January posting: books
Tue, Jan. 21st, 2014 02:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterSorry people with the last few questions for this meme! I have not forgotten you! I have just left the questions till last because I haven't been able to think of stuff.
So,vass asked about books.
This is more a problem of having too much rather than not being able to think of stuff. It's also difficult because I feel like I stopped reading books during grad school and never quite picked it up again, and given how large a role books play in my life, it feels like a quiet betrayal of sorts. I think I stopped tracking everything I read in my database around four years ago, and I stopped writing everything up (or a fairly large percentage) around then as well. In some ways, I miss it, because I love talking about books, especially with people here. But in other ways, it was starting to feel like pressure, and I would catch myself not starting new things because I would then have to log them or write them up, which is not how I want to think about books. Ditto with feeling like I was not reading the "right" thing by defaulting to comfort stuff, which frequently corresponds with white authors for me, or not checking out things that are Very Serious and Weighty.
Some of it was lack of brain to hold so much long-form narrative, especially while in grad school and basically up through last year, which is when I found a meds combination that has been working much better. I still feel like I can't quite cope with that much story, though possibly that is just a kneejerk reflex by now, because I have been dipping into things more and keeping up with TV (okay, Sleepy Hollow, but that's better than the past few years!) as well.
Some is just less time than before; being in a relationship is so time-consuming! Ditto having more friends in the area! And these are good things, and I have been WAY more social than I used to be. And a pretty large part is getting into casual games and a faster payoff.
I don't know! I am conflicted because I do want to read more and talk about books more, but I also have eight billion other things I am trying to do more, and I'm trying to prioritize so my brain doesn't do the giant list of every life goal I have failed to progress on thing.
So I guess that's where I am with books right now.
(On a more physical note, I am now trying to do everything in ebook when possible, as I didn't end up moving any non-graphic-art books out of the condo. I love this! It is especially awesome because my little apartment doesn't have that much room to begin with.)
So,
vass asked about books.This is more a problem of having too much rather than not being able to think of stuff. It's also difficult because I feel like I stopped reading books during grad school and never quite picked it up again, and given how large a role books play in my life, it feels like a quiet betrayal of sorts. I think I stopped tracking everything I read in my database around four years ago, and I stopped writing everything up (or a fairly large percentage) around then as well. In some ways, I miss it, because I love talking about books, especially with people here. But in other ways, it was starting to feel like pressure, and I would catch myself not starting new things because I would then have to log them or write them up, which is not how I want to think about books. Ditto with feeling like I was not reading the "right" thing by defaulting to comfort stuff, which frequently corresponds with white authors for me, or not checking out things that are Very Serious and Weighty.
Some of it was lack of brain to hold so much long-form narrative, especially while in grad school and basically up through last year, which is when I found a meds combination that has been working much better. I still feel like I can't quite cope with that much story, though possibly that is just a kneejerk reflex by now, because I have been dipping into things more and keeping up with TV (okay, Sleepy Hollow, but that's better than the past few years!) as well.
Some is just less time than before; being in a relationship is so time-consuming! Ditto having more friends in the area! And these are good things, and I have been WAY more social than I used to be. And a pretty large part is getting into casual games and a faster payoff.
I don't know! I am conflicted because I do want to read more and talk about books more, but I also have eight billion other things I am trying to do more, and I'm trying to prioritize so my brain doesn't do the giant list of every life goal I have failed to progress on thing.
So I guess that's where I am with books right now.
(On a more physical note, I am now trying to do everything in ebook when possible, as I didn't end up moving any non-graphic-art books out of the condo. I love this! It is especially awesome because my little apartment doesn't have that much room to begin with.)
Tags:
(no subject)
Tue, Jan. 21st, 2014 11:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Wed, Jan. 22nd, 2014 12:59 am (UTC)(no subject)
Tue, Jan. 28th, 2014 06:08 pm (UTC)Haha, good to know! It's just weird because I can (and often do) go for weeks without reading, which was definitely not the case when I was younger. Mostly I wish I read more so I could follow more book conversations (so behind!), but then my personal time is already pretty busy...
(no subject)
Thu, Jan. 23rd, 2014 01:28 am (UTC)I am conflicted because I do want to read more and talk about books more, but I also have eight billion other things I am trying to do more, and I'm trying to prioritize so my brain doesn't do the giant list of every life goal I have failed to progress on thing.
I could have written this exact sentence myself.
(no subject)
Tue, Jan. 28th, 2014 06:09 pm (UTC)The Very Serious and Weighty ones are so difficult to get to! And since one of the reasons why I stopped reading so much was because it started to feel too much like homework, I don't want do that to myself again. Oh life. Why not enough time??
(no subject)
Thu, Jan. 23rd, 2014 10:15 pm (UTC)Particularly given how large a role books play in my life, it feels like a quiet betrayal of sorts. I never developed the commonplace book habit to start with, but I still feel like I'm betraying my enjoyment of a book if I don't share it. In fact, that may be why I enjoy book clubs so much! Guaranteed excuse to talk about books! Also WisCon. I am seeing a pattern here /o\
I want to give you and me permission to write/speak/transfer info via brainstem as briefly as we must, as often as is possible. Because I enjoy watching your mind work. Your book recs influence what I read. But it's never an obligation.
(no subject)
Tue, Jan. 28th, 2014 06:11 pm (UTC)That's a sign? So convenient!!
I love talking about books! I just feel sad not being able to keep up with the conversation a lot, although of course I should remember that people do like joining in after anyway (witness any time someone starts reading Lymond...)
But yeah, I'm trying to get to the point where I think of it as fun again, instead of another thing to do.