Confessions of a Terrible Reader
I have to confess. I’m a terrible reader even though I’ve read hundreds of books. If there are no books, magazines or newspapers around, I’ll read cereal boxes, advertisements on subway trains, emails I should’ve unsubscribed to months ago and my unstoppable twitter feed.
Words Matter
I’m a terrible reader, because I don’t take the time to read every word in a book. You’d think I would because I’m a writer. I know the pains I go through to find the right word. I struggle over sentence construction; I worry over metaphors and adjectives. It took me over ten years to write each of my first two novels. With all this attention to detail, you’d think I’d give every writer their due. But I don’t and I’m the loser as a result.
A Revelation
What’s brought about this revelation is Michael Ondaatje’s beautifully executed novel, Warlight. I began reading it and found it ho-hum. It wasn’t until I got to the halfway point that the story kicked in for me. Only problem then was my confusion. Because I had read the first half hurriedly, I didn’t know some of the characters who began popping up again. I recalled that the author had mentioned them earlier on, but who they were was a mystery.
So, I did what I never do. I went back to the beginning and read it again, but this time with attention to every word. What a difference! Rather than thinking the story was ho-hum, I began to appreciate its brilliance.
Too Many Books and Too Little Time
I think the reason I had rushed through the pages of Warlight the first time is the fact that I have so many great books to read and time is fleeting. I now realize I’ve gained little by approaching an author’s work in this way.
Funnily enough, Robert, my husband, is a slower reader and even he goes back to the beginning of a novel when he’s lost his way in a story. So, whether you’re a slow reader or a fast one like me, It’s easy to get distracted when our minds are full of to-do lists, relationship matters, and daily needs like food and sleep that grab our attention.
Not Too Late To Change
But it’s not too late to change. I love what I’ve discovered about myself. I intend to read every word now and though I will obviously get through less books, I know I’m going to be rewarded immeasurably. What about you?
And If you haven’t signed up for Diana’s Book News, do, as I’m getting another newsletter out this week with another free chapter of Along Came A Gardener.
Oh my goodness, Diana, I can SO relate to this! I’m a bit of a speed-reader by nature and I think it’s because my favourite genre to escape to is suspense/thriller (as opposed to literary fiction).
However, like you, when I read one of book club selections of last season, A Gentleman in Moscow, and again for this season, The Alice Network, I purposely slowed down and oh my, what a difference!
The Alice Network had me reeled in by page 3 but not so with A Gentleman… Initially, I struggled to become engaged until I realized that I was skipping over the beautiful writing to “get to the good part.” Going back and reading it more slowly was an education in itself!
Thanks for sharing your reading experience with us. Great post!
Phew! So glad I’m not the only writer who skips along the page. And thank you, Karen, for sharing your experience and also for the name of the books you’ve read. I’ll add them to my list. 🙂
My pleasure; with your Russian background, I think you’ll love A Gentleman in Moscow. And the Alice Network is “unputdownable” IMHO:>)
I’m sure I’ll love it but my background isn’t Russian. It’s Ukrainian. My mother was born in what was then Russia, but it’s now Ukraine. Dad’s also Ukrainian but born when that part of Ukraine was part of the Austrian-Hungarian empire. The country since the beginning of WWI has been under Austrian, Romanian, Russian and Polish rule and now with Putin’s forces having a headlock on parts of Eastern Ukraine and Crimea, who knows what’ll happen next.
Sorry, Diana. I did know that; don’t know where my mind was…lol! You have such a rich family history; I can’t wait to see it in print!
On another note, as one of your other commentors has said, we need to slow down and savour our reading. But oh my goodness, that TBR pile and my advancing age…yikes!!
No problem, Karen. And thank you re: wanting to see my next novel in print. It’s coming, it’s coming. 🙂
Most of my book reading is done at night in bed so often I drift and have to re-read a page or two, I must confess. And as you write, there is so much to read! I should slow down too and quit before I drop my book. Husband often re-reads books which I don’t. “A Gentlemen in Moscow” as someone commented about is one my list.
Jo, drifting off is a good reason to miss or lose parts of the story. I confess to my eyes glazing over when I’m tired and have to go back as well. I’m often surprised to find I’ve completely missed some important information. Thanks for your comment.
Interesting to see this topic is resonating, Diana and with me as well. Reading should be a pleasure, but when life gets hectic it becomes a guilty pleasure that gets sacrificed. Time to slow down?
Ah, Jo-Anne, I know you’re immersed in getting your series out with new covers, so you have a good excuse to hurry up the reading. However, I’m finding it absolutely delicious to slow down my reading speed and I’m being amply rewarded. Loving Warlight not only as a reader but as a writer. So many ‘bon mots’ to take away.