A few days ago I sorted my books alphabetically, from Adams to Zusak. As said before, I love to read, so it’s a pleasure to see all those old friends again, to re-discover a few unexpected ones (Plato’s Republic ?) and to throw away some utter rubbish.
But as I was stacking those hundreds of books in the corridor, I had to wonder: has reading all those books made me a better, or a more intelligent person ? The consensus is that reading a lot is a good thing. They say ‘well-read’, and the term ‘book addict’ is never associated with classified substances.
Most of the books I have at home are fiction. Fiction allows you to slip into someone else’s skin, living or imagining situations you’ll never find yourself in – how a man loves, what a psychopath thinks like, living in France in the 16th century, making your way in a distant future.
Arguably, great literature is the most elevating, because characters are very life-like, avoiding stereotypes to go straight to the mixed up experience of being human. Also, literature often makes you think, it addresses the deeper questions without being pedantic about it.
There is a percentage of great literature in my book collection, but it’s not the majority. I’ll admit that I often read for entertainment, or to avoid the present moment if it’s uncomfortable or boring. Lots of sci-fi, fantasy, some humoristic chicklit. I have standards for writing style, but I won’t vouch for distinguished content.
So does reading all these pages make me better ? I don’t know. Better for what ? Does it matter ? I’ll continue reading, just in case.
Note: I gave up on nanowrimo. There’s no way for me to be writing 1667 words/day right now – maybe next year …
I think reading books makes you a better person, because they force you to slow down. It’s my personal fight against the Short Attention Span culture.
By the way, if you need a new host for some of your books, I’m happy to welcome them in my library, from Adams (Douglas, right? one of my favourites) to Zwagerman (if ZZ Top wrote books instead of songs, THEY would be there).
@bnox I’ve never thought of it like that, the longer attention span.
but thanks for the offer, maybe we can swap sometime !
I only part with books I really didn’t like, so I would only give them to my worst enemies