I’ll never forget being 15 years old and reading “The Sun Also Rises” for the first time.
It hasn’t stayed with me because it is such a wonderful book, but because I read it under less then ideal circumstances. I was in a school play back then and every ten minutes I had put the book down and get on stage.
Three years later I was talking to a room full of Hemingway fans, telling them I hadn’t cared for the book. One of them asked me, “Didn’t you find it compelling that the male and female leads could never consummate their love affair because of the war?”
I was confused. I re-read the book and discovered that the hero was impotent as a result of a war wound, a fact that had eluded me after my first reading. I had just thought the protagonist was kind of wuss.
Some books are poorly written. But it’s not always the author’s fault. Sometimes a book is just poorly read.
I’m an avid reader. I read novels, non-fiction, short fiction, newspapers, magazines, the backs of cereal boxes, anything.
In fact I read so much that it’s important for me to remind myself from time to time that reading is something special. That good reading takes concentration, practice and effort, just like good writing does.
Careful reading might save you the embarrassment I suffered of asking a room full of Hemingway fans, “What’s the big deal?”
So here’s a list of things to remember next time you get the urge to bond with a book.
- Turn everything but the lights off!
Nothing could be simpler, but for the modern reader it’s sometimes hard to disconnect from the rest of the world. Turn off the TV, the stereo and most of all, your phone. Your book will thank you.
- Find a comfortable place.
Find a place to read that allows you to forget your body for a while. If you’re constantly shifting around, you won’t enjoy your reading. So put your feet up, have something nearby to drink, and don’t forget to use the bathroom before you begin.
- Set aside some time.
Don’t get into a new book ten minutes before an appointment. If you don’t have at least a half an hour to dedicate to reading, read later.
- If you don’t like what your reading, put it down and find something new.
Don’t force yourself to read something just because you’ve heard good things about a particular book or author. If you don’t like it at first, you probably won’t enjoy it later. So just set it aside and find something you do like.
