Book Lovers Chat - November 2024
"she read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live" Anne Dillard
This voiceover is an audio version of my Book Lovers Chat below. It is unedited, so may have some stutters, imperfections, and background noise. I hope you enjoy listening to it anyway!
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Welcome back to another Slow Sunday Letter! I hope you have had a slow and gentle week.
In this month’s Book Lover’s Chat, we are going to talk about slow reading, and reading at your own pace! When I got back into reading and started to chat with people about books, I soon felt dwarfed by some pretty massive numbers when it came to read piles. I remember feeling a little inadequate- could I still be a book lover when I wasn’t reading 30, 40, 50+ books a year!?? (spoiler - of course I can, and you can too!). So read on for a cosy chat about slow reading, some new reviews and an update on my Autumn reading!
You know the drill - grab a cuppa, get cosy and let’s settle down for a read together…
Slow Reading
"If you want the deep experience of a book, if you want to internalise it, to mix an author's ideas with your own and make it a more personal experience, you have to read it slowly," John Miedema, Slow Reading (2009).
The internet is full to the brim with reading inspiration, and people who read A LOT. Everyone is different, and if reading 100 books a year is your thing I am not here to tell you, you are wrong! But on the other side of the scale, if you are reading 1,5,10,20 books a year- I am here to tell you that you are a book lover! Reading slowly is not a bad thing, it is a beautiful way to absorb characters and stories.
When I got serious about reading again – the one key change for me was setting myself the attainable goal of reading one book a month. I knew I could easily achieve this. I really enjoyed planning out my reading and I got such a sense of accomplishment as I moved through the year and realised how easily I was getting through my TBR list. By the end of the first year, I had read 13 books, and I was proud! This year - I have read 31 books and counting! I didn’t go into this wonderful year of reading thinking of the numbers, I have just had the best time collecting books, creating my seasonal TBR lists and reading as much as I want to. Some months, I have flown through my reading, other months have been slower. Some books I have engulfed in a couple of days, and others I have savoured and actually slowed down my reading to enjoy more fully.
This month for example, I have read Stephen Fry’s Mythos and Stephen King’s The Shining. Both absolutely brilliant books, and books I could not put down, but I absorbed them at a slow pace and enjoyed every moment.
Reading slowly is a wonderful way to read, you can linger, you can learn, and you can make the moment last.
Benefits to Slow Reading
“I took a speed-reading course and read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.” Woody Allen
Enjoyment: Slow Reading can increase your enjoyment of a book. You don’t miss the small details, you notice more nuances in the text. Without the pressure to fly through the book, you can truly immerse yourself in the text, and fully escape into it’s pages.
Deeper Connection: Have you ever had to reread a page, because you weren’t entirely sure you were getting it? Or you had a feeling your missed something? Discovering subtext and smaller details can be lost when speed reading. Reading slowly can help you spot subtle elements, symbolism or foreshadowing, and draw you in for a deeper connection with the story and characters.
Understanding: Research shows that slow reading improves comprehension. Did you know your inner voice that silently reads along with you is called subvocalization? This is a natural process that helps you comprehend and remember what you're reading. The more fine tuned it becomes the greater scope for understanding and comprehension.
Calming: Slow reading can reduce stress, and encourage calm. Can you remember how peaceful it feels when you sit down in a quiet, distraction free environment with a book with no time pressure? Savouring a book is one of the most wonderful feelings. You do not have to hurry, just read.
My October Reads
(all my summaries and reviews will be spoiler free)
Mythos - Stephen Fry
4 STARS
No one loves and quarrels, desires and deceives as boldly or brilliantly as Greek gods and goddesses.
In Stephen Fry's vivid retelling, we gaze in wonder as wise Athena is born from the cracking open of the great head of Zeus and follow doomed Persephone into the dark and lonely realm of the Underworld. We shiver in fear when Pandora opens her jar of evil torments and watch with joy as the legendary love affair between Eros and Psyche unfolds.
Mythos captures these extraordinary myths for our modern age - in all their dazzling and deeply human relevance.
My Thoughts:
This is a book I know I will re read and re read. It is masterful how Stephen Fry presents this epic stories with such vivid clarity. It is a wonderful dive into the crazy, passionate, brutal and entertaining world of Greek Mythology. It is such a fun read. I loved Fry's writing style, how he makes these sometimes wild and complicated stories so digestible. The humour he injects even with the darker side of the mythology is just brilliant. It was a slower read for me, but purely because of the amount of information you are presented with. It has slowed down my Autumn reading this month, but I don’t mind one bit!
The Shining - Stephen King
5 STARS
Danny is only five years old, but in the words of old Mr Hallorann he is a 'shiner', aglow with psychic voltage. When his father becomes caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, Danny's visions grow out of control.
As winter closes in and blizzards cut them off, the hotel seems to develop a life of its own. It is meant to be empty. So who is the lady in Room 217 and who are the masked guests going up and down in the elevator? And why do the hedges shaped like animals seem so alive?
Somewhere, somehow, there is an evil force in the hotel - and that, too, is beginning to shine . . .
My Thoughts
I loved this book so much. I love reading, but there is something so special about a book that paints a picture so vividly in your mind. Stephen King is beyond talented - is he even human? The writing, the characters, the story telling is perfection. I was hooked from the first page, and even though I knew the story (having seen the film) I still had chills throughout- I still woke up thinking about Danny, I still felt myself getting lost at The Overlook and wondering about the story when I wasn’t reading! Just pure brilliance - a must read, and unsurprisingly my third 5 star book of the year!
All That Remains - Patricia Cornwell
3 STARS
A killer is stalking young lovers. Taking their lives . . . and leaving just one tantalising clue . . .
When the bodies of young courting couples start turning up in remote woodlands areas, Dr Kay Scarpetta's task as Chief Medical Examiner is made more difficult by the effects of the elements. Eight times she must write that the cause of death is undetermined.
But when the latest girl goes missing turns out to be the daughter of one of the most powerful women in America, Kay finds herself prey to political pressure and press harassment. As she starts to investigate, she finds that vital evidence is being withheld from her - or even faked. And all the time a cunning, sadistic killer is still at large . . .
My Thoughts
The third book in the long running Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell - if I want to read them all - I have a long way to go!!! This was a good read, a quick thriller that had me captivated. I love reading these types of books, looking for clues and trying to figure out the mystery before the book reveals it! All That Remains kept me guessing, and I liked the progression of Kay as a character. If you have read any, please let me know!
New On My Book Shelf
This month I have added these books to my bookshelf…
I am still firmly in my magical, gothic, spooky Halloween mood! I also managed to find Dracul on Kindle for 99p and I ‘borrowed’ Dracula on Prime Reading! (Have I mentioned how much I love my Kindle lately ?!?)
Drop Dead Sisters - Amelia Diane Coombs (Amazon Kindle First Reads)
Grave Talk - Nick Spalding (Amazon Kindle First Reads)
Magic Lessons - Alice Hoffman
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
Hello, from me…
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Next Up on my TBR List
Next up on my TBR list are:
The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
The Hobbit - J R R Tolkien
I also leave some space for spontaneous choices, and library visits!
Do join me again next month for all my reading in November …
Bookish Substacks I’ve enjoyed this month…
I hope you have enjoyed this months Book Lovers Chat! This is my favourite post to write - I just love putting it together and thinking and talking about books and reading! If you would like to see anything at all featured in Book Lovers Chat, please let me know as we grow this community together. I’ll be back at the beginning of next month with even more reading inspiration!
As always, I’d love to know if you have read any of the books we have discussed here, have any thoughts about slow reading, or if you have any recommendations this month to share!
Thank you for being here,
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Hi Emily, I couldn't work out how to embed this post into my October round-up post as the code just looked like code when when I previewed it not like how my post looks on your article. I have however cross posted it to my subscribers (I only have 7). I love the slow reading piece. I hope you enjoy The Graveyard Book. Also if you like Shirley Jackson read We Have Always Lived In The Castle. It's quite a short story but really good.
I haven’t read The Shining but I’ve seen the film version with Jack Nicholson several times. He was brilliant in it!