How to read a book

Before the Esteemed Revolutionary Committee launches their New Educational Plan, I thought it would be interesting to play a little game to see what and how its members think of books they love. (I'm not going to participate in this thread, since I'm creating the rules and it wouldn't feel right.)

Posters will list any number of books that they remember frequently. It could be one, three, seventeen or seventy-five or whatever; it can be a book they love or hate or are puzzled by, they don't need to have finished it, and it doesn't need to be a 'masterpiece' or essential work of any kind. However, each listing must be accompanied with:

1. The reason/s why they read the book (if they finished it.) It could be due to a friend, a reading list, because they liked the cover or some cute person holding the book in a subway etc.
2. How long it took them to read it, and the reason why - because the writing was simple/difficult, because they were busy or took breaks etc.
3. The circumstances surrounding the reading of the book; whether they were depressed, on vacation, just had a break-up, etc.
4. Their first impression of the book, before or soon after they started reading it.
5. Their final impression of the book, just after they finished (if they finished.)
6. What they think of the book now, after the weeks/months/years that have elapsed.
7. Whether the book led them to other things, such as curiosity about a country, or perhaps a date, etc.
8. Whether they would read it again, why/why not.
9. Anything else they care to add.
10. NO ADJECTIVES are to be used in reference to the book. No point in saying 'this book was simply awful/gorgeous/blah." Just the facts as you remember them.

You can leave out or add as much like to the above, but you MUST adhere to #10.

Remember, one entry is enough, and there is no upper limit.

I like this! I don't have time to do it now, but I definitely will.

I give it a try with Ryszard Kapuscinsky’s Imperium

1.Reason
1. I read it in a period, some years ago, in which I was reading about Russia, seeing beautiful documentaries on TV etc. 2. I was curious about K.’s vision on Russia.

2.How long
Not a week.

3.Circumstances
In an ordinary working week. I read at home, in the tram, mornings, evenings.

4.First impression.
Format is fine for the tram. Picture author: friendly, approachable face. Map in it, which gives his travels, but also an idea of the immensity of Russia. In a Vooraf (Before) K. tells in short what I’m going to read: author who cares for the reception of his book. In a first chapter he gives his emotional attachment to the subject (he is a Pole). Good writing. Very surprising observations, “fresh” thinking. Author is a moral man.

5.The End.
A deep sigh. An obeisance.

6.After years.
Book I can’t afford myself not to have read. Not only because Russia is an important country, but also because K. is an important observer: the way he looks, the things he observes, the things people tell him. His thoughts. How his imaginative power feeds your own.

7.Leading to.
It deepened my interest in Russia: for instance, now I want to have Orlando Figes complete. At this moment I have Sergej Eisenstein’s Ivan the Terrible (digitally remastered) at home for which I must find an evening.

8.Reread.
I have read parts of it again. For reasons see 6.

9.Adds
Folks, read this book!

10.End.
I’ve sinned so little, at last some adjectives: great and beautiful book by a beautiful autor.

It took me about twenty minutes of picking the book from its shelve, riffle through the pages, remembering, typing.
That's good, for it must not take too long: the great danger of this otherwise so beautiful LT is, that it keeps you from reading.
But, Existanai, this is a nice way to tell a little bit more about a book, remember it and know what it did for you. Thanks for this constructive initiative. By the way: what are your favourites? I will look for them in the other threads, since you withold yourself from this one.

It's nice not to be the one who starts something on a thread.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Bobert Louis Stevenson

1. Saw it in a shop and decided to buy it. I had experienced a lot of the adaptations, but looking at the book it occured to me that I had never actually read the original.

2. In one night, less than 2 hours. The book is only 88 pages long.

3. I wanted to read something, and it was there on my shelf.

4. Before reading: 'This book is very short'
Shortly after beginning: 'This book is quite wordy'

5. 'This book is great. The ending was very clever. I wonder what happened afterwards.'

6. I red the book a week ago. I haven't really had time to change my opinion

7. Finishing the book made me curious about the future of the characters after the book had ended.

8. I will read it again, eventually. It's a very simple book to read once you get into it and the structure is very unique and very original

9. Mr. Utterson must be the most forgotten character in all of literature.

The Stranger by Albert Camus

I was given the book as a gift as I was about to leave for France for three months.

Finished by the time I landed in Paris.

It was a long flight and the first reading was quick as I didn't know better at the time.

My initial perception of the book was of plain writing and when I was finished I pretty much said to myself "huh?"

I reread the book several times over the ensueing weeks. It has become one of my favorite books merely for the reason that it still makes me think.

It led me to read more of the period and the writer. I also read more philosophy for several years and explored myself in a fuller manner.

I have reread it again and again over the last fifteen years.

The book led me to other significant writers such as Kafka and Hemingway. I began reading more for my brain than for my gut.

Possession by A.S.Byatt

1. I believe I was given this book as a gift - it has honestly been awhile, and I don't remember.

2. I probably read it over the course of a week or so the first time.

3. I was in college at the time, so probably read in the evenings before bed, not much dedicated time to just sit and read it straight through, as much as I wanted to.

4. First impressions - I was intrigued by the Pre-Raphaelite painting on the cover, and was immediately sucked in by the first few pages - as a library/museum person, starting a book with the finding of a hidden gem in the library stacks is very appealing. A bit daunted by the poetry - I'm not a poetry person.

5. Final impression - Thoroughly enjoyed the book, astounded by the plot twists and ending, loved the historical and academic details and wanted to read it all over again. Sorry it was at an end.

6. Now, it is my favorite book. I have re-read it many times. I am still able to enjoy it as much as the first time, even knowing how it ends.

7. This book led me to read more of A.S.Byatt's work, and it also lead me on a brief exploration of jet mourning jewelry.

8. Already have, and will again. I enjoy it every time.

9. I find that this book (as well as A.S. Byatt's other work) has the ability to make me associate certain locales in the real world that I encountered shortly after reading this with locales in the book - so every time I'm in George Square in Edinburgh, I think of Possession.

Thanks to all who've posted so far in this thread, it's been very interesting reading.

Marieke, you can get a pretty good idea of what I like by visiting my profile page and browsing my list of favourite authors.

I have to go now, but I'd like to see more posts from others; and I'd also like to share some thoughts on the reason for this thread and my questions.

Existanai, what is this:
Problem: No such user. User has been deleted or never existed.
?

Marieke, it started earlier tonight and I have posted about it.

In the meanwhile, please try (correct page, wrong (/ex) ID) http://www.librarything.com/profile/Melquiades .

Thank you, existanai! Life, like art, is complicated. All will be well again, this being a beautiful challence for the crew. When I have time, after earning this daily bread of mine, I will look for your favourites.

I was very pleased and a little bit surprised to find Nadezhda Mandelstam in your list of favourites. She. In your list?

Since I think that, in spite of all biases, ours and yours, you have a point to make, I have a little suggestion. When you share some of your thoughts on the reason for this thread with us, as you announced to do, do it by means of this author.

Take Nadezhda Mandelstam, and tell us what you mean. Do it by following your own 9 points, as we did. Or by simply sharing with us what she did and did not for you in your appreciation of life and Great Books. If you want to and can do that.

I'll try, Marieke.

This is a lovely little thread. So interesting to read other people's Great Books. Let's see if I can resuscitate it. *administers mouth to mouth*

The Lexical Approach Michael Lewis

1. I read the book about 8 years ago because it had been sitting on my shelf for months. I first heard about it just after it came out (early 90s), and it had been on my TBR for years. The author is a controversial figure in my field: regarded as a crackpot by some, as a genius by others. I wanted to see for myself what I thought of him and his ideas.

2. About a week, if I remember. It’s not a long book, the writing is not difficult. I probably would have finished it faster if I had not also been working (how I sometimes resent real life for interfering with my reading!). Another reason why it took me so long, was because the author’s ideas were so startling, and my sense of recognition so astonishing, that I had to stop and think about them for a while before continuing.

3. I read it just after I had finished my degree in literature from the OU, and had decided to read some books about language and language teaching, for reasons of professional development. It was not a special time in my life, just humdrum working days, reading in the evening, on the bus, between clients, between classes.

4. My first impressions were that Lewis was giving voice to ideas and beliefs which I had long held, but never been able to articulate to myself, about the process of language learning and teaching, and about the nature of language. This was terrifically exciting for me.

5. Final impressions: difficult to distinguish from first impressions at this distance, but I still remember the feeling of excitement on reading it. I finished the book with a sense of determination to completely and systematically overhaul my teaching, which I did.

6. I still think it’s an excellent book, but I do have some reservations about it. Lewis wrote it at the height of the communicative approach in language teaching, and there are shades of the hippy in the book. Not that I have anything against hippies, but I think this makes Lewis’s ideas weaker, and perhaps accounts for the fact that his ideas took so long to be accepted by the mainstream.

7. I went directly on to read Lewis’s other book about The English Verb, then read Nattinger and DeCarrico’s seminal book Lexical phrases and language teaching. I went on to investigate Lewis’s theories of language through my own corpus linguistic and classroom research, and found them to be completely sound and borne out by hard evidence. The kind of teacher I am today is a direct result of reading this book and applying its principles to my own pedagogical situation. I have since authored 15 textbooks of my own (published only in Chinese and sold in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong) and established my own consultancy company, using Lewis’s insights. It’s a been a long journey that began with Lewis’s book.

8. No. Now I want to read other things! But I recommend it unreservedly to everybody in my field, and to anyone interested in how adults can learn and teach second (or third or fourth…) languages.

9. Applied linguistics is usually regarded as the poor relation of theoretical linguistics. However, in my world, here in Taiwan and China, the desire and necessity to learn English is a major preoccupation of most people, taking up much of their free time, and much of their disposable income. I am happy to see that Lewis’s ideas are now becoming mainstream in the EFL publishing industry (took about 15 years). Teachers like Lewis, who focus on the pedagogical experience, and who see freshly the things which lie under their noses, can indirectly impact the lives of many thousands of people who are not native English users.

The White Castle by Orhan Pamuk
1. I read it because the cover looked intriguing and the author had won a Nobel Prize in literature.
2. It took two days to read because I had nothing to do but read.
3. I read over Summer Holiday
4. I read the first couple pages in the book store and it struck me as intelligent without being hard to read.
5. Final Impression: Wow
6. One of my favourite books
7. Lead me to read other books by Orhan Pamuk
8. I would read it many times

The Divine Comedy
1. I read "Purgatory" first because I found it one day lying around the house. Then I was assigned the entire thing for school so I read it then.
2. It took two weeks because that was the deadline for school and it was difficult plus I hadd other classes. (I read Purgatory the first time in one week)
3. I was depressed and had just started on medication. As I read the book I started to get better so it felt like I took the journey with Dante.
4. Again: wow
5. This book helped me through I difficult time and took me through the transition.
6. That it is the best book ever written.
7. This book lead me back to an interest in life.
8. Whenever I get really depressed I read Inferno again, maybe one day I'll read the other two parts again.
9. If you want to read this read The Aenied, the Iliad and the Odyssey first.