What two years of reading slowly taught me
· 3 min read
A good library card is the cheapest luxury there is. Translations are a conversation between two writers and a reader. Short books are not lesser books; frequently they are the opposite. Between reading aloud and rereading, the second one taught me more.
The process
Thanks for reading, and for the generous notes that keep arriving. What surprised me most was how little equipment it needed. Half of the work is deciding what to leave out. Every reading list says as much about the reader as the books. In October the light changes, and so does the work.
Good second-hand books is chiefly a series of modest, unglamorous decisions. Most of what I know about long books came from getting it wrong first. There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. In March the light changes, and so does the work. This is less a guide and more a record of what worked for me.
In November the light changes, and so does the work. I like margins that shows the marks of how it was made. Most of what I know about second-hand books came from getting it wrong first. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about reading lists. I wrote most of this on a quiet Tuesday morning.
Nothing here requires a pencil, though it does make things easier.
Where it started
In July the light changes, and so does the work. I like reading lists that shows the marks of how it was made. Good novels is chiefly a series of modest, unglamorous decisions. Most of what I know about libraries came from getting it wrong first.
I altered my mind about reading lists twice while writing this. Every autumn I revisit the same questions about short stories. The specifics matter less than the routine of paying attention.
Modest, repeatable steps beat big plans almost every time.
Lessons
Good margins is chiefly a series of modest, unglamorous decisions. A notebook helps, but it is not the point. Every spring I revisit the same questions about second-hand books. I wrote most of this on a quiet Sunday morning.
I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer. I keep a short list of things to try next; rereading is near the top. Here is what altered, and what stayed exactly the same.