I read a lot, usually three or four books a month, but sometimes more. I mostly read novels, but I also enjoy biographies and books about religion, music, art, history and philosophy. In addition, I read a newspaper (or two) everyday and a number of blogs about feminism, style, music, movies and Mormonism. I like to think my reading diet is fairly well-rounded, but looking across the bedroom to my husband’s side of the bed, I’m not so sure. I have never read or had any inclination to read anything from the stack on his bedside table. I can’t imagine a scenario in which I would lose myself in the pleasures of Anglo Saxon Burial Mounds, How to Beat Up Anybody: An Instructional and Inspirational Karate Book, Guns and Rifles of the World, The Patterns of the Past or the Science Fiction Hall of Fame ( Well, maybe, the karate book. I’ve never had to beat anybody up, but it might be handy to know how. ). I think I can also safely say that my husband has no interest in reading the stack of novels, biographies, books about Buddhism, parenting and writing currently on my side of the bed. There are so many books to read and only so much reading time in every day; for me, finding time to read usually means going without sleep or neglecting my children or work for a day. My husband and I read voraciously about our favorite topics, should it matter if our taste falls into predictable patterns?
Salon’s Laura Miller suggests that it does. For the second year running, Miller is encouraging readers to “make a resolution to read at least a couple of books they expect to hate” this year. She clarifies that “the point isn’t to slog through a novel or biography you find unendurable, gritting your teeth all the way, but to consider the possibility that snap judgments and old prejudices could be keeping you from books you might actually enjoy.” For Miller, that was reading more books about science and contemporary French novels. She also recommends trying out a reading challenge and lists a number of interesting ones, from those that focus on a single topic, such as adoption, to a single author, like Haruki Murakami. I’ve already started a reading challenge on feminist classics; although, that does little to take me out of my reading comfort zone.
What about you? Do you tend to read about the same subjects or a lot from the same kind of writers? When was the last time you tried a book you expected to hate? To truly get out of my comfort zone, I think I would need, like Miller, to take on some science (with the exception of books about Darwin and evolution, which I find fascinating) or books about economics. Maybe something about physics or the recession? The thought is already making my stomach drop, but I still find the idea of reading something truly new and different (for me) compelling. Maybe I’ll start a little closer to home and borrow from the other side of the bed. After all, you never know when you might need to defend yourself against a three-armed man or a Backyard Bigfoot Attack.
For Christmas 2009, my libertarian son gave me a copy of Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal by Joel Salatin, a book I would never have picked up on my own. I intended to skim through his gift, but within a few pages, I was caught up in Salatin’s farming adventures. I learned a lot more than I thought I wanted to know about the struggles of small organic farmers dealing with government bureaucracy. I now understand why the organic produce at my local farmer’s market is a better value than what I can buy for less money at the supermarket.
Love the contrasting pictures. Only a few titles pass over the chasm between piles at our house- adventure type books, mostly, such as Krakaur’s Into Thin Air, and some science and religion books. My spouse’s piles tend to be a bit Zombie-heavy, while mine include a bit of what could be described as chick lit/Oprah’s book club (although I am NOT an O fan, I do tend to like the books with her sticker on them).
I do read a variety…. looking through my current pile I have some memoirs, some classic lit, some parenting books, some religious/spiritual stuff, some self-help, and some best selling novels. I’m currently reading How I Killed Pluto with my 6th grader, which is probably not something I would have bought on my own, but I certainly would not have pegged it as something I would have expected to hate. I’ll have to keep this in mind.
“This” being the notion to try something I expect to hate.
I only wish I had time to read the books I want to read.. that said I have tried books that I wouldn’t have otherwise due to Andrew (my husband). I am more into non-fiction science type books, although lately feminism is high on my list, but Andrew being a literature student opened my eyes to novels. Really loved David Copperfield, wouldn’t normally have picked that up, but we got a great old set of Charles Dickens books – actually I think I’m the only one to have read any of them.
I haven’t read it in a while, but I would recommend Fermat’s Last Theorem to anyone who would like to try a maths type book.
Heidi. Your stack of books looks pretty darn eclectic to me. I haven’t read Laura Miller’s article, and I know she writes for Salon. But I’m going to try to convince myself that maybe she is speaking to the girl who can’t put down her Harlequin Romance novels or the boy who reads only science fiction. That is a big stereotype I offered there. But, it is probably because I am just scared. I really want to stick to my stack and I don’t even want to think moving one of them down my book queue in order to read a book I wouldn’t normally pick up. I think I really need a book club. That always helps me expand my horizons. And finishing a book on my own, without having someone to talk to about it, is a real bummer.
I’m trying to do that year of feminist classics . . . and I’m already struggling with the January book! It feels like homework. So every time I pick it up, I think: Should I continue plowing through this or should I read something on my very long want-to-read list?
Yes, everyone is raising a legitimate question — isn’t it enough that we are reading as much as we are? I honestly don’t know, but I also know that sometimes I go through periods when everything I’m reading feels a bit samey and it would be great to shake things up. That said, life is too short to read things that feel like homework. Heather, we shouldn’t be good girls and slog through, skip the book and hit something else on the list!
I rarely read anything which much value these days. I remember just after college, the only things I COULD bring myself to read were educational in nature, especially biographies or histories. But now, with all the responsibilities I am trying to escape via reading, I usually gravitate toward whatever popular-at-the-moment mystery or suspense thriller is available just inside the library’s front door.
I think I’ve read some stories out of your husband’s Science Fiction Hall of Fame book. It looks familiar, at least.
I really like the idea of reading different books just to expose myself to ideas and writing styles I didn’t think I would like. One of my sisters once described a book to me as being about something she didn’t know she was interested in until she read it being written about so well. I suspect it’s probably true in general that there are a lot of topics that fall into that class. A good writer can really make them.
I’m also glad to hear you’re going to try (maybe) books about economics. I started reading pop economics books a few years ago, and I’ve really enjoyed them. In fact, I’ve read so many that I find they sometimes cite overlapping examples, and I know where they’re going before they get there. Perhaps this is another sign I need to branch out more!
A book that I LOVED that snuck in a lot of science was Einstein in Berlin. It had everything: drama, history, science, biography. I would recommend it.