Ruined by Reading: A Life in Books

"To read more is a handicap. It is better to keep your own mind free and to not let the thinking of others interfere with your own free thinking."

This unlikely quote from one Mr. Cha sets Lynne Schwartz thinking about her own experience reading. The delightful short book - almost an extended essay - that follows traces her reading life from impressing her father's friends with her ability to read the newspaper at a young age through college where she's introduced to the canon. Schwartz reflects on her reading experiences in a way that will resonate with many readers: "There is nothing to match the affinity of people who were defined and nourished by the same book, who shared a fantasy life." Well, even if you don't share the same mental show more library as she does, you'll probably enjoy ruminating on the topics that she tackles, from movie adaptations to a more inclusive canon to whether one should read serendipitously or use a list. You may not agree with her takes, but that's the fun of reading, isn't it? show less

When I this at the Friends of the Library booksale, one of my favorite quotes (from Louisa May Alcott) came to mind, "She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain."

There were many times the narrative struck close to home -- I too am a book addict, and would be a member of readers anonymous, were there such a group. Some bookish habits and delights the author and I share, while we branch out a bit on others. My parents were also People of the Book, (though I did tire of that refrain a bit), and my children learned early on that though I might say no to an impluse buy of Power Rangers or My Little Pony, I would probably never refuse them a book.

Despite our shared love of books, what I liked best about this volume were the show more glimpses into the world of Brooklyn that my mother and grandmother inhabited. We have our own family stories about iceboxes and the stoops of brownstones. She also brought to mind my earliest memories, mostly centered around reading and books. Maybe someday, I'll write it all up so that others can stumble upon the stories at a booksale, and awaken a loving, lingering walk through memories of People of the Book. show less

An exceptionally heartfelt celebration of the power of reading throughout life. Just as not all persons who play games are athletes, so too not all literate persons are readers. In all such cases something grabs hold of the core of the person, demanding to be indulged and explored. Reading about such encounters is for me somehow always refreshing and rejuvenating, especially in these anti-intellectual times.

As a self-confessed readaholic, I was immediately drawn to "Ruined by Reading: A Life in Books" by Lynne Sharon Schwartz. What did the author mean by this title? What would her story be about? Who could consider reading a ruination of life? After asking myself these questions, I, of course, HAD to get the book.

While reading Schwartz's book, I felt wrapped up in a warm blanket. So many times, I thought "Wow. That's me." Without preaching, Schwartz understands and imparts in circular thought how those of us who read almost compulsively and obsessively feel. The story of her love affair with books in some ways reflects how I feel about my reading and it was nice to realize that I'm not alone in my 'illness'.

In the end, I think the title show more is meant to grab the attention of those who will appreciate its sometimes sharp and biting humor and irony. Everything we read changes us in some small or not so small way. And those of us who read in volume do indeed live 'a life in books'. show less

“In any case the books I have wanted to write brood about what I brood about and they move in uncannily familiar rhythms. Reading them I feel caught out. Some stranger, like the author of Cornelli, has preempted my secrets. I am disarmed, but less alone”. P 68

On books made into movies:“Why can’t I appreciate each on its own terms? Because when I’ve read the book, I stubbornly don’t want anything else. Why should I, when I’ve had the real thing, as originally conceived? Form and content are inseparable, and Greta Garbo, bewitching as she is, is not the Anna Karenina Tolstoy envisioned. If the form changes, the content must change.” P78

These essays on reading were like having a very literate summary of many of my rather show more hazy thoughts about why I read. It was often like discovering something I already knew, but had not been able to articulate.

The author’s thoughts and my own are definitely in sync. In places where they are not (I do often enjoy movies made from books), I enjoyed her thoughtful point of view. show less

I love this book. It speaks to me. It gave words to a feeling, an understanding I had always had that I am a reader who cannot remember what I have read but I do remember every single book I have ever read, I remember the cover, I remember whether I liked it, whether it was a keeper, a book to be reread sometime in the future. She speaks of having an inchoate sense of texture and dynamics. She speaks of having, after years, a feel, a texture, an aura, a fragrance. I have always thought of taste, smell, feel as what I retained of books I had read. She talks about people who review books they haven't actually read. They read other reviews, the read the jacket blurb and look at the cover picture and extrapolate a sense of the book but show more never experience it and claim that minimal action as 'having read' the book. Not in my experience, I feel that is cheating. I have never marked a book read until I have actually read it to the end, at which point it has a chance of being reread in the future, given away, or set on the shelves as a trophy to effort and appreciation. show less

Ruined by Reading, A Life in Books, by Lynne Sharon Schwartz (pp. 119). This crisp, seemingly never cracked open copy (bought used at Beers Books in Sacramento) should probably have remained unopened. I was, however, seduced by its title and, like so many lust affairs, was sadly disappointed when reality was no match for imagination. Author Lynne Schwartz was, for me at least, way too introspective and wrapped up in her self. I’m guessing that for some readers this book was as intriguing as Used and Rare was for me, described above, but for me it was a slog through the too private thoughts of the author and contained way too much detail about individual books, few of which were of interest to me. Undoubtedly if you share her tastes in show more literature this book might resonate with you, but for me I found it severely disappointing. show less