This morning, I found myself bleary eyed at 8am, even with coffee and fruit for breakfast as well as a good 7 hours of sleep. When I sat down, I thought absolutely nothing could really get my wheels turning but there was an email update from goodreads.com.
While there are some frustrations I have with the useability of this website, I find that I appreciate that it fosters my favorite conversational topic, "What are you reading right now and why." I love to see people through the books they are interested in - and when people update and write reviews about what they read - even as a voyeuristic means of understanding another human soul - I can see with even more clarity pockets of their soul long hidden.
I love what makes us who we are - individually.
I was thinking about this yesterday on my way home, hearing some bumpin music from another car as I turned up my classical music - and for the FIRST time really appreciated being in a "free" country. We have ultimate freedom to decide who we are by means of cultural influence (to an extent). I can make myself into any form of person with my unique mix of music, books, interests, hobbies, people, and tastes. This self-made person is so unique to western culture, and I found myself really appreciating how I love what I love and how others love what they love and am fascinated with the process of how this came to be.
Anyway, so I get an email update from goodreads and then it takes me to their website where i read two reviews of friends. Afterwards I realized that it 1) woke me up 2) killed an hour and 3) inspired me to write.
I love how reading does this. I often told my students this - if you cannot find words, read the words of others and soon enough you will find yourself brimming over with something you simply MUST jot down. I really wish people would get more into goodreads.com so I can gather more and more information about what is out there.
but what I guess I am more trying to convey is how books and conversations about books inspire me. i appreciate that this website offers this...
so go log on and start rating some books and tell me dears, "what are you reading right now?"
~mme. bookling.
p.s. any guesses as to the author of today's blog title quote? hint: see below.
6 comments:
I made a decision a couple of days ago: If I am ever to write really well, and if I am ever to have confidence in my writting I must write. How did I reach such an outstanding level of clairvoyence? Well, this guy can't be an oblivious moron all the time. Anyway, I have decided to write every day. . .once my computer starts working again. And (this is how it pertains to your blog), I have decided to start by reviewing the books I have read on goodreads. (also this blog put into my mind the most fabulous idea. Once it is realized I will send pictures.)
clarity, you mean...not clairvoyence. :)
and YES! yes, YES! yessssssss.
i think writing reviews is a perfect beginning to a published word.
i also am quite curious as to the new idea!
...on the topic of writing:
I think the ability to write well requires working the writing muscle (let's hope yours isn't atrophied). Sylvia Plath, for instance, hand wrote AT LEAST 4 pages (both sides) a day, according to her unabridged journals (which really are so very very good).
I'm off to join goodreads Mme.
XO
oh plume, i am rather happy for this!!!
(tell me, is your internet connection lovey now?)
I'm working with 8MG per...whatever now!
It's quick like the dickens!
XO
the quote was by Mohandas Gandhi.
I really enjoyed reading ur blog, spoke to me in some weird way, I love reading and it opened my eyes further to the concept of literature. Expect to see some reviews and comments on that website too, it sounds relly cool. there's a couple of reviews on my blog too if ya wanna check 'em out. Keep up the blogging, ur doin a good job :)
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