“Imagine that some people have the power to affect your thoughts and feelings through reading—to seduce you with amazing stories, conjure up vividly imagined worlds, and manipulate you into thinking exactly what they want you to.”
I saw this quote in a goodreads review for The Library Of Shadows by Mikkel Birkegaard and began thinking,
Could this be the aim of all writers?
I am hoping this story will encourage us to think about our relationship with reading in all its forms, but especially our relationship with books.
I know we all choose to read printed books for our book club,
Why is that?
Why don’t we choose kindles or e books?
I remember my disaster with the audio book last year when I kept falling asleep!!
So even if the fantasy of this novel doesn’t engage us, I hope the mystery of books and reading will.
Hello Ladies
ReplyDeleteI hope this finds you and your families well. We have been much improved here by a few days warmth. I’m writing in a sun filled room: about time, too.
The paragraph below contains spoilers, but the rest of this 'review' discusses reading.
This month’s book was clearly intended to be a film – very visual. Killing the teacher was a bit of a worry – the description of this probably had more impact on me than the massive slaughter at the end. This seemed a little OTT. The fact the Shadow Organization has not been destroyed suggests a sequel is in the pipeline. I hope the plotting improves. The arrival of a pertinent postcard from Luca, having taken more than a month to reach Copenhagen (“ . . . it’s a long way from Egypt.”) strained credulity.
But the novel certainly did make one think about the power of reading – as you intended, Nancy. As Katherina suggests, children of all ages love being read to. Provided you’ve got an appropriate text – poetry or prose – you can keep a class riveted for as long as you need. And the fact it’s a book is important. A good cover can provide a fantastic introduction as the class analyses what they’d expect the book to be about, based on the cover’s clues and their own previous experience of reading. Predictions can be recorded and correct ones referred to. You can flip back and forth through the book – much more satisfying than sliding screens: the feel, the sound of riffling through pages.
There again, students can make their own books online, access all kinds of material (worrying) and perhaps now handling a book is less important. And it’s a joy to watch a child listen to a sentence or so from "Beowulf", for example, being read as it is thought it sounded at the time it was written.
It depends on the purpose of reading doesn’t it? Broadly speaking, research is so much quicker online. The fact that when trying to locate a reference I found it easier to deal with books spread over the floor could be because I’m a digital migrant rather than a digital native.
When I go on holiday this time, I’ll be taking an ipad with lots of electronic books because it’s easier to carry. Nevertheless, I’ll take a couple of “proper books” too. It might just be sentiment – I’ve always loved reading and my generation’s reading has only recently been electronic. I’m a creature of habit, I fear.
I have noticed, however, that in houses in which it is clear all its occupants use electronic reading material, there are still real books on shelves. Have books become decorative items?
A child’s first reading experience, though, still tends to be having a book read to him/her, doesn’t it? I’m thinking of those books where you can feel the texture of the sheep, or whatever is being named, and listen to the sounds the animals make. My Mum, in her dementia, just loves children’s books. Her delight in being read to, in reading aloud herself, the happy endings . . .
A few weeks ago, my weekend paper carried an article in which famous digital gurus discussed their children’s access to technology. As parents, they allowed their children very little time “on screen”. There’s something sinister about too much interaction with a screen. In the U.K., children are arriving at primary school unable to read facial expressions with any accuracy. Communication skills have to be taught.
Clearly, sharing a book is good for our humanity.
We should be proud of ourselves, ladies.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteOh dear Ladies, I feel I must apologize for this months choice of story. For me, it really did not live up to my expectations. At first I thought perhaps something got lost in translation, but I soon realised the plot is still the plot no matter whose language it is in !!
I have tried to look on the bright side and regardless of whether I enjoyed the story or whether I found it quite tedious and foolish in places it really started me thinking about my love of reading and love of books, so that’s a good thing.
I enjoyed the early descriptions of Luca and his love of books, the smell the feel and texture of the pages, this I could relate to. I agree Sue, children love having books read to them and they become a part of their growing up memories.
I remember Katie, before I sent you Possum Magic for Benjamin, my own kids made me read it aloud to them again and we had such a wonderful time reminiscing and laughing and sharing our memories from when they were young and I use to read it to them. That sort of magic can only come through books I don’t think it could work digitally.
One thing I did find interesting in the final pages of the book, was the descriptions of Jon and the other Lectors while reading in the library there was so much turmoil and drama happening in their minds yet they appeared so calm to people watching. I like this because we see people reading so often, yet very little emotion is shown, from now on I will be wondering what they’re reading !!!!
Ivars and I are settling down to life at home, it has taken us a good week to feel rested and get sleep patterns in some semblance of normalcy. We had such a wonderful time I can’t wait to start planning another adventure.
Sue, when are you leaving on your next trip? Is Turkey a tour or are you doing it on your own? I can’t wait to hear all about it. Please give Bill and Dorothy our best wishes, we really enjoyed meeting them. Dorothy reminded me so much of my mum, she is so sweet.
I hope the weather in the States is warm and you are enjoying lots of summertime family fun Katie.
much love to you both
Nancy
Hello Ladies!
ReplyDeleteNancy, glad to hear you are home safe and sound. Hope the readjustment wasn’t too difficult. Sue, I hope you are getting excited about your travels. No worries about the Frankie & Stankie issue. In retrospect it was very funny. I’m sorry again for being so late in posting. I will be better for July’s novel!
By the sounds of things you ladies did not particularly enjoy this novel. While I did find many holes in the plot, I was pretty enthralled. Honestly I did not receive the book until almost the end of the month but I enjoyed it enough to be able to read through it in only a few days.
The biggest plot hole I guess would be the most significant one regarding Jon and the Order. There was no way that the Order could have known that Jon would have turned out to be a very powerful Lector. For them to have created such an elaborate plan implies a previous knowledge that wasn’t readily available. Unless of course we are to assume the Order believed that one day there would be a mighty Lector and he would lead them to this reactivation. Maybe I missed it, was Pau’s purpose just to infiltrate the Libri di Luca as a means of keeping an eye on them or was his mission always to help “capture” Jon. IF the latter, than again this implies that the Order knew something about Jon they couldn’t have possibly known before it was discovered.
Jon and Katherina’s love was a bit clichéd but that is a guilty pleasure of mine when I’m reading an easy novel. The miraculous arrival of Luca’s postcard was another, as you said Sue, “strained credulity.” But I still found the novel as a whole fun.
As to books in general, I find that I love the physical copies over my kindle ones. I try to use the kindle as a means of “saving trees” but it is not as satisfying as a real book. It also saves space when traveling (not that I do as much of that as you two haha). I also find it harder to return to a previous passage or find a piece of information I wanted to discuss when I’m using the kindle. I also enjoy sharing my books with others which is why I prefer physical copies. I was just telling a friend about some of the books we’ve read recently and I wanted to share my copies with her but they were unfortunately on my Kindle and could not be shared.
I’m hoping to lead by example for Benjamin. I try to let him see me reading instead of watching TV like his father. (Franklin has never been a book lover). Unfortunately, Benjamin is a bit too wild to sit still very long for reading. But sometimes when he is in the mood he will pull books off his book shelf and bring them to me. He will sit in my lap with the book stretched over his and let me read to him. I prefer the card board books for him because sometimes he get s very excited while reading and tries to tear the pages. (Wild little boy!)
In between reading, Franklin, Benjamin and I have been take small trips around the area enjoying family time and the warm weather. It has been really lovely.
Much Love,
Katie
Had to write to let you ladies know we are having a heat wave: too hot to eat lunch outside yesterday and have slept with the windows open. Typical, of course - we are travelling on Wednesday (8th July). I really don’t like leaving the U.K. in the summer and were it not for the fact it’s a convenient time to see a really good friend, I wouldn’t be going. I envy you the family time in warm weather, Katie.
ReplyDeleteWe’re “doing” Turkey on our own, Nancy – more accurately, Jay has planned and booked everything. Mum and Dad are good – we celebrated Mum’s 92nd birthday in the pub. The wonderful staff had decorated the place beautifully and made a cake for her. She had completely forgotten the occasion before the end of the day, but we all had a good time.
I’ve started July’s book – very promising beginning so let’s hope it’s better than my last choice.
Love to you both
Sue