My Dilemma

I'm loving my Kindle.  I'm loving it so much that  remember all those unread books I have yet to read? Now it's really going to be hard to get through them because I don't even want to read a bound book anymore. 

My Kindle is everything Amazon said it would be.  The screen really does look like ink on the printed page.  It weighs about the same as a book so my mind is tricked into thinking I'm holding a book.  But I can set the font to a size that's easy on my eyes.  Can't do that with a printed book.  I hate it when a book is set with narrow margins and tiny print.  It's too hard to read when there are too many words on the page.  Now I can read the way I like it. 

Since I no longer want to read the real book, I've been searching for Kindle versions of those still on my list.  Some of the books on my shelf are so old there is no Kindle version available.  Or maybe it's because they weren't that great to begin with, no one bothered to bring them into the 21st century.  I'm torn between paying for the Kindle version and giving away the print version for some others.  Being on a budget I probably should suck it up and read what I already own.  But what I have found is that some of the classics like David Copperfield by Dickens and The Jungle by Sinclair Upton have free Kindle versions available.  I quickly downloaded them leaving the hardbound family heirlooms preserved on the shelf.

Here is my dilemma.  Will I be able to make it through my list without rebuying a second Kindle version?  Or will I be able to read from the printed page those that don't exist as an electronic version?  Those titles may not be the most interesting or desirable in the first place.  That's probably the reason I never read them.  Or am I going to become a literary genius by reading all the free classics that are now at my fingertips?

All three of these options sound like a challenge.  And I'm always up for that.

Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese

Wow!  Cutting for Stone took me on a ride that I never expected.  Twin boys born to a nun who died in childbirth, deserted by their father and raised by loving doctors, Hema and Ghosh.  The novel is filled with rich characters who come to life within its pages.  Shiva and Marion, twins, mirror images of one another both follow different paths in life. 

Sometimes I thought this story dragged on.  The medical terminology and descriptions were often cumbersome for me.  One thing was clear however, the author was precise in his descriptions of surgical procedures along with the history and culture of Ethiopia.  But the brother's walk through a life of love, loss and betrayal was something I couldn't stop reading, something special. 

I am torn however on how to rate this book.  The blood and trauma lingered on too long.  That Marion met everyone he'd known back home in Addis Ababa while studying in the United States seemed a bit contrived.  And that he had an evil streak shown by the things he did after breaking into his estranged father's apartment was out of character. But I cried as the story ended.  The sign of a well written story of real characters is that it can bring the reader's emotions to the surface.  Cutting for Stone did that brilliantly.

Writers are the Nicest People

I spent the past few days attending the Creative Writing Institute at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.  I find being on a college campus invigorating, add to that interesting instructors and speakers, throw other writers into the mix and I was over the moon.

The first class I took focused on memoir writing.  I have a couple segments of my life in mind for that.  Being surrounded by other writers of all walks and stages of life, we freely told our personal stories.  And each one was different and fascinating.  My own life seems ordinary in comparison, yet they all assured me that my story was relevant and intriguing. 

My second class dealt with character development.  Many of the memoir students were also in this class.  We talked and read aloud, critiqued each others work no matter how rough.  I received great feedback, best that I've heard in a long time.  I made friends.  Wonderful friends. I learned so much about the craft of writing that I'm sure mine is moving up a few levels.  But I made friends.  Friends that I miss today now that class has ended, energy I long to feel again.

My heart opened up to these fellow writers, their stories, their pain, their joy.  Blessings overwhelmed me knowing I'm meant to be a writer.  Knowing and surrounding myself other wonderful writers boosts me up to accomplish my dreams.  I am one lucky girl, woman, wife, friend, writer.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

To all my fellow wanna be writers.  Listen up.  You need to read this book.

At one time a few years ago when I was feeling especially down in the dumps about my writing career, my dear friend April suggested this book.  April does not happen to be a writer so I couldn't even begin to guess how this book appeared on her own personal radar screen.  I bought it and it sat on the shelf waiting for the perfect time to enter my life. 

Anne Lamott is funny, witty and boy, can she put the writing life into perspective!  And in a way I can understand.  She relates the trials and tribulations of being a writer to ordinary life.  She talks about her son and how to dig deep into your soul to capture the innocence of a child.  She wrote about the death of her father and how some people thought there was too much joy and laughter in her writing about that time in her life.  She wrote about her students and how young writers all believe publishing will lead them to a life of fame and fortune.   

Anne Lamott hit the nail on the head for me over and over and over again.  I know I'm not alone in my struggle to publish.  In her own silly and sarcastic voice she lays out a wonderful plan for a writing life.  I feel more energetic and on track than I have in ages, because Anne made me laugh and cry and feel life deep down in my soul.  Bird By Bird is a fun and entertaining read. 

I rate this book 5 out of 5 and it's staying on the shelf.  While reading it I often felt the need to highlight some of it.  Highlighting seriously goes against the grain of my rules on how to treat a book.  Just like bending page corners.  But Bird By Bird is going to be a wonderful reference book for me so I just might break down and put removable tabs on the important pages.

Confessions Abound

I have to say the 12 step program just isn't working for me.  It has prompted me to do some soul searching however.  What am I really searching for in my life?  Do I want to rid myself of books?  No.  I love books. Do I want to be able to resist them?  Yes.  Am I searching for an answer to other addictions in my life?  Probably.

I ended up in the bookstore last week.  I added four new books to my list.  My shelves never seem to get any lighter even though I'm reading and reviewing at a fast pace.  I bought a book on addiction cures for atheists.  I want to see if that can shed any additional light on my dilemma.    

My sister wants me to take all my unread books to the library without reading them and be done with them.  I could start fresh.  Tempting.  I'm afraid at this point in time I may not be able to check them out of the library.  I'll go back to the bookstore and hand over the credit card for a whole new set of unread books.

A good friend wants me to stop suffering through all these bad books for the sake of reading something good and worthwhile.  How will I know it's good by looking at the cover?  So far I haven't been very successful at that.  Something that I like, the next guy may detest and vice versa.  What are the qualities of a good book?  What skills do I need to learn to pick the 'good' book out of the crowd every time?

Maybe that's what I'm looking for, a good book so that I can write my own good book and people will be dying to buy it.  Maybe all this is being driven by my dream to be a successful writer.  It's a dream so vivid that I can't shake it off.  I'm going to find the answer.  I know I am.  It's in my dreams.