Thursday 20 February 2014

i met him at the op shop in the book section

i only buy books from op shops to cut pictures out of for card making or for cooking from..i don't look for literary works because i like to borrow those books from the library..you see i don't like to own books much even though it's a view point that i struggle to reconcile within myself..on the one hand i like the idea of supporting authors so they have a decent income but on the other hand i don't see the point in having a copy of james joyce's 'finnegan's wake' on my book shelf for decades collecting dust..that's what libraries and librarians are for..let them do the dusting!

i used to read a lot and by a lot i mean it wouldn't be unusual for me to read several books a week..but that was before i started a degree as a mature age student..by the time i finished studying 10 years later i couldn't stand novels..i tried..quite a few times..but university seemed to have distorted my taste in reading to the point where i seemed to only tolerate the dry academic stuff..

but i didn't give up on novels....i'm back to reading them but it's now a sporadic feast because once i find an author i like i read everything they've written in a short space of time and then it takes me ages to find another author i like and so it goes..

last week i picked up a novel when i was perusing the books at the op shop..something about its title i suppose..who knows..because in reality there was nothing special about it..no more special than any of the other titles of the books lingering on the shelves..i've read four books by the author of that book since then..and no i didn't buy the one in the op shop..i headed straight to the library instead..







i've read 'the pedant in the kitchen', 'the lemon tree' (short stories), 'levels of life' (short stories) and 'a sense of ending'..i'm yet to access the book 'england, england' that i saw at the op shop!


if you read, what type of books do you like and do you like to read them quickly or savour them?


7 comments:

  1. I am a book lover. I am someone who puts off reading something by a favourite author because then it reads SO much sweeter after all of that anticipation. I love the thrill of the chase and finding a new author that engulfs me for a time. I love coming out the other side of a book a better person than when I went in. I read a lot of books but really enjoy only a few. I love Terry Pratchett. I don't care that its considered lightweight. I make up my own mind as to what I like and could care less what the latest trend is in books. Like education, books are powerful. They can take you all over the place and back again in a single afternoon without leaving your chair, your pyjama's, and all accomplished with a cup of tea and a packet of chocolate biscuits perched right there in front of you for regular sustenance. Life is good when you are reading a good book. Life isn't as colourful when you finish. You are a better person for having read than if you don't. Did I mention I love book? :)

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    1. i don't follow reading trends or hype over the latest releases either fran..i used to be a bit more eclectic in my taste and i'd always finish a book even if i wasn't enjoying it but now i'll give a book a fair go and if it's not doing anything for me i'll stop reading it..i'm the same with movies..very few mainstream movies appeal to me..two that i've enjoyed in recent times were 'a separation' and 'amour'..do you and steve get to the movies much?

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  2. You always give us another interesting glimpse into your life Jane! I have embraced second-hand books and the library more and more in recent years. I only buy books that I absolutely love and even then I consider my purchases carefully.

    But, I must admit I do not read as many 'proper' books as I should. I tend to read cookbooks and gardening books and occasionally I branch into books on raising and educating children. Have a lovely weekend x

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  3. hi jane..thanks for your comments..i think reading is a habit i picked up when i was young when there was no television and it's stayed with me..but my children are not readers and very few of their friends or peers seem to be either..i think it's natural that the various technologies have to a large extent replaced reading..although having said that i think the joy of reading a good book is unique and not available through other mediums..x

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    1. ps i hope you have a lovely weekend too..it's much cooler here now and we've had a bit of rain..the first in over two months..what's it like in broken hill?

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  4. I adore reading and there is never enough time in the day to cram enough reading in. I've always felt like that even as a kid, so it's pretty wonderful to see my eldest devouring books like I used to do. Although he's even ahead of me at the same age.
    Library's are wonderful and a good one is like a little pot of gold within a community.

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  5. it's so good brydie that your son loves reading..what sort of books does he like?

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