When it’s damp, gray and nasty outside, there is nothing more appealing than staying in the house, preferably under the covers, in comfy clothes, with good books. It’s not surprising that wet countries like Ireland are so literary (or that they drink more tea per capita than anywhere else). Ah, the lubrication of poets!
I’m in the mood for an atmospheric novel. You know, the Wuthering Heights sort, with dark, moody characters. I wish I could tell you about some dishy tale, but I am stuck instead with what I actually read, which is far less engaging, malheureusement. Perhaps I’ll have something better for you tomorrow.
In the meantime, I finished the Best American Science and Nature Writing 2005
, which was really a disappointment. Usually, I am a great fan of this series, and I find many articles that need sharing with others. This one, I found, lacked good editing. For example, it should be forbidden to have two essays by the same person in the same volume. That’s like making a mix for someone with two songs by the same band. It’s just wrong. Too many articles were from completely non-scientific sources, and too many were book reviews. I also didn’t find there to be enough variety in terms of style or subject, and politics seems to have found its way into several pieces. I’ll be looking forward to next year’s. Do check out the 2003 and 2004 editions, which were both excellent.
Yesterday, I read Alberto Manguel’s A History of Reading, and as expected, he does a pretty good job. How does one go about giving the history of such a private and personal thing as reading? To put it simply: ‘a little bit of this, and a little bit of that’. Manguel mixes in personal anecdotes with historical ones, providing all sorts of erudite observations in between. I like the chapter about reading aloud, and the one on forbidden books. This author meanders a lot, which feels like taking a journey through the text. I say ‘journey’; it’s more like rambling, as through a dense wood. I appreciate it, especially since I’m still sick and haven’t been able to go anywhere, verdant or otherwise, in about a week.
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