1984 is also on my to read list, too! And I'm curious about 'the Dutch writer boom', are you referring to Cees Nooteboom (had to google that lol)?
My recommendations: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak; Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu; Open Book by Jessica Simpson (wasn't a fan of her music growing up but still loved this! also, reading the book made me rediscover 'public affair' and it is truly the best song to listen to while biking); The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (will really make you want to eat a peach cobbler!); Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe (an interesting read for a post-Brexit world).
Coming from a similar fear of books,(seriously scarily similar), nothing seems to help me. I think I’ll be fine with a genre, or an author, or a series, but at some point my interest is lost and there’s a real fear of “time invested” vs “time wasted” for me. I don’t think people who love books and reading have this (irrational?) fear. I suppose one could argue that it’s not wasted if you learned something, even if it’s to avoid that author (or those who suggested them in the first place). I mean, my best friend is a librarian who has done her absolute best to help me, but to no avail
I’m so shocked that other people feel the same! I think it also comes down to how to read too. A lot of people can speed read- which I cannot do!- I read everything like it’s a play. Character voices etc. makes the process much slower and I’m not just reading to retain it and continue.
I agree if you learn something it’s not wasted which is probably why I typically read non-fiction ! It’s like my subconscious HAS to find a “reason” to read other than enjoyment. Ugh
Re: The Year of Magical Thinking (Joan Didion). I found this book to be beautifully written, but very depressing. So much so that I didn't finish it (which is rare for me - if I'm starting a book, I'm usually pretty committed to it). One caveat though is that I started reading this book during the winter when my seasonal depression is working at a steady 150%, so that was possibly poor timing on my part. It's not a long book, but it seems like a reader needs to be in a reasonably good place to get through Joan's grief.
Also, Pink Pearl erasers have seen me through many troubling times (lookin' at every math class I've ever taken). And while they are tiny heroes, I still associate them with that same anxiety 13 years after my last math class. Glad to know I'm not alone in having so many thoughts about them.
This is a very wise warning re: Joan Didion! It's the same as like, I would never open Infinite Jest anytime soon either.
Re: Pink Pearl - 1000%. They will forever remind me of when I would jab my pencil into them during science class while I was bored out of my mind. and the cap erasers remind me of tests because they would give them out as extras in case you used up your erasers. I h8 it.
Thoughts on books on tape? I can't pay attention long enough to read (thanks undiagnosed adult ADHD) and have found a lot of joy in audio books! Maybe you can get through more of your list this way. There's an app called Libby that hooks up to your library card and you rent them for free like you would a regular book.
Anyway, RE: your list. Little Weirds by Jenny Slate made me cry a lot. It's wonderful and she's a vision. And if you weren't forced to read 1984 in high school, that seems like a good one to just skip ;)
So I have listened to books on tape but I realized I space out too much to follow anything crucial to reeeallly listening to. I also space out when I read! which is why I read 15 pages and put books down for 3 months.
Re: Jenny Slate - thank you for validating this book! I almost bought it last year but held off. I will finally attempt to read!
1984 is also on my to read list, too! And I'm curious about 'the Dutch writer boom', are you referring to Cees Nooteboom (had to google that lol)?
My recommendations: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak; Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu; Open Book by Jessica Simpson (wasn't a fan of her music growing up but still loved this! also, reading the book made me rediscover 'public affair' and it is truly the best song to listen to while biking); The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (will really make you want to eat a peach cobbler!); Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe (an interesting read for a post-Brexit world).
Coming from a similar fear of books,(seriously scarily similar), nothing seems to help me. I think I’ll be fine with a genre, or an author, or a series, but at some point my interest is lost and there’s a real fear of “time invested” vs “time wasted” for me. I don’t think people who love books and reading have this (irrational?) fear. I suppose one could argue that it’s not wasted if you learned something, even if it’s to avoid that author (or those who suggested them in the first place). I mean, my best friend is a librarian who has done her absolute best to help me, but to no avail
I’m so shocked that other people feel the same! I think it also comes down to how to read too. A lot of people can speed read- which I cannot do!- I read everything like it’s a play. Character voices etc. makes the process much slower and I’m not just reading to retain it and continue.
I agree if you learn something it’s not wasted which is probably why I typically read non-fiction ! It’s like my subconscious HAS to find a “reason” to read other than enjoyment. Ugh
Re: The Year of Magical Thinking (Joan Didion). I found this book to be beautifully written, but very depressing. So much so that I didn't finish it (which is rare for me - if I'm starting a book, I'm usually pretty committed to it). One caveat though is that I started reading this book during the winter when my seasonal depression is working at a steady 150%, so that was possibly poor timing on my part. It's not a long book, but it seems like a reader needs to be in a reasonably good place to get through Joan's grief.
Also, Pink Pearl erasers have seen me through many troubling times (lookin' at every math class I've ever taken). And while they are tiny heroes, I still associate them with that same anxiety 13 years after my last math class. Glad to know I'm not alone in having so many thoughts about them.
This is a very wise warning re: Joan Didion! It's the same as like, I would never open Infinite Jest anytime soon either.
Re: Pink Pearl - 1000%. They will forever remind me of when I would jab my pencil into them during science class while I was bored out of my mind. and the cap erasers remind me of tests because they would give them out as extras in case you used up your erasers. I h8 it.
Thoughts on books on tape? I can't pay attention long enough to read (thanks undiagnosed adult ADHD) and have found a lot of joy in audio books! Maybe you can get through more of your list this way. There's an app called Libby that hooks up to your library card and you rent them for free like you would a regular book.
Anyway, RE: your list. Little Weirds by Jenny Slate made me cry a lot. It's wonderful and she's a vision. And if you weren't forced to read 1984 in high school, that seems like a good one to just skip ;)
So I have listened to books on tape but I realized I space out too much to follow anything crucial to reeeallly listening to. I also space out when I read! which is why I read 15 pages and put books down for 3 months.
Re: Jenny Slate - thank you for validating this book! I almost bought it last year but held off. I will finally attempt to read!
Re: 1984. lol yaaaaaaaaa