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Reader's Paradise

Reading in July

17 years ago

I finished my book on boredom. The author traces the development of the understanding of the emotion from being considered a moral failing in the 18th century to being a necessary condition of society in modern times.

I went to Barnes and Noble to stock up on magazines: The Atlantic, Harper's Monthly, Commentary, and The Skeptical Inquirer. I might as well subscribe to the first three since I buy them every month. But reading The Skeptical Inquirer reminded me why I let my subscription lapse; the articles, although they look interesting at first glance, just aren't very good.

After I'm done with them, I think I'll read Memoirs of My Nervous Illness by Daniel Paul Schreber. It's the only extended account I know of that relates the interior experience of schizophrenia instead of exterior observations. It's an important text in the field of psychology and is freqently referenced by authors studying schizophrenia.

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Comments (2)

river101
17 years ago
Interesting choices in books cjoseph! I've always wondered about boredom as that is a state I've never experienced, save maybe for a week during summer vacation when I was little. That feeling of ennui never lasted long though as I was quickly assigned a few chores to do if I complained, lol! It eludes me how this occurs or why it does, as it seems that there are always projects I'm attending to, and always another book to read. Happy summer, everyone!
ccrdmrbks
17 years ago
the message that was clear all through my childhood-particularly from my grandmother, was "if you are bored it's your own fault." When I would visit her in the summer and complain about the long, "difficult for a child to understand" sermons at her summer church, she taught me to look around in church and imagine things about the other congregants-change their outfits, imagine their lives, make up stories about them-we did the same thing on long car rides. There was a big house we passed on the way to her beach house-the stories we made up about whoever lived there! I still remember some of them. I tried the same technique with my children-my DD bit, and is rarely bored-always has something going on-but DS thought it was all dumb..."but how do you KNOW that they have 4 boys in that house?" He could never wrap his head around the idea that it didn't matter-it was just a way to pass the time. He does sometimes complain of boredom, and he's not a fiction reader, either. I've concluded it is the brain wiring.
As I have a backlog of mysteries and biographies on the shelf, I think July will be a combo of those.
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At Swm Two Boys, It may be a bit of a challenge, because it is so Irish lol. Very lyrical. It took me a bit t get into it but it is one of my most favorite books. And of course, Angela's Ashes. I read that one in a day. Completely enveloped me. That was my father and mothers Ireland. My dad says he could never read it, that McCourt should never have written it, it was a very "disrespectful" book. I said well at least he waited till after his mother had died. My dad said, doesn't matter. Us irish are good at being totally in denial lol. Roddy Doyle is another writer that my sister and I enjoy.
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Second half of July. The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith: Very much enjoyed this tale that goes back and forth between 17th century Holland, 1950s NYC, and present day Australia. There was one bit that I could have done without but overall a good book. 4 stars The Road by Cormac McCarthy: Another good one. I almost put this down a couple of times towards the beginning (another post-apocalyptic... do I need this?). I'm glad I didn't. It is a well written, moving novel. 4 stars The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach: Originally titled These Foolish Things, it was renamed after the movie came out. I was looking for something a bit humorous. It was okay. I haven't seen the movie but was able to accurately guess which actors played some roles (typecasting?). 3 stars Open Secrets by Alice Munro: Finishing out the month with this book of short stories by one of my favorite authors. Being able to pick up an older book by one of my favorites that I haven't yet read always makes me glad that I don't binge read authors. Will probably be 5 stars The computer system of the county library system I use was attacked (reportedly by ransomware) a few weeks ago. The online catalog is not working and no interlibrary loans are going through (I have several requests that are in limbo until this is straightened out.). A bit frustrating but, as a library worker said to me last week, it has resulted in a return to the old practice of browsing the stacks. That is why my last few books (and the one up next) are all by authors with last names beginning with "M". I knew I wanted one book by an "M" and chose other books in the same aisle that I thought I'd like (with a bit of online/Goodreads referencing). We adapt. Happy reading!
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