Sometimes you overcome your misgivings about a writer and discover a universe of words and images that you’ve been unaccountably keeping at bay. This just happened to me with the writing of Hilary Mantel. I can’t understand how I’ve lived this long without her. What writer have you embraced after a long resistance?
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Not exactly the same thing, Susie. But over the years I have sometimes bought books that I was very attracted to and when I started to read them they just didn't grab me the way that I expected. So I put them in my shelves. Then, even years later, I take them out and they resonate big time. It is like my unconscious was ahead of my conscious awareness. And knew that sooner or later I would connect.
Choosing books is a very intuitive process for me.
I've had that experience as well. I like the wandering in the woods style of selecting books. Sometimes if I'm browsing in the library, I only look at the books at eye level. Something will leap off the shelf and it may not be what would have leapt off a year previously.
I resisted Doestoevsky until the winter before last. Then I read Crime and Punishment and it was so gripping I couldn't imagine that he'd written anything else that would measure up, so I have not read any other work by him. This was a weird reaction, for me - normally I'd want to move right on to something else by such a thrilling author.
I haven’t gotten engaged in a few recent current novels. I am having a non-fiction moment: rereading The History of White People by Nell Painter and An Indigenous History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz in an attempt to better understand this country’s current craziness. The Dunbar-Ortiz is particularly applicable to our moment. Also thinking of rereading some Didion.
To clarify...I've resisted Mantel's historical material but ran across a collection of short stories entitled "Learning to Talk" that I'm very taken with. Don't know if that will carry over to the BIG books. I don't know why it's so difficult to let go of books when they're not working. I admire your resolve.
Not exactly the same thing, Susie. But over the years I have sometimes bought books that I was very attracted to and when I started to read them they just didn't grab me the way that I expected. So I put them in my shelves. Then, even years later, I take them out and they resonate big time. It is like my unconscious was ahead of my conscious awareness. And knew that sooner or later I would connect.
Choosing books is a very intuitive process for me.
I've had that experience as well. I like the wandering in the woods style of selecting books. Sometimes if I'm browsing in the library, I only look at the books at eye level. Something will leap off the shelf and it may not be what would have leapt off a year previously.
I resisted Doestoevsky until the winter before last. Then I read Crime and Punishment and it was so gripping I couldn't imagine that he'd written anything else that would measure up, so I have not read any other work by him. This was a weird reaction, for me - normally I'd want to move right on to something else by such a thrilling author.
I haven’t gotten engaged in a few recent current novels. I am having a non-fiction moment: rereading The History of White People by Nell Painter and An Indigenous History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz in an attempt to better understand this country’s current craziness. The Dunbar-Ortiz is particularly applicable to our moment. Also thinking of rereading some Didion.
Exactly!!!
Which of her books do you recommend? She's written both fiction and nonfiction.
Can’t think of any writers I’ve resisted, though there are many I haven’t read, including Mantel (I’ll bump her up the list.).
I find myself less patient with books lately, not always willing to finish if I’m not engaged by page 100 or so.
To clarify...I've resisted Mantel's historical material but ran across a collection of short stories entitled "Learning to Talk" that I'm very taken with. Don't know if that will carry over to the BIG books. I don't know why it's so difficult to let go of books when they're not working. I admire your resolve.
A bit like finish everything on your plate? I can't leave food on my plate and I never heard about starving children anywhere.