week without books now, but I do know for a fact that I used to go for years without so much as picking up a book outside of what was required reading. (Oh, the shame and pity!) But I definitely wouldn’t want to do that on purpose.

I like reading shorter novels compared to the really huge and chunky ones. I mean, I do love reading those big books as well, but I find they take a lot out of me, and I end up with a few days after where I just float around the other books, read a few pages here and there, and end up staring at words without them registering! It always feels like my soul got sucked in, and didn’t come out in time. But that’s just me.
Nymeth
March 4th, 2010 @ 10:19 pm

I notice that as well – normally after a few quick reads I need a chunkster. Partially it has to do with not wanting to get too far behind with reviews, but it’s not just that. There’s something to be said for long books, really. They’re satisfying in a way that the shorter ones don’t quite manage.
Eva
March 4th, 2010 @ 11:07 pm

I read a memoir by a book-loving girl who converts to evangelical Christianity and gives up reading for Lent (the whole memoir isn’t about that, it’s just a chapter). I understood the motivation (her pastor tells her to do it), because if you suddenly have many hours to fill, and you fill them with meditating/praying, then you’ll probably end up with more a God habit. That being said, I doubt I’d ever do it.

I have gone a week without reading, even more, but it’s only when my fibro flares up, and my brain gets foggy and can’t read. It makes being sick even worse!

I’ve never been attracted by those big lists other people make. They always seem oddly arbitrary and not to my taste. I do make my own lists all the time though!

I read more than one book at a time, so it’s rare for me to literally read a book a day, although I might read four books in four days! lol And I LOVE chunksters. I’ve just recently begun reading more novellas, and many of them are wonderful and powerful stuff, but if I could only read short or long books, I’d go with long every time. I’m more often disappointed when I go to the library to pick up a hold & it’s shorter than I expected than when it’s longer than I expected.

And I think that’s all I have to say! Fun post and lots of stuff to think about.
Nicola
March 4th, 2010 @ 11:48 pm

Nope, unless I had a migraine, but they don’t usually last a week! Missed appointments, late trains, waiting in queues etc may annoy ‘normal’ people, but for us readers it’s just an opportunity to get a few more chapters in!
Claire (The Captive Reader)
March 5th, 2010 @ 1:39 am

One week? Couldn’t do it. I can do a few days, usually when I’m travelling with friends or family, but even then I’m usually plotting ways to sneak in some time with my book, even if it means waking up half an hour before everyone else. When buying purses, all I care about is that they can hold at least one book, so that I’m never caught in an awkward situation without reading material.

Have to say, I did wonder if this need to always have a book had gone too far when I was at the passport office last month. I settled into my seat, assuming that I’d have a nice long wait to read my Monica Dickens, but I was called up before I was even able to withdraw my bookmark. Wonderful to see such bureaucratic efficiency, but frustrating in that I was denied some quality reading time!
softdrink
March 5th, 2010 @ 4:10 am

If I’m traveling, and far from home, I could maybe go a week without reading. Maybe. I still pack a book (or two or three) for vacation, but if I’m busy checking out the sights I read a lot less. I don’t think I’d ever intentionally not read. Why deprive myself of something I enjoy that isn’t bad for me?
Mae
March 5th, 2010 @ 10:45 am

Why give up books for a week? It’s not detrimental to health (or perhaps it is to one’s posture and hands) but I guess it can show how some of us can be utterly addicted to books! While I don’t read a book at every possible spare minute, I do find myself reading everything I can within my sight. I read the back of cartons during breakfast, gaze around at billboards and writing on people’s t-shirts during lunch, read the ingredients on the back of shampoo bottles in the shower… I’m constantly reading.

And I feel the same way about investing in all the time in one book. I know I shouldn’t feel that way even though I’m enjoying the book. There’s just so much to read!
Rhian
March 5th, 2010 @ 3:55 pm

No, couldn’t give up books for a week (and why would I want to?)

I never go anywhere without something to read, and my stitching. I might not actually read books every day but I need to be able to.

Like Vivienne I can’t really understand how people can NOT read – weird.

PS can’t remember how many of the Guardian list I have read (as opposed to got sitting waiting to be read) but I don’t think I match your total.
anothercookiecrumbles
March 5th, 2010 @ 10:09 pm

A week without reading… hmm… I can do that, I think, but by the end of that week, I get cranky and annoyed and just want a good book!!

As for the 1001 Books To Read – I am reading through the list, and am picking out some titles, some of which I’ve never even heard of before. I don’t think I’m going to finish the entire list, but even doing half of it would be a reasonably good achievement. At the moment, I think I’ve crossed 120. Can’t remember the exact number though. Funnily enough, seven of the sixteen books I’ve read this year belong to that list – and this is completely inadvertent.

As for reading seven books in seven days – I’d struggle with that! I do about 80 annually, so…
Jenny
March 7th, 2010 @ 6:55 pm

Okay, I feel like I couldn’t go a week without books, but this article makes me sort of want to try. I bet I could do it! But it would be awful.
Jodie
March 8th, 2010 @ 11:40 am

I really disliked that article (but I liked the science bit). It was very ‘woe is me a week without books, la I will talk about the awfullness’ and I thought the point was for her to give up books because maybe there were other things she wanted to do more of, alongside reading. I thought she might try a new hobby in that week, or go out with her family more but not so much.
Paperback Reader
March 9th, 2010 @ 2:52 pm

Jackie, to me there are no benefits to giving up reading for a week; I could never voluntarily inflict that on myself.
Short books here and there are great but, like you, I require a thicker book to immerse myself in. The pay-off for reading a longer book is more; I experience a greater sense of pleasure, gratification and achievement than I do reading shorter books.

verity, sometimes I’m too tired to read in bed so I’m surprised that you have read every night bar that one! Goodness, quite the memory. A balance between your reading time and social life seems perfectly reasonable to me, especially considering how much you read.

There are a number of VMCs on The Guardian list so I imagine that with those alone you have read a fair few! I don’t use it to guide my reading but I do like when I read a book that also happens to be on the list.

Claire, I’m with you – some reading days are far more productive than others and it depends on my mood and what’s going on (and the book).
I would definitely be interested in you joining me for another seven books in seven days… maybe after Persephone Reading Week? We could reread Narnia!
I think the April readathon is a weekend that I have a wedding so I won’t be participating; I also cherish sleep to much! That’s a definite advantage to reading a book a day when you can read far into the night and then sleep before beginning the next.

Amy, I fail to see the benefits too; there are far more pros than cons to giving up reading. Good luck to your friend! I must pop over and have a look.

Vasilly, maybe we should arrange a seven books in seven days event since there are a few of us interested? I’m currently in a bit of a reading rut and I hate them.

Claire, to be fair, several of mine were read at uni and not books that I probably would have read otherwise. I’m looking forward to reaching 200 with books that I am excited to read!

Stacy, I am continually wishing for things of that nature to happen! Cramming in some additional reading time is important to me and I look for it where I can. I suppose online reading and definitely blog reading count as reading too – us bloggers read so much! That’s because we have a common passion for reading about books as well as reading books themselves.

Annabel, me too! It seems like a pointles experiment to me as she complained about it rather than did something productive with the additional non-reading time.

That’s my issue too – I’d love to reread a lot of those I’ve already read! Not enough time to read/reread all that appeal…

Vivienne, I suffer withdrawal symptoms if I don’t have a chance to pick up a book and always have one in close proximity to me.
I don’t understand non-readers either. Literature offers and gives me so much and I would be truly lost without it in my life.

Michelle, sometimes when you have so much required reading it is impossible let alone desired to read around it. I know that when I was studying I craved the opportunity to read for pleasure and the freedom of choice that it entailed.

I try and maintain a balance between longer and shorter books. Like Love in the Time of Cholera, it is frustrating to invest a lot of time in the one book and not receive the gratifying experience you were expecting.

Ana, I NEED that satisfaction provided from a longer novel, that full immersion in it that reading a shorter novel can’t compare to. Often I find that I am often so often engaged in a chunkier read that I can finish it in a couple of days and more quickly than a shorter one.
Paperback Reader
March 9th, 2010 @ 3:14 pm

Eva, that was one of my issues with this article – the writer didn’t do anything productive with her new free time. I couldn’t see what could be deemed more worthwhile a past-time than reading but that’s just me.

I know that you love making your own lists! I don’t enjoy being ruled by lists at all and struggled with that last year; this one is more of a reference, however, and isn’t so very arbitrary as it had many contributors.

I definitely aim to strike a fairly equal balance between short and long books for the best of both worlds but my heart goes for long and captivating every time.

Nicola, they are indeed – delays of any kind may still be mildly infuriating but, my, they go so much quicker and pleasanter with a book in hand!

Claire (The Captive Reader), I buy bags based on their practicality for carrying books too!

I feel your pain in regards to the bittersweetness of the passport office; I am often full prepared for a long wait and then have my reading plans scuppered by being taken early!

Jill, I feel likewise and as far as I am concerned, reading could never be bad for me. If it’s a busy holiday then, yes, I’ll read less but I do savour those beach or pool holidays where I can lie in the sun reading to my heart’s content.

Mae, I like your description of constantly reading. We are continually being informed by the written words around us (signs, newspaper headlines, ads) and I wouldn’t change that for a moment.

Chunksters don’t always put me off… sometimes I do think, well, I could read three shorter novels in the time it would take me to read that one long novel but I do resent the time taken with a longer book that ultimately I don’t enjoy, hence my need to offset it with seven shorter ones.

Hi Rhian, thanks for commenting. I like your point about the choice to read every day, even if you don’t actually manage to. I may have to write something separate about non-readers soon.

anothercookie, it would depend on the week, I think; some weeks are most definitely busier than others. I would be in a foul mood if I hadn’t read for an entire week that it wouldn’t be worth it, no matter what; I know my personality too well.

Many of the books I have read from the list recently have been completely inadvertent too and, like you, there are some that I have never heard of and others that I have always wanted to read.

Jenny, it would make an interesting experiment if it was documented really well but I don’t think the experience would be fulfilling enough for me to even want to try! I’ll admit to being somewhat intrigued but I’d end up just wasting the free time online (now there’s an experiment – I wonder how many more books I would manage to read in a week?!)

Jodie, I agree that it would have been more interesting if she had documented the effect that more free time had on her life and how productively she used it. However, I identified with her “suffering” as I can imagine my own! I still don’t know why she did it in the first place if she wasn’t going to actually do something other than complain.