Some more ruminations on reading

Being critical of books isn't a bad thing. I always find it funny when students apologize to me for not liking a novel we've read in class. My stock response is always, "Why are you apologizing to me? I didn't write it."

This is me when I hear any Miley Cyrus song on the radio.

I understand that not all books will resonate with all students. Even novels that overwhelmingly receive rave reviews from students, like Markus Zusak's I am the Messenger, leave some students unimpressed or uninspired. The inability to get 100% of students to like a book does not make me feel like a failure as a teacher, nor does it make a book a bad book.

Just like with any other piece of art, music, or film, everyone's tastes differ. My preference for country music does not demand that others listen to it any more than I should be subjected to Miley Cyrus. (Just. No.)

However, I have learned, not only through the course of finding my way back to reading for enjoyment, but also through being an English major, that books, like many new things in life that are presented to us, deserve a sincere attempt.

Don't be jealous of my amazing HP costume.

If I stuck to my narrow-minded view of fantasy back in the spring of 2001, when I was a junior in college who believed her roommate was a wacko talking about wizards and muggles, I would have missed out on a literary world of wonder. Similarly, to have dismissed the Harry Potter series simply because it was Children's or Young Adult--a term that thankfully has lost much of the negative connotation it once held through other wonderful writers like John Green-- would have stripped me of the ability to find comfort and escape in re-reading the magic of words when I was going through a hard period of my life.

Not every book I've given a sincere attempt at has worked out so nicely, however. To this day, The Time Traveler's Wife, a book the boasts 4.5 stars out of 5 on Barnes & Noble, has a bookmark stuck in the pages about a third of the way through. It was the first book in my life I've given myself permission to "Miley Cyrus" (I'm making it a verb now) and just say no to. There was nothing in either of the characters I cared about, so I figured, why keep reading?

It is important to note here that I was reading Time Traveler's for my own enjoyment, and not for a class. There have been plenty of school-assigned titles I wasn't pumped about reading: Tartuffe comes to mind. Pure torture. But for every Tartuffe the was a Magus. John Fowles's postmodern head game that is The Magus was an intense read because I could not lose focus for a second. It was to me what A Tale of Two Cities is to my freshmen. Complex, layered, and hard work--but worth every second of that work.

I walked away from The Magus experience with a much deeper understanding of the individual and was able to connect that lesson of self-knowledge to the self I was in the midst of defining as I neared the end of my college tenure; however, I would not have been able to get that depth of understanding had I read The Magus on my own. I'd have been in way over my head without the discussions with my peers and the probing questions of my professor.  

In the same vein, I hope students walk away from A Tale of Two Cities appreciating the power of stepping up, doing what is right, and choosing love over hate, even if they kicked and screamed the whole way through, because I was able to guide, to explain, to clarify, and, hopefully to infuse some of my own passion for the characters in them. Again, I'm not delusional that all will feel that way, but end-of-the-year surveys tend to play out OK for 'ole Dickens.

While there needs to be room for contemporary titles where the language might be easier to understand, but the lessons and issues are no less complex, hard work and thinking are not fatal, especially in the classroom where there is a coach to help guide students along.  I strive to strike a balance between classic and contemporary in the classroom. However, students can do themselves a favor by picking up a book outside of class, one aligned with their interests and tastes, to keep their minds sharp and primed to tackle the more difficult texts that will be presented in the classroom. 

As with any skill one hopes to develop, practice makes perfect. The brain is a muscle in constant need of conditioning. However mundane the drills may seem, a student can't hope to master the curve if (s)he never takes some practice swings.

Time Well Wasted*

If you’ve looked at the “What I’m Reading” section of this blog, you’ve noticed that last year I challenged myself to read one non-school related book a month for 2014. At the conclusion of 2014, I was quite pleased to find that meeting the 12-book challenge was easier than I anticipated, so much so that I’ve upped the ante this year and set my goal at 20 books for the year.

Over the next few blogs, I’m going to be talking about things I learned, or relearned, through the course of getting back into reading for enjoyment, rather than reading as a chore or a checklist I have to get through for work.

One truth is that making time for reading is not hard.

When I first started the challenge, I knew my children would not be the most helpful in allowing me to meet my goal. They’re young, like a great deal of attention, and when they’re not given it, find other ways of entertaining themselves which typically end in the dismantling of one or more rooms in the house.

The other obstacle was the fact that I already read quite extensively for my job. Between books for each of my classes (yes, I re-read all books, every year!) and the writing assignments students complete, I’m reading constantly. How was I going to find not only the time but also the energy to add to my daily reading?

I started by setting a goal: I’d dedicate the half hour before going to sleep to reading. By that point, the kids would be in bed, and any work I‘d have to get done for the following day would be completed. Once I established the routine, I figured it’d be easy to stick to.

The problem was that I started off reading books that would not stand for a 30-minutes-a-night limitation. The first book of 2014 was Jennifer Donnelly’s Tea Rose. To say that I couldn’t put it down would be an understatement. I’d go so far as to say I nearly neglected my children for the book. I say nearly because their basic needs were all taken care of throughout the course of my reading the novel. They may have watched more episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse during that period of time, though. 

I found that if the book were good enough, I’d find the time to read. If I arrived somewhere early or was sitting in the doctor’s office waiting for an appointment, I’d have my Kindle, or my phone with the Kindle app, that allowed me to squeeze in a few pages or chapters during down time.

The more time I spent with Donnelly’s characters, the less I cared about other “stuff” I was missing: the latest episode of The Big Bang Theory or Modern Family, and the time wasted scrolling through my timeline on Facebook or pinning baking feats on Pinterest that 90% of the time end in complete failure.

I crack up every time I look at this.

The unexpected lesson in making time for something I always enjoyed, and had allowed to get away from me?  I was actually more present in other areas of my life.  I disconnected from being connected to everything, deleting time-sucking apps from my phone that I learned I didn’t miss while spending time reading—so why would I miss them while hanging out in the backyard with my family, or out to dinner with my friends?

Reading seems, on the surface, to be an isolating activity. But when I think of the conversations I’ve had throughout the course of the year with relatives and friends about the books I’ve read or when I think of the excerpts that connect to lessons I’ll teach to, and discuss with, my students, I realize just how shallow that judgment is.

Finding time to read has allowed me to assess and prioritize how and where I spend my precious time. As I enter into another year and a new reading challenge, I am much more content replacing vacuous status updates with a tea entrepreneur, a Scottish Highlander and his time traveling wife, and a blind young woman as she tries to survive occupied France during WWII.

That’s some time well wasted.

*To borrow a phrase from Brad Paisley