reading

Reading in Late Summer.

Aside | | Paul Greer

I have several books on the go at once. I like print best, but these days it’s good to have a Kindle book on the phone for emergencies and an audiobook in the car. I read a lot of comics as well, it should be noted, though I can never get enough of them.

Recently finished:

boxers

Boxers/Saints by Gene Luen Yang (x) – I have mentioned this here before. Wonderful, beautiful, simple, complex. A very personal, magical realist take on the horrific events that unfolded in China at the turn of the century. It’s in two volumes so he could present a story from either side. The cross over like Moon Knight and Hulk. It made me want to read the Bibliography. Yes, basically.

The Mighty Avengers, Vol.5: Earth’s Mightiest (x) – I’ve been getting these superhero collections out for my son and pre-reading them to see if I approve. This was a bit complex for him, and not because the plot was difficult, but they’re using this form where each image is like an oil painting, but with huge amounts of text per panel. I would say it took me about twice as long to read a page of this as it would to read a page of prose. But, you know, I’m probably not in the target demographic. Also, someone needs to go back to Drawing Ladies school, sorry. Jeez.

Essential Avengers, Vol. 9 (x) – Again, proof reading this for the younglings. This is the era of stuff I probably read when I was their age. They both found it difficult to read. The removal of the colour destroys a lot of the composition, and flow, if these had been draw in black and white they would’ve used more black. Also the attitudes and culture in them is far too antiquated for a 10 year old. Why is everything like this? Makes you realise the world is making progress. But again interesting from my perspective, this contains the origin story of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, and the Vision just cracks me up. They really need to think about that colour thing when they reprint though. This stuff is meant to be for kids. HELP THEM.

The Push Man and Other Stories by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (x) – Interesting from a technical point of view of layout and story structure, execution of plot in short form etc. But, yes, content bleaker than bleak. the violence, hatred and misogyny drips off the page and kinds of nullifies any benefit mentioned earlier. Wasn’t prepared to recommend it to anyone I know. In the preface Tatsumi asks not to judge him on these early works alone. Almost interested enough to see what else he did, maybe.

My Man Jeeves by PG Wodehouse (x) – Ashamed to say this is my first Wodehouse. It’s taken me a while to get past the poshness. But worth it. Very pleasant. Although I felt slightly mugged by the stories about some other dude who also happens to have a butler.

Currently reading: Slaughterhouse Five (x), Written on the Body (x), The Brothers Karamazov (x), A Game of Thrones (x).

Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading and Daydreaming

Quote | | Paul Greer

“Every now and again it becomes fashionable among some adults to point at a subset of children’s books, a genre, perhaps, or an author, and to declare them bad books, books that children should be stopped from reading…It’s tosh. It’s snobbery and it’s foolishness. There are no bad authors for children, that children like and want to read and seek out, because every child is different. They can find the stories they need to, and they bring themselves to stories. A hackneyed, worn-out idea isn’t hackneyed and worn out to them. This is the first time the child has encountered it. Do not discourage children from reading because you feel they are reading the wrong thing. Fiction you do not like is a route to other books you may prefer. And not everyone has the same taste as you.”

— Neil Gaimen

 

Vladimir Nabokov on What Makes a Good Reader

Aside | | Paul Greer

Nabokov offers the following exercise, which he posed to students at a “remote provincial college” while on an extended lecture tour: Select four answers to the question what should a reader be to be a good reader:

  1. The reader should belong to a book club.
  2. The reader should identify himself or herself with the hero or heroine.
  3. The reader should concentrate on the social-economic angle.
  4. The reader should prefer a story with action and dialogue to one with none.
  5. The reader should have seen the book in a movie.
  6. The reader should be a budding author.
  7. The reader should have imagination.
  8. The reader should have memory.
  9. The reader should have a dictionary.
  10. The reader should have some artistic sense.

The students leaned heavily on emotional identification, action, and the social-economic or historical angle. Of course, as you have guessed, the good reader is one who has imagination, memory, a dictionary, and some artistic sense–which sense I propose to develop in myself and in others whenever I have the chance. via brainpickings

This was originally a bad clipping and has since been ammended, please see apology here.