Lately, I was horrible keeping up with readings. I barely read professional lit and anything (news, blogs, forums) connected to interpersonal relationships psychology. I am thankful for that the second group exists, but after all, the value of gained understanding is possibly questionable from some perspectives. But definitely not from the perspective of comprehending the human heart which – according to the few entrepreneurs in Stockholm that I respect – is very much worthwhile.
Other than that, for the longest time something in my head was trying to convince me "there are no more good books to read."
However I would be the first to shout that the real wisdom of life is in the classical literature: it hoards the history of human experience through times, situations, and geographies. Reading used to be a very immersive activity. And frankly, the last book that I read “immersively” is quite far away now. It was Umberto Eco’s Foucault’s Pendulum. Sometimes I need to make a break after reading a really good book. Foucault’s Pendulum swayed me off for a too long time. I wish I had read it earlier in my life. I wish “A Study of Casaubon’s Character” was a course offered when I attended university. Naturally, the book to read after that was George Eliot’s Middlemarch – to get to know the original Mister Casaubon. Shame on me, I have never finished it (but hey, it’s “next” in my reading list). Today I learned that there is an even more modern interpretation of Casaubon: Private Life by Jane Smiley.
Some others that I am struggling with for a long time already: Vilhelm Moberg’s The Emmigrants (it shows the Swedes that I aspired to find here, and never did), Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart (I suspect it was given to me because I reminded a character in there)
I had the Evil Critter (‘ebook reader’ gone through the Skype voice morphing) for barely about 24 hours now, and all the books there are in 24 categories (excluding news) already. Once again I face my scattered focus, as between all, there is Russian Poetry, Oil, History, and sure, Asperger’s Character.
One could think I am covered for the next couple of years in regards of reading lists, but it is a worrying thing for me. Even assuming that I might have read 20 or 30 from the list of “1001 books to read before you die”, I would need to read at least 2 per month to be through with it before I die. Frankly, that does not sound like something I will do.
And it’s a good thing to “know”. Read 2 books from the list or you’ll die not knowing what is in there. Be married before 30 if you want to be a healthy energetic parent. Save your time for the valuable, not because the other time is wasted, but because you do not experience the value otherwise. Don’t look back at what got lost or taken away. Take, make, create, consume, experience what is still here now.
