I'll start off by stating that prior to the last 5 or so years, I rarely read for leisure- I've talked about this before. And again, I want to be the kind of person who reads for their own benefit because there's so many wonderful stories out there that the movies just can't do justice to. I'm working on this skill. I talk about reading as if it's a skill like knitting (which, by the by, I've learned how to do), and I guess in some regards it is. Some people can read quickly and retain all of the words, but I sometimes have to read a line several times before it sticks. I will also say that if I'm not sucked into a book within the first 25-50 pages, I'm probably never going to finish it. I'm okay with that because it's helping me to fine tune the genres and styles I prefer.
In high school (college too), whenever we read books, we had to write reflection papers or analyze the themes or symbolism. I got fairly good at being able to do this without ever really "reading" the books. I didn't like being "forced" to read, it seemed so taxing and time consuming. I still have some issues with analyzing the words of someone else, especially if the author is not around to verify such analysis as true or false. I digress. The point is, I feel that reading should be enjoyable, and I understand what my teachers were doing- I appreciate this, but in some respects it really backfired. After a few books and essays, I was able to pick up on key terms easily and areas I had difficulty with I looked to the internet for answers. Reading a book was equivalent to algebra- I did what I had to in order to get a passing grade, but I got NOTHING out of it. Maybe exposure to different works, but I don't recall more than a handful of books or stories that especially interested me.
While I'm still in college and still have assigned readings, it's different. The readings are interesting to me. I actually want to read. I'm finally getting something out of my assignments. I'm enjoying the reading, and it's so much less of a task. However, I still feel the need to discuss and reflect my feelings upon completing a book. I like the exchange of opinions.
Earlier today I finished reading Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. I started reading it yesterday. It was assigned for my Sociology of Death course, and needs to be read by December 7th, I'm just about 2 months ahead and it barely took up any of my time. I will admit that I'd heard good things about the book, with regards to dealing with the loss of someone close. I tried to read from a different perspective, a social scientist. I found it incredibly interesting to read about the emotions and process of acceptance that Morrie, Albom as well as everyone else in Morrie's life went through. My first thought was how incredible this is. Death is someone fascinating to me, mainly because it is so difficult for me to comprehend- I think many people will agree with me here. I really struggle with faith, and I generally associate myself as an atheist, but I guess I'm open to anything (NOT Pascal's Wager though). While the book doesn't answer any questions about afterlife (I don't really contemplate this anymore), it really put me at rest with a lot of personal issues I had regarding the passing of my paternal grandmother, whom many of you know, I was VERY close to. Having said that, I don't think I want to go into those issues now.
I feel good that I've finished another book, I'm ahead of my reading for one class, and I learned of an incredibly inspiring story. I like true stories, even if the ending is sad and inevitable. I've got a lot of readings for my world literature (just read The Merchant of Venice and starting Gilgamesh), 2 sociology and 1 psychology courses, and I don't anticipate having too much free time to embark on another novel anytime soon. We'll see. I'm sure I'll feel compelled to write or talk about it, so I'm sure I'll be back here to compose my review.
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