Re-Kindle-ing old habits
I just finished reading George R R Martin's first novel in the Song of Ice and Fire series, A Game of Thrones, the other night - and I'm about 6 chapters into Book 2, A Clash of Kings, as I write this. Wow, what spectacular, exciting fantasy writing. Vivid, compelling characters (is anyone cooler than Tyrion Lannister?), intriguing, edge-of-your-seat plotting, and best of all, superb use of language. I feel a tinge of regret at not having read these novels earlier (especially since the announcement of the HBO series adaptation makes it feel a bit bandwagon-jumpy of me). I remember when I re-read the Lord of the Rings before the first Peter Jackson film was released, I wanted to go right to another epic fantasy story, and a friend told me about Martin's Song and Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. I went with WoT and was pretty disappointed with it, which ended my epic fantasy lust fairly quickly (Jordan fans take heart, my girlfriend at the time picked up The Eye of the World when I set it down and promptly consumed the entire series with gusto. One reader lost, but another gained). No doubt if I had made the other choice I would be one of the numerous impatient throng, clammering for the completion of A Dance with Dragons.
But this blog post isn't about A Song of Ice and Fire.
I also read the last half of A Game of Thrones on my brand new Kindle, a delightful birthday gift from my buddies and co-hosts over at the Totally Rad Show (thanks, fellas!) - and really grew to love the experience. I always thought the Kindle was a solution in search of a problem (what's wrong with books?), but having one now has made me a believer. I feel I'm reading quicker, easier, and - let's face it - cooler than I used to.
But this blog post isn't about the Kindle, either.
No, this blog post is about reading. Reading in general. As someone who happily makes his living talking about movies, tv, video games, and comics, I am struck once again by the narrative advantages of the novel. As much as I love those other artforms, no other medium can match the thrill, richness, or depth I experience while reading a great book.
I've come to the conclusion that I tend to be a cyclical guy by nature. I can get into something very heavily for a while, leave it for a time, and return to it later with as much (more?) enthusiasm, causing the cycle to repeat. Reading is a great example. I'll find myself an excellent book, fall in love with it, and spend hours on Amazon, planning out my next few reads. I'll actually take a break from the book I'm reading to get lost for a time in the (wonderfully) infinite loop of Amazon lists and recommendation pages, based on that book, to see all of the cool, previously undiscovered experiences that await me when I finish it. It is as if the joy in reading the current book creates a line-up of promises that I then use as incentive to finish it. "So excited to read Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind," I'm saying to myself right now, "but not until I've gotten through the four Song books."
Yet somewhere, somehow along the line, life seems to conspire to steal me away from the reading experience. I'll find myself not reading - worse, not wanting to read. One step in my chain of promises might be less than thrilling, and I fall out of the habit of reading.
But when the inevitable return happens - when I move along the cycle to the point (as I am now), where I rediscover the unmatched joys of losing myself in a great writer's words - I wonder why the hell it took me so long to get back into reading!
So... here, at long last, is really what this blog post is about: This blog post is a reminder to myself to pick up a book. Hopefully, when that down-cycle in my reading pattern inevitably comes to pass, I'll find myself editing this blog page, and I'll glance down a bit and see what I wrote here, and maybe, just maybe, I'll make some time to pick up a book, and cut that "not-reading" part of the cycle a bit shorter.
And maybe you're in your down-cycle, too. Maybe you haven't read anything great in a while. Maybe seeing this post can have the same effect on you. I'd love to see some great recommendations of excellent reads down in the comment section, something to inspire me or another reader to try something new. To grab a book. Because, damn, there really is nothing better.
Oh, and no spoilers for Song, please!! I'm reading as fast as I can!
Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 11:22PM
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