I was having an email discussion with my friend this morning about what we were currently reading (prompted by an email from me to say that he must read Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie - blog post forthcoming). He happens to be currently reading four books and I thought that my reply would make for a good blog post today.
Normally I read one book at a time but, coincidentally, I am also reading four books at once just now:
Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami
Something Childish But Very Natural by Katherine Mansfield
Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman (I am listening to the audiobook -read by Neil- and reading along.)
Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose
How unlike me to :
1. Be reading more than one book at once
2. Be reading such a lot of short stories (I love short stories but sometimes I struggle with the form ... I think because they are so short (go figure) and, unless written by a great writer, fail to grasp my attention. Katherine Mansfield is the first short story teller who I recall enjoying, in 3rd year of secondary school, and I love Neil Gaiman, whose short stories are fabulous.)
3. Be reading non-fiction. I love reading about books though and I am particularly into my writing just now, so this book is of great assistance (and prompted me to pick up Katherine Mansfield again as it's been a wee while since I read any). This book was a birthday gift from my boyfriend last year and is proving to be practical, interesting and invaluable. It also tickles me that the author of this guide has the surname Prose, hee.
2 comments:
I'm a big fan of books about books! I'll have to look for this.
It's more a book for writers who love reading and I'm reading it from that perspective, analysing how published writers construct their work, but it is very interesting and quite like close reading exercises en masse!
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