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I am not Dutch, but when I was six years old my Dad took a job in the small town of Leiden, and so I spent most of my school years in the Netherlands. I grew up on Dutch Resistance stories. Even in the '70s and '80s, World War II seemed to be all around [...]
By Candy Gourlay
Kuper's piece in last Saturday's FT Magazine
In this past weekend's FT Magazine, Simon Kuper wrote a piece entitled How I lost my love of reading - the illustration by Luis Granena was of a man struggling to carry massive tomes on his back. Kuper writes:
My daughter (age five) simply lives the book. Better, she doesn't know yet that books are both status symbols and good for
This is me and I fear I am becoming a book bore. On reading the first page of my book club choice this month, I sighed heavily saying 'well that's a cheap devise to get me hooked.' <br /><br />Spoiled. Mind you, when a book does suck me in, it's all the more magic for it!
Interesting, Candy. For me, this problem happened years ago - doing an English degree and then PhD meant for a while that I analysed books rather than enjoying them. But after a while, the analysis part becomes assimilated and the enjoyment returns but is enriched by understanding and knowledge. It means you can work out why something works - but you don't have to, after a while you just know
>Mind you, when a book does suck me in, it's all the more magic for it!<br /><br />Well that's the amazing thing isn't it ... the books that can surprise and delight readers as jaded as us are real treasure! I've read a three books like that recently, couldn't put them down, read under the covers by torchlight ... so satisfying.
Ooh, Candy, tell us what those three books were!<br /><br />Great post - I think the advice to slow down is spot on. I left the first draft of my book alone for the whole of the school summer holidays, although sometimes I was itching to pick it up and read it. The first draft had been a rush to get the story down on paper and see if it made sense. But in those seven weeks spent doing other
Oh lord, and I thought it was just happening to me - I am so glad I'm not alone. Both a degree in English literature, and now writing, seem to have dulled my appetite for books, or rather, books that are anything less than excellent (which, I acknowledge is entirely subjective). With many, I struggle to get past the first chapter, if I'm not engaged, I find it hard to continue, I find I
Well it's very subjective - what I love might not be your cup of tea ... but for what it's worth - Fifteen Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins (in manuscript form), Moon Pie by Simon Mason and The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan (I read this 19 years ago through the night while at the bedside of my first born in hospital ... picked it up recently and couldn't put it down).
xo xo<br />Keep playing --- it's good that you can jump on the trampoline with your kids!<br /><br />miss you!
Candy & I have had this conversation before! But this blog reminds me what law school did to me. I spent so MANY hours reading cases - reams and reams and reams... - and having to pick out the important points. Usual with a highlighter in one hand. I went through literally years when I just couldn't read for pleasure any more, couldn't even read at a normal speed. <br />When I started
My daughter (17) and a fair few of her mates are still in love with the world of Harry POtter. They reread and play on Pottermore because they LOVE the characters. <br />I do find that I can suspend my critical faculties fairly easily which probably says less about the books and more about me.<br />Interesting post, Candy. Thanks!
what a coincidence, my family is re-watching all the HP movies and last weekend we watched The Prisoner of Azkhaban - what a brilliant ending! JK Rowling deserves some kudos for making us suspend our critical faculties! (It's not just you)
ah - that's my favourite apart from the last one. I love a good Potter fest me!
That man, Tennant, has good taste.
he sure does. i was going to ask brad (pitt) to model for the photos but i decided he isn't as hot as david tennant.
And there are some books that just take you beyond all of that nevertheless. One or two will stop Chunterhead. (That's what I call my perpetual inner editor) Occasionally one of my students will do the same. Recent e.g. "The Horses" by Elaine Walker. Recommended. <br />But even so, I don't think Chunterhead matters all that much. it allows me, in a perverse way, to enjoy some
I've been through phases like this before, but happily I still seem able to immerse myself in fiction without any side effects. One thing I have noticed though, is that I've become harder to please over the years. I enjoy reading lots of books, but very few hit that magic spot. I think that's probably why I started to write my own stories.
>I enjoy reading lots of books, but very few hit that magic spot.<br /><br />I'll bet everyone's got a different magic spot. When I was younger, anything with time travel or amnesia was cool. Now I can't get into a book unless I really care for the characters.
I can still immerse myself, though the book has to be pretty good - but perhaps unusually, I'm willing to read more than one page before making my judgement about reading on. Trouble is, while immersed, I'm also feeling guilty that this is writing time going awol. And like most of you, I also stop occasionally and think aha that's what is happening. I try to make it a learning point
Gosh and I thought it was just me! <br /><br />So interesting to read others thoughts on your topic Candy. I think that we edit our own work to the point of nearly going crazy and then start 're-editing' and dissecting the books that we have bought for enjoyment!<br /><br />I hasten to add that I didn't re-edit Tall Story!
Yes, I have become hypercritical too. In fact, when doing critique I have to do my first read-through while sitting on my hands, otherwise I'm in there marking up mistakes without even getting into the story.<br /><br />I do find I'm much less critical with books written by people I don't know. I think there's a competitive pressure that surrounds work by my peers and it makes me