getting the proustian itch again- reading the best of literature

Busy days mean I am only reading the best of what literature has to offer. I don't have a lot of time to "test out" new narratives and decide if it works for me. That's why watching bookish content online is so fun- THEY can read it for me, and I can experience the novel that way.

For me, it's been a slow reread of Emma, a deep journey through Romantic Outlaws, several nonfiction books, Nabakov's letters to his wife, Game of Thrones (first time), and a myriad of other things.

coffee + cake= love

Long gone are the days of seeing how many novels I can finish (residue from my time on BookTube), and I've said hello again to the deep, slow, immersive reading style that I've always loved.

Some judge me for always seeking out 5 star reads or 5 star experiences, but this is my reading life. And the key word is life. I don't get the breaths I take back, and I won't get the time I spend on books back either. 

There is nothing wrong with reading ANYthing that your heart desires, but for me I use literature to maintain my sanity through the tough times of my life, for transformation, and for a clue into the universal experiences of humankind. It's a tall order, but there are several novelists who absolutely hit the mark, so why not read and reread them???

My days are long, and my nights are sleepless. I've been getting the itch to begin all 7 volumes of In Search of Lost Time again. GASP. I read it in 2022. It could maybe do with some more air in between readings, but the heart wants what it wants!

always coffee

I'm thinking that if the itch doesn't go away I'll start Swann's Way and allow myself to read one volume every 6 months or so. This way it's a few years worth of reading projects, and I can slowly languish over his memories while creating my own. 

I love this edition. Gorgeous.

Either way, I'm grateful for the reprieve that literature offers me from how hard things can be sometimes. I am also grateful to read that these struggles of the human experience have been documented for hundreds of years. It's why I have always and will always love the novel form.