The fine art of reading
When commuting to work in the morning and back home in the evening, I travel by bus. Cheap, efficient, ecological, relaxing and on top of all those very important reasons I don't have the money to buy a decent car. Partially because I have to travel to work by bus, which means I’m bored on the way, which means I buy books to read.
I’ve long since given up on the local libraries to have anything interesting I want to read, as their budget for new foreign literature just about covers the 8 copies of The Da Vinci Code, always booked in advance anyway. Still, I notice that people I know don’t frequent libraries much and neither do they spend a lot of time reading. Admittedly, a lot of people I know are working jobs that require them to read all day, but you cannot really compare a document you read at work with a good book.
I wonder why don’t people read more? Am I a creature of the past, who still believes in paperbacks while the world has moved on to more advanced forms of consumption of information? Probably. Good literature is not necessarily about information, though. It’s about the appreciation of a good peace of art woven together with a story. People rarely take the time for that any more. There are a lot more important things to do, than indulge yourself in a book, while commuting to and from work… Or are there? Try it. You might even like it.
I’ve long since given up on the local libraries to have anything interesting I want to read, as their budget for new foreign literature just about covers the 8 copies of The Da Vinci Code, always booked in advance anyway. Still, I notice that people I know don’t frequent libraries much and neither do they spend a lot of time reading. Admittedly, a lot of people I know are working jobs that require them to read all day, but you cannot really compare a document you read at work with a good book.
I wonder why don’t people read more? Am I a creature of the past, who still believes in paperbacks while the world has moved on to more advanced forms of consumption of information? Probably. Good literature is not necessarily about information, though. It’s about the appreciation of a good peace of art woven together with a story. People rarely take the time for that any more. There are a lot more important things to do, than indulge yourself in a book, while commuting to and from work… Or are there? Try it. You might even like it.
posted by Sergej at 8:19 PM
3 Comments:
I really am not at all sure about what kind of comute you are talking about: "Cheap, efficient, ecological and RELAXING" ?! Last time I tried it, it was all but that. I hope the job isn't that stresful that LPP seems relaxing :).
I do agree with most of what you said about reading( read two good books in the last week), but I believe that Bus distractions ( someone stepping on your shoe or bumping into you, pretty girls, abrupt braking...) make you a really rear breed.
See, that's where the book comes in. You sit down when you get in and are oblivious to your surroundings until you get off.
Well I much rather enjoy a good book in my armchair with a cup of tea.
Frankly I would find it rather odd to see someone reading War and Peace on the no. 6. Basically the books you can read on the bus have to be paperback and the kind you can stop and re-start reading again and again; none of the traits, which I would connect with the art of reading good books.
So yes you could read a Grisham or a King on the bus, but can you than really talk about the fine art of reading?
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