Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Life improvement #1: Being well-read

Roger Ebert is quickly becoming one of my favorite commentators on popular culture.  I just finished reading this article, which discusses the longevity of art.

At the end of the day, some authors will endure and most, including some very good ones, will not. Why do I think reading is important? It is such an effective medium between mind and mind. We think largely in words. A medium made only of words doesn't impose the barrier of any other medium. It is naked and unprotected communication. That's how you get pregnant. May you always be so.

A few weeks ago, I saw the BBC booklist challenge pop up on a number of feeds on Facebook.  As I was going down the list, checking off the books that I had read, I found myself keenly aware of what I hadn't read. When I got about two-thirds of the way down the list, I stopped and closed the window.

I realized that almost every book I had read on that list, I had read more than four years ago.

This summer, I have a number of projects that I would like to complete. I think I'm going to write about them on my blog. My first project is a modest one. I have a huge number of books sitting on my bookshelf that I have purchased during the last four years that I have intended to read.

I am going to read them. Starting tonight.

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