OK, so I couldn’t resist this meme…
I have been inhaling books of late. Since I rediscovered Lois McMaster Bujold for the first time (I’ll explain later) I have been eating up her books. Since the 2nd of September, in fact, I have finished one book every five days. (Yes, I do keep a record of what I read, why do you ask?) Alas, I now have only 2 more books to read in her Miles Vorkosigan saga (not including the pre-pre-prequel, Falling Free, which I’m sure I’ll buy soonish and read). If you like science fiction and haven’t checked out Lois’ books, I suggest you try Shards of Honor or, if it goes too slow for you, The Warrior’s Apprentice. These will definitely books which I will reread. My favorite is always the one I’ve just finished. (That would be Komarr today.) I’ve also started one of her fantasy novels, Paladin of Souls. It’s my purse book, so it takes a bit longer to read than my bedtime books. (I have suffered a lot of insomnia of late thanks to Lois – many’s the time I’ll be reading well past midnight.)
I was a voracious reader when I was a kid.
When I started college, however, Virgin came out with The New Adventures of Doctor Who (NAs). I was able to recapture some of the fervor which I’d had as a child while reading the NAs. I remember waiting months at a time for books to arrive from the UK (ah, 1-800-TREKKER, you were my savior) and then I’d have a glut of 4 or 5 books to read, which I’d inhale. However, the NAs were about the only books I was reading, other than textbooks for college.
When Virgin lost their license, I tried reading the BBC published books, but I just didn’t care for them as much. Indeed, I stopped buying them after awhile and there are still several in my collection which I’ve yet to read. Apart from the Harry Potter series, Discworld series, and Murder, She Wrote series (hey, I *like* Murder, She Wrote), I still wasn’t reading a whole lot. However, I was still buying books.
In 2001, just before summer began, I made a pact with myself. I swore that I wouldn’t buy a new book until I’d read 10 that I already owned. A local bookstore going out of business over Memorial Day weekend, however, put me behind by 30 books. Still, from June 4, 2001, I’ve been recording the name (and date) of each book I’ve finished reading. January of 2006, I made a few goals for myself including read for 30 minutes every day. Although I haven’t kept up with all of those goals, I think the 30 minutes read thing has become something of a habit.
Building my library has certainly helped with that reading goal. Sitting here in my comfy chair and reading while listening to music is lovely. Especially when one of the kitties comes to visit. (My lap, alas, is currently bereft of kitty.) Indeed, I’ve been able to, since 2006, read more than 50 books in a year. I’ve already crossed the 50 book mark this year and will, if I keep up my current rate, be in the 70s.
So, you may be wondering how I could rediscover Lois McMaster Bujold for the first time? When I was in high school (a junior, I believe) my creative writing teacher held a workshop for aspiring writers. She brought in a published author, Lois McMaster Bujold, to lead the workshop. I remember being impressed with the workshop, though I hate to say it – I’ve forgotten pretty much everything she said. Still, a few months later, the Science Fiction Book Club had a book containing her first two novels for sale. I bought it, of course. And as with far too many books I bought in those days, it sat around unread.
This summer I was making good progress through my already owned books. Soon after I finished H Beam Piper’s two Fuzzy books, I picked up “Test of Honor” – the two book compilation (Shards and Warriors). While reading Shards of Honor I was thinking “this is a nice standard science fiction novel.” I was disappointed to discover that the second book wouldn’t follow up on Cordelia and Aral (the leads in the first book) but rather their son Miles. But I read The Warrior’s Apprentice anyhoo. And damn, but I loved it. Miles Vorkosigan, son of Cordelia Naismith and Lord (Count) Aral Vorkosigan is a wonderful character and I’ve been enjoying reading about his exploits. Lois has a wonderful sense of humor which winds throughout her books. And her characters are very enjoyable (whether Miles is there or not). So I’ve been eating up her books ever since. And it feels much like it used to when I was a kid and I read continuously.
I love reading. 🙂
I loved Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan series! I still haven’t read her fantasy novels — even though I think I trust her writing, I’d rather read harder SF. But Miles… y’know, he’s a little guy with a huge, manic personality, and almost reminds me of someone Sylvester McCoy would play. LOL I was able to recapture some of the fervor which I’d had as a child while reading the NAs. I remember waiting months at a time for books to arrive from the UK (ah, 1-800-TREKKER, you were my savior) and then I’d have a glut of 4 or 5 books to read, which I’d inhale. However, the NAs were about the only books I was reading, other than textbooks for college. Yes, I ate up the NAs, as well. I remember 1-800-TREKKER, and may even still have some pens they sent me (if they’re not all used up by now). However, I had a British DW fan as a pen pal at that time, and he sent me so many of those books. It’s sad that I’ve lost touch with him since then, because he was a remarkable guy for doing that. When Virgin lost their license, I tried reading the BBC published books, but I just didn’t care for them as much. I collected them, because I knew I’d want them someday, even though I’d left DW fandom. I still haven’t been able to convince myself to read them. Oddly, I can’t even reread the NAs at this point, though I’d like to, because they’d probably call up some of the memories that caused me to leave fandom in the first place. At some point, they became excruciatingly self-congratulatory — I remember being in complete agony while reading Happy Endings. Ow, ow, ow. A local bookstore going out of business over Memorial Day weekend, however, put me behind by 30 books. Oh, boy. Let me tell you — a few years back, a good old used bookstore in a neighboring city went out of business, which was heartbreaking. I went there as often as I could in the couple of weeks before they closed, and bought so many of their old science fiction paperbacks. Guess what? I still haven’t read them! NOOOO. Still, from June 4, 2001, I’ve been recording the name (and date) of each book I’ve finished reading. One of my great regrets is that I didn’t start keeping a booklog until 2005. This is ridiculous, since I went into library work in late 1986. There are so many books that I’ve read that I can’t recall now… I made a few goals for myself including read for 30 minutes every day. I’ve tried to make a goal for myself of at least 100 pages per day. However, that didn’t work so well last year, and it hasn’t worked this year. Unfortunately, I’ve been distracted by thinking that I can write again, and got all distracted by my fandom readdiction. Can’t really read books when one’s at a computer for hours. Sitting here in my comfy chair and reading while listening to music is lovely. I like sitting at my kitchen table, which has a lovely view. I can drink tea, and look up and watch birds. (The local crows are greatly entertaining.) I love reading. 🙂 So do I. Yay!
Oh, 1-800-TREKKER, I think it saved a lot of people. 🙂