Over lunch the other day a friend posed the following problem: “I need to read 50 books a year.”
“One per week, roughly,” I responded.
“That’s right,” he said.
“But,” I countered, “all books are not equal. A Dickens and a Didion are different. Are you really going to finish a long book in a short week?"
“Exactly!” He laughed.
In fact, we both laughed, both at ourselves and at the luxury of having such problems in a world gone mad. Still, what a delight to discuss the mathematical challenge of immersing oneself in the world of books, and how to take the hands of all the authors who want to tell their stories.
This is what I call a crossroads moment, where several events take place that bear further examination in order to gain better understanding.
First, another friend recently challenged me to write a list of all the books I’ve read. More on this later.
Second, as I wrote about recently, I’ve changed my own reading habits, based on the season – summer – and the fact that I was spread too thin in a post-modern dilemma of too much information, yet not enough concentration.
Finally, several articles in the news have discussed not only our changing reading habits but the demise of critical thinking, as a result of defunding education and turning schools into testing centers. Technology, often the monster blamed for this dilemma, is apparently only a distraction, and not the root cause of the problem.
Let’s start with math.
In July, I began the month by reading The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and The Girls of Slender Means, by Muriel Spark, whose novels are short, yet exquisite in their ability to create setting, character and dialogue, through thought- provoking language.
I read both in one week, thereby increasing my ability to take on more volumes in July. I did not, I might add, read Dickens, an endeavor that last year took months.
Yet another friend once told me he read the three volumes of Proust – Remembrance of Things Past – in one summer. Math, once more. One season.
For the moment, then, let us agree that the dilemma of how many books read in one year must be based on a time factor of how much one can read in one day, week, or month. Perhaps the challenge is to rewrite the equation in order to accommodate a reality check.
Next week, the list.
Well, an approximation of the books I can remember reading.
And, of course, enjoying.