Book of Books aka Don't be an Asshole Reader
I'm reading through a book that is a woman's memoir told through the books that have shaped her life. Her most prized material possession is Bob, or, her Book of Books. In it she's kept a record of every book she's read for nearly 30 years. Last night while reading it I felt a sting of regret for not doing the same.
There have been years in my life when I've barely even picked up a book. Motherhood when you have three young children all close in age is a bitch. As they've grown and become more independent my read stack of books grows taller, too. If you were to look at it you'd see phases in my life, levels of maturity, shifts in my interests.
Childhood starts with the Anne of Green Gables series, gifts from my big sister. These books are why I, along with so many others, still long for carrot-colored hair.
There in the high school section are strictly Christian fiction, most of them knock-offs of other, more well known authors.
The college spines are a bit lacking but most of them came from the cabinet at the answering service where I could read on my downtime between answering calls for doctors and real estate agents. They're books borrowed from women older than me; romance, mystery, even horror. This is the time in my life when I discovered my love for Dean Koontz and Nicholas Sparks.
I have a Twilight stack that holds a special place in my heart. Do I want my daughter to read those books on the off chance that she'll adopt a perception of relationships that allows for abuse and being stalked by a vampire? No. Do I unapologetically love those books with my whole heart? Absolutely.
Young adult fiction, especially contemporary young adult fiction, stole my heart for several years. Rainbow Rowell and Stephanie Perkins were my religion.
I have a narrow bit that's dedicated to true crime. Some were read out of what felt like obligation because they were considered the gold standard, while one in particular left me mourning the brilliant author who was taken from us too early. Michelle McNamara, you will be my own personal gold standard always and forever.
The invisible stack of books that will never be written. We'll go ahead and throw another Moonlight Bay book in there. I think Christopher Snow was probably my first literary crush and I've been promised a third book but Dean Koontz is a liar.
My more recent reads have seen non-fiction creep in, which is surprising for someone who's been bored by non-fiction for her entire life. Roxane Gay's memoir on her struggle with weight and body acceptance changed my life and the way I look in the mirror. Yeonmi Park's telling of how she escaped North Korea at a young age broke my heart.
Shirley Jackson and Gillian Flynn currently take up all the space in my book heart. It'll be of surprise to no one that stories of problematic mothers is a theme I often gravitate towards and these two brilliant women feed that need like no other. Also, have you even read the opening paragraph of the "We Have Always Lived in the Castle"? Here, let me do the honors.
My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.
When I die don't bury me, but if you do against my wishes please have this engraved on my tombstone. There's no need for my name, no need to put "loving mother and wife", this is all I want. Also project re-runs of "The Office" in my direction because I can't sleep without it.
I have what I would've probably in the past called my shameful reads section but I'm happy to report that I don't have even a glimmer of shame when I add them to my favorites shelf on Goodreads. Christina Lauren novels are my favorite in this stack. Have you ever imagined what it'd be like to fall in love and have salacious, passionate sex with a sexy Australian who owns a comic book store? Imagine no more because they've done the work for you and done it really fucking well.
Printing all of the fanfiction that I've read over the years would make a pile nearly as tall as the entirety of the Harry Potter series. This also holds no shame.
There are books I've abandoned, series of books where I've read the first novel then gave up on the rest. I read the first three Outlander books, decided I hated Bree and haven't read any more out of protest for how she treated Lord John Grey.
I've never felt the pressure to read those well known, intellectual authors that everyone has read or claims they've read. I've never read Vonnegut, Palahniuk or Bukowski. I've never had a love affair with Jane Austen or Mr. Darcy, although I do fancy Colin Firth. I imagine that some day one of these will fall into my hands when the time is right.
I, unlike a lot of other bibliophiles, don't agree with the statement that "the book was better". If we're being honest that whole thing feels pretentious and like something that people who only drink IPA's or locally roasted coffee would say. "The Handmaid's Tale" on Hulu is better than the book, please don't throw tomatoes I hate them. For a long time my husband's favorite novel was "Paper Towns" but my dislike for Margo dampened my feelings towards the story. In the movie adaptation though? Cara Delevingne managed to take this girl I couldn't stand and turn her into someone who was truly delightful. The power of good acting and excellent eyebrows. Quit saying books are always better. They're not. Could you imagine what life would even feel like if we'd never gotten Gregory Peck as Atticus because people thought books should never be adapted to our screens? What if we'd never seen Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling? The thought makes my pits sweat out of fear.
There are obvious loves like "To Kill a Mockingbird". I mean, when I legally changed my name to my chosen one I was full enough of myself to use Scout as my middle name.
Other stacks exist, like graphic novels and endless books on photographers, artists, cookbooks, horror movies, and travel. A lovely little book on human anatomy sits on our coffee table, complete with graphic drawings inside that make even my stomach turn a bit.
Remember the big controversy on Twitter just a few months ago when everyone was bashing Marie Kondo (a woman who I'm pretty sure might be a tiny, organized angel) for telling people to scale down their books? That was a shit show, am I right? Endless shelves of books don't automatically give you a stunning personality. When someone says that listening to audiobooks isn't reading my eyes roll, I can't help it. (Side note: the audiobook for "Pet Sematary" read by Michael C. Hall is the best thing that's ever passed through my ears and I listened to Harry Style's self-titled album for a total of 88 hours in the year of our Lord 2018.)
I suppose the point of all this drivel is to say that even though I haven't kept a written log of every book read I can still remember how most of them impacted me. There are even smells that I associate some books with, and definitely food being as I'm a food motivated person. Perhaps I'll start one though, mostly because the way that notebooks get thicker as you write in them is one of the greatest joys in life.
This, too, is me begging some of us heavy readers to stop being idiot snobs. Don't fall victim to book shaming because you know what? I was pregnant and depressed when I read the Twilight saga and all the sparkling and Bella's mumbling were definitely high points for me. I read the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy and you know what? They sucked because sometimes snobbish book opinions are correct. The key here is to not believe all of them; read them and find out for yourself.
In conclusion, repeat after me.
Reading is good.
Audiobooks count as reading.
Never judge a book by its cover but don't underestimate the power of a really good cover.
The hot books of the moment aren't always that great.
Young adult literature doesn't have any kind of age requirement, young or old.
Try reading something different.
If you hate that something different five chapters in set it aside with no shame.
Books come to you at the right time though so don't be afraid to try that something different again later down the road.
Crack your spines or fold the edges of your pages if that's what makes you happy.
Write in the margins.
Don't bring home books from used book sales just because they looked kind of interesting. You and I both know you don't have the space.
Even though your to be read pile is mountains tall go ahead and grab that book that you've been eyeing for a while.
If you're not gonna read it again donate it or sell it and buy more new books.
Don't load the back of your pickup truck to the brim with books then take them to your friend's house even though they told you they want them because a few years down the line they'll be wondering where the hell all those books came from and what to do with them.
Love you. Go read. Or watch TV, it's all storytelling. I recommend "Deadwood" or "Take Shelter". Basically my philosophy is that if it has Timothy Olyphant or Michael Shannon in it you're guaranteed a good, handsome time.
There have been years in my life when I've barely even picked up a book. Motherhood when you have three young children all close in age is a bitch. As they've grown and become more independent my read stack of books grows taller, too. If you were to look at it you'd see phases in my life, levels of maturity, shifts in my interests.
Childhood starts with the Anne of Green Gables series, gifts from my big sister. These books are why I, along with so many others, still long for carrot-colored hair.
There in the high school section are strictly Christian fiction, most of them knock-offs of other, more well known authors.
The college spines are a bit lacking but most of them came from the cabinet at the answering service where I could read on my downtime between answering calls for doctors and real estate agents. They're books borrowed from women older than me; romance, mystery, even horror. This is the time in my life when I discovered my love for Dean Koontz and Nicholas Sparks.
I have a Twilight stack that holds a special place in my heart. Do I want my daughter to read those books on the off chance that she'll adopt a perception of relationships that allows for abuse and being stalked by a vampire? No. Do I unapologetically love those books with my whole heart? Absolutely.
Young adult fiction, especially contemporary young adult fiction, stole my heart for several years. Rainbow Rowell and Stephanie Perkins were my religion.
I have a narrow bit that's dedicated to true crime. Some were read out of what felt like obligation because they were considered the gold standard, while one in particular left me mourning the brilliant author who was taken from us too early. Michelle McNamara, you will be my own personal gold standard always and forever.
The invisible stack of books that will never be written. We'll go ahead and throw another Moonlight Bay book in there. I think Christopher Snow was probably my first literary crush and I've been promised a third book but Dean Koontz is a liar.
My more recent reads have seen non-fiction creep in, which is surprising for someone who's been bored by non-fiction for her entire life. Roxane Gay's memoir on her struggle with weight and body acceptance changed my life and the way I look in the mirror. Yeonmi Park's telling of how she escaped North Korea at a young age broke my heart.
Shirley Jackson and Gillian Flynn currently take up all the space in my book heart. It'll be of surprise to no one that stories of problematic mothers is a theme I often gravitate towards and these two brilliant women feed that need like no other. Also, have you even read the opening paragraph of the "We Have Always Lived in the Castle"? Here, let me do the honors.
My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.
When I die don't bury me, but if you do against my wishes please have this engraved on my tombstone. There's no need for my name, no need to put "loving mother and wife", this is all I want. Also project re-runs of "The Office" in my direction because I can't sleep without it.
I have what I would've probably in the past called my shameful reads section but I'm happy to report that I don't have even a glimmer of shame when I add them to my favorites shelf on Goodreads. Christina Lauren novels are my favorite in this stack. Have you ever imagined what it'd be like to fall in love and have salacious, passionate sex with a sexy Australian who owns a comic book store? Imagine no more because they've done the work for you and done it really fucking well.
Printing all of the fanfiction that I've read over the years would make a pile nearly as tall as the entirety of the Harry Potter series. This also holds no shame.
There are books I've abandoned, series of books where I've read the first novel then gave up on the rest. I read the first three Outlander books, decided I hated Bree and haven't read any more out of protest for how she treated Lord John Grey.
I've never felt the pressure to read those well known, intellectual authors that everyone has read or claims they've read. I've never read Vonnegut, Palahniuk or Bukowski. I've never had a love affair with Jane Austen or Mr. Darcy, although I do fancy Colin Firth. I imagine that some day one of these will fall into my hands when the time is right.
I, unlike a lot of other bibliophiles, don't agree with the statement that "the book was better". If we're being honest that whole thing feels pretentious and like something that people who only drink IPA's or locally roasted coffee would say. "The Handmaid's Tale" on Hulu is better than the book, please don't throw tomatoes I hate them. For a long time my husband's favorite novel was "Paper Towns" but my dislike for Margo dampened my feelings towards the story. In the movie adaptation though? Cara Delevingne managed to take this girl I couldn't stand and turn her into someone who was truly delightful. The power of good acting and excellent eyebrows. Quit saying books are always better. They're not. Could you imagine what life would even feel like if we'd never gotten Gregory Peck as Atticus because people thought books should never be adapted to our screens? What if we'd never seen Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling? The thought makes my pits sweat out of fear.
There are obvious loves like "To Kill a Mockingbird". I mean, when I legally changed my name to my chosen one I was full enough of myself to use Scout as my middle name.
Other stacks exist, like graphic novels and endless books on photographers, artists, cookbooks, horror movies, and travel. A lovely little book on human anatomy sits on our coffee table, complete with graphic drawings inside that make even my stomach turn a bit.
Remember the big controversy on Twitter just a few months ago when everyone was bashing Marie Kondo (a woman who I'm pretty sure might be a tiny, organized angel) for telling people to scale down their books? That was a shit show, am I right? Endless shelves of books don't automatically give you a stunning personality. When someone says that listening to audiobooks isn't reading my eyes roll, I can't help it. (Side note: the audiobook for "Pet Sematary" read by Michael C. Hall is the best thing that's ever passed through my ears and I listened to Harry Style's self-titled album for a total of 88 hours in the year of our Lord 2018.)
I suppose the point of all this drivel is to say that even though I haven't kept a written log of every book read I can still remember how most of them impacted me. There are even smells that I associate some books with, and definitely food being as I'm a food motivated person. Perhaps I'll start one though, mostly because the way that notebooks get thicker as you write in them is one of the greatest joys in life.
This, too, is me begging some of us heavy readers to stop being idiot snobs. Don't fall victim to book shaming because you know what? I was pregnant and depressed when I read the Twilight saga and all the sparkling and Bella's mumbling were definitely high points for me. I read the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy and you know what? They sucked because sometimes snobbish book opinions are correct. The key here is to not believe all of them; read them and find out for yourself.
In conclusion, repeat after me.
Reading is good.
Audiobooks count as reading.
Never judge a book by its cover but don't underestimate the power of a really good cover.
The hot books of the moment aren't always that great.
Young adult literature doesn't have any kind of age requirement, young or old.
Try reading something different.
If you hate that something different five chapters in set it aside with no shame.
Books come to you at the right time though so don't be afraid to try that something different again later down the road.
Crack your spines or fold the edges of your pages if that's what makes you happy.
Write in the margins.
Don't bring home books from used book sales just because they looked kind of interesting. You and I both know you don't have the space.
Even though your to be read pile is mountains tall go ahead and grab that book that you've been eyeing for a while.
If you're not gonna read it again donate it or sell it and buy more new books.
Don't load the back of your pickup truck to the brim with books then take them to your friend's house even though they told you they want them because a few years down the line they'll be wondering where the hell all those books came from and what to do with them.
Love you. Go read. Or watch TV, it's all storytelling. I recommend "Deadwood" or "Take Shelter". Basically my philosophy is that if it has Timothy Olyphant or Michael Shannon in it you're guaranteed a good, handsome time.
