The reasons I love books are vast and varied - but sitting in the waiting room of H&R Block today, dreading the inevitable tax angst (and berating myself for once again procrastinating until the last minute), I experienced one of the best aspects of reading. I was able to whip out my copy of Swann's Way and let the lime green walls of H&R Block fade out of my mind. Being transported into another place and time by language is a wonderful thing...particularly when dull 'grown-up' tasks loom over me.
When I read Luisa's first post about Proust, my curiosity was sparked. I checked Swann's Way out of the library, read the first few pages, and got on-line to order my own copy. I'm an under-liner, a post-it pro, and I love being able to make a book mine. And it only took a few pages to figure out that Proust is something to experience. So the first two volumes (Moncrieff/Kilmartin translation) arrived a few days ago and that waiting room was my first opportunity to really delve in. To be quite honest, I was sort of hoping that there would be a line, so that I could do just that.
I live in a small town where I don't have access to much literary discussion or book clubs...so I am pretty ecstatic at this opportunity to bounce around thoughts on these books as we read through them.
And now, while my kids are still completely fascinated by the puzzles I just pulled down from their closet shelf, I will return to Combray.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Christie, I'm so glad you are already feeling the magic of Combray. It's pretty strong stuff, if it can dissolve the backdrop of a tax preparer's office on Deadline Day!
I, too, am impressed by your ability to concentrate on the task at hand (the book, I mean) and let the world dissolve into soft focus--Calgon take me away! You have my utmost admiration, because though I love books, for me H&R Block with always stand in limey green sharp contrast.
Christie, You hit the Proustian nail on the head- it's an experience!. I'll choose this as a euphemism if ever I get bogged down by those mile-long sentences. But as I said to Kara today, those sentences are just so delicious! Now, if I can just stop reading Luisa's blog long enough complete Overature...
As far as being able to concentrate in H&R Block...an explanation. I have a huge capacity for concentration, developed as a kid by being a perpetual bookworm (reading on the bus, while my three younger siblings ran around like hooligans, walking through department stores during my mom's shopping trips, etc. etc.) and more currently, by having all of my reading sessions with my two and three year olds either jumping all over me (look! mommy's sitting still! attack!) or the continuous nagging for attention (can I have juice? what's that book? can we read Blue's Clues?). Of course, I also just really, really, really didn't want to be in H&R Block! :) And those delicious sentences definitely helped...
Post a Comment