Mission

Bibliophiliac is the space where one passionate, voracious reader reflects on books and the reading life. You will find reviews, analysis, links, and reflections on poetry and prose both in and out of the mainstream.

A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us. Franz Kafka

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Sunday Coffee

Sunday Coffee:  Finally Fall
My windows are open, finally. Even the dogs seem excited by the slightly cooler weather. The little Maltese-Chihuahua mix was quite frisky this morning. She suddenly and inexplicably became enamored of our neighbor's cat.

Last week was homecoming at my high school. Can I just say that I'm glad that's over? It was fun, but I'm glad it's over. My husband and I went to the football game on Friday night, and our undefeated team had to work just hard enough for their win so that it was satisfying.

Now for the grading to begin. I've been diligently working away at the accumulated papers that never seem to go away entirely. First quarter grades will be due week after next, and I don't want to be scrambling at the last minute.

I've been following the Occupy Wall Street movement with great interest. It really reflects what I've observed about young people: they don't need mainstream media, they don't care about our hierarchies, and they are passionate, flexible, and determined. Have you seen any of the videos of the speeches? Laws prevent the use of megaphones, so the crowds are becoming their own human megaphones. The speaker shouts out a few words or a sentence at a time, and the whole crowd chants back so that everyone can hear the speech. I find this brilliant. There is a video of Bill McKibben at Washington Square using this to great effect. It virtually forces the speaker to be pithy and to to the point (like twitter). It goes without saying that the movement is being built and spread on social media, and I can't wait to see where this goes.

Books! As I look back on September, I read more than I realized. I finished Dave Maine's Gamble of the Godless, Me Again by Keith Cronin, To Be Queen by Christy English, The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell, and Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. I started (and intend to finish) Burned by Ellen Hopkins and My Lobotomy by Howard Dully (nearly finished with this one). For professional reading, I've been working on James Pennebaker's Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions and Writing in Flow: Keys to Enhanced Creativity by Susan K. Perry. I'm about halfway through Aimee Buckner's Notebook Know-How and Kristen Painter's Living and Teaching the Writing Workshop. And during September I dipped into Rebecca McClanahan's Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively for exercises for my creative writing students. I'll keep reading this one, as it is beautifully written, and enjoyable not just for the exercises and ideas, but for the writing itself.

I notice that I tend to jump around in my reading much more than I used to. I have books that I read just during mealtimes, books that I read while at school, books that I carry with me everywhere. And still, somehow, there isn't time to read all the books that I want to read. I wish I could take a readcation and just hide away with my books and just read for a week or two.

What are you reading? If you could take a readcation, what would you read?

8 comments:

Scriptor Senex said...

A readcation. What a wonderful idea. I'm salivating at the very thought of it. I have two shelves of books I want to read from cosy crime for bedtime, Victorian novels for my writing research and various non-fiction (mostly natural history). Added to those I have just put a whole plastic box of books I have no space for, up into the loft to be brought down when I've emptied the shelves a bit. And did I mention the Kindle... Ah! The very idea of a readcation...

Sam (Tiny Library) said...

A readcation - can I join you?

I am going away in the half term break here (we get one week off in two weeks time), to the Peak District for three days. I'm going to deliberately not take my laptop so I can sit in the countryside and relax with a few books.

Betty said...

I retired to a permanent readcation, and I STILL want more time to read. I won't let myself turn into a total hermit because I don't think it is healthy, but when I go for a whole day with only reading a few pages (like today) I feel a bit distressed. So why am I telling you this when I should get back to my reading chair and the TBR pile? Wanting more of what you love is a permanent condition.

Anonymous said...

As I was composing my own bookish blog Post, I typed in the word "bibliophiliac' to check the spelling and there was your blog! Serendipity.

I've been retired from high school English teaching for 4 years now, and like Betty's, the reading pile has grown exponentially. But always a pleasure to revel in.

bibliophiliac said...

@Scriptor senex-I do have a break coming up-I'm going to set aside at least a few days for a readcation!

bibliophiliac said...

@Sam-I hope you have a wonderful time!

bibliophiliac said...

@Betty-Retired folks always find out that they are busier than ever after retirement. All those years of putting off tasks for later!

bibliophiliac said...

@Magpie's Nest-thanks for stopping by! I'll have to check out your "nest"...