poetry pause: monotony:: langston hughes

 

stockphoto: coffee, books, pears on a plate

Monotony

Today like yesterday

Tomorrow like today;

The drip, drip, drip,

  Of monotony

Is wearing my life away;

Today like yesterday,

Tomorrow like today.

poetry pause: the new moon:: langston hughes

 

stockphoto: autumn street with benches

The New Moon

There's a new, young moon riding the hill tonight;

There's a sprightly, young moon exploring the clouds;

There's a half-shy, young moon veiling her face like a virgin, 
   Waiting for her lover. 

-Langston Hughes

the magic of reading several books at once

I've been dipping in and out of my current reads for a few months now. I don't digitally track my reading, and instead use a small hardback notebook to track. When I am done with this notebook, I will start another. I enjoy being able to physically glance at my list of reads and it does make me quite emotional to see who and where I am in the process of these novels.

reading this as an audio + text combination

I didn't think I would enjoy Pillars of the Earth because I don't read much historical fiction. I am really loving this story. It's intricate, emotional, and very detailed. It is beneficial to have a novel or two in the rotation that just read easily and that has a story that flows by.

Reasons to read several books at once

1. I always have a fountain of choices depending on my mood
2. Re-reading is never a chore. It easily slots into new reads by giving the space to scaffold your favorite re-reading alongside them
3. You never have to "wait to start" a new book that you are excited about it

Reasons to caution against it

1. If you struggle with the ability to pick up the strands of multiple stories
2. You enjoy a singular focus
3. You confuse characters or storylines
4. You're interested in finishing books as quickly as possible

I am often reading between 6-10 books at one time, but mainly 4 is a solid amount that I can pick up every single day.

Types of books I read simultaneously

1. An audiobook (typically a classic that is a re-read)
2. A classic
3. A contemporary classic
4. Page turner (always changes)
5. Literary fiction
6. Non-fiction biography
7. Non-fiction psychology/neuroscience
8. Letters of some kind
9. Poetry book
10. Something in translation 

As the days become shorter, and daylight leaves us, I find myself wanting to finish my academic work earlier in the day so that I can focus on documentaries and reading where my personal care duties are limited.

Deep rest is becoming a true value of mine again, and reading plays an intricate part in resting for me. 

If you've never read multiple books at once, I really encourage you to at least try it. If it doesn't work for you, it's understandable. There are a few times a year where I focus on one book until it's done, but that is extremely rare. 

There's so much to read and I love spending my life and all that it contains between the pages of great literature. 

poetry pause: justice:: langston hughes

 

stockphoto: black coffee + apples + gourds

Justice

That Justice is a blind goddess

Is a thing to which we black are wise.

Her bandage hides two festering sores

That once, perhaps, were eyes.

-Langston Hughes

adding historical fiction to my currently reading + journaling while reading

adding this book to my currently reading

In the interest of easily digestible entertainment, I added this highly suggested 1989 historical fiction novel by British novelist Ken Follett. I had a used copy on my shelf and a fellow reading friend read and enjoyed it.

I haven't read a lot of historical fiction, but this mammoth of a novel has started out with that traditionally genre-esque descriptions that I am not that used to because I read so much literary fiction; however, I am enjoying it. So long as it doesn't branch into extreme violence against women and/or children, I will definitely. 

Here's the novel's description:

Against this richly imagined and intricately interwoven backdrop, filled with the ravages of war and the rhythms of daily life, the master storyteller draws the reader irresistibly into the intertwined lives of his characters into their dreams, their labors, and their loves: Tom, the master builder; Aliena, the ravishingly beautiful noblewoman; Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge; Jack, the artist in stone; and Ellen, the woman of the forest who casts a terrifying curse. From humble stonemason to imperious monarch, each character is brought vividly to life.

The building of the cathedral, with the almost eerie artistry of the unschooled stonemasons, is the center of the drama. Around the site of the construction, Follett weaves a story of betrayal, revenge, and love, which begins with the public hanging of an innocent man and ends with the humiliation of a king.

 

I will do a review when I am done, and there are a few novels in this series, and if I enjoy it.

kingsbridge book series

Journaling While Reading

I've taken to paper journaling in one of my hardback journals while reading my classics. Only novels that I feel I will reread make it into my hardback journal, and I am adamant on keeping the feelings of my reads in one place to glance back on.

This practice is an accompaniment to my slow reading life. If I were trying to rush through novels, I couldn't ever do this. If you've ever considered journaling about what you are reading, I highly suggest it. Get a notebook that you will use only for this purpose. Don't worry about it being fancy or even showing it to anyone. Just write down how the novels you read move and change you. In a year's time you will be so glad that you did. 

poetry pause: autumn thought:: langston hughes

stockphoto: of autumn themed coffee and fall leaves

 Autumn Thought

Flowers are happy in summer;
In autumn they die and are blown
away.

   Dry and withered,
Their petals dance on the wind,
Like little brown butterflies.

-Langston Hughes

paperback jane austen haul + always reading austen

I have given away more copies of Jane Austen than anyone I know. I mean, I am borderline evangelist with the message that everyone should at least try reading Jane Austen.

At risk of this post turning into a Jane Austen outreach mission, I'll just say that nothing beats the feeling of annotating and tabbing a new paperback of your favorite novel. That spine cracking sound (yes I am a heathen who breaks spines and LOVES it), gathering tabs that match the book cover and just having a ball dropping down into those familiar lines...

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a fortune, must be in want of a wife. (Pride and Prejudice)

love these covers. simple + stunning

This Fall I will be rereading Northanger Abbey. This one of Austen's novels does not get nearly enough love. Or maybe it does, I haven't noticed. Everyone's adoration (well deserved) for Pride and Prejudice and Emma, often overshadow the simplicity of Northanger Abbey or the silent moving resignation of Persuasion (my favorite of Austen's).

both of these deserve rereads next

Always Reading Austen

Yes. It is true. It isn't a typo and I can honestly say I love always reading something by Austen. 

I've written about how I use audiobooks, and I pretty much keep an Austen on audio at all times. When I can't sleep, I put on Pride and Prejudice and laugh at Mr. Collins' proposal and it helps every time. 

There is something comforting and warm about returning to the same stories over and over again. The same is true for some of my favorite works by Tolstoy and James Baldwin. 

Knowing what to expect- feeling safe within the story line- eliminating the emotional highs and lows that fiction brings- are all reasons I return over and over again to Austen's works.

People get mired in ideas about perfection when it comes to Regency Era fiction or reading the classics in general, and I say pick up the novels and have fun. Austen is supernaturally hilarious and just seeing her view on friendship, family, relationships, etc. is just so funny. It interesting how much has not changed about the way humans relate to one another. 

 I've stacked them nicely on top of my other paperbacks for safe keeping as I resist the urge to open each and read my favorite parts.

If you've never given your favorite novel to a friend after annotating and tabbing it, it is not only a great experience, but a chance to get another paperback and do it all over again.

september coffee and slow reading

Well, August came and went and September is half gone by. Aside from stating the obvious, I have been finding a great deal of solace in reading. Slow reading. Deep reading. Re-reading (my favorite pastime).

Funnily enough, the news and state of the world is so heavy that I've found myself needing to keep up with some of the news, but that means I need the depth that good literature brings to me even more.

a few of my morning 

I sit in the morning with a piping hot cup of pour over. After a short stint and few wasted hundred dollars in two brand new Nespresso machines, I returned to my love of freshly baked, direct-trade, fairly waged coffee and I have never felt more whole.

The idea that saving 15 minutes in the morning was worth drinking conventionally grown, old coffee with no filter was a mistake I wish I could go back in time and undo, alas here we are. If you are a Nespresso lover, help me understand it. AND all that unfiltered coffee is a sure way for my LDL to raise, but now my age is showing. (No shame there).

Slow Reading Mornings

My early mornings are a bit cooler and while my water is boiling for my pour over, I stand and read a poem or a few pages from one of my ereaders or one of The Letters of Gustave Flaubert which has turned into one of my favorite reads of this year so far. I am not even sure I will finish it in 2025.

I know it's beneficial to drink my coffee and get to my work, but my slow reading philosophy promotes reading in my free time, and once I sink down into something great, I want to wait until the chapter is over before getting started with the heavy day.

I've been reading poetry, making coffee, drinking lots of tea, journaling and keeping one audiobook going at a time, and baking lots of new dishes. 

What I've been valuing  

1. Slow mornings
2. Pour overs
3. Early mornings
4. Baking
5. Decorating
6. Silent Time
7. Decluttering
8. Fall scented candles

It's easy to get lost in all of the chaos of the world, and lots of anger is palpable in the street, but I won't give away my soul. My inner peace is invaluable, and reading brings me so much inner silence. 

Moving through September, I am working towards a reality that includes space and time (both in my physical world and mentally) to watch good films, read great literature, writing more intensely and quite frankly moving towards a reality where the stress that a new venture (soon to end), and all of the craziness that the world keeps providing, is muted. 

women in translation month 2025

I absolutely love reading women writers in translation. There is something magical that happens when I read translated literature.

My most recent translated purchase happened at McNally Jackson in the city after a long few days of visiting. The magic that happens only in bookstores brushed across me and I spent some time with a few bookstore workers looking for the last copy of Hunchback. This slim novel has started off with a bang and I adore it. 

My choices for Women in Translation Month 2025:

Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa 
Translated by Polly Barton

The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector
Translated by Giovanni Pontiero

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Translated by Megan Backus

Apple in the Dark by Clarice Lispector
Translated by Benjamin Moser

Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro
Translaed by Frances Riddle 

my stack

I had a focus this year for reading more Clarice Lispector and this is a great month to hone in on that. I'm also always reading Jane Austen and Persuasion is up to bat. Whenever I step away from Austen for too long, I can feel the call of her sarcastic wit and dry humor to keep me anchored down.

Reading really is a religious experience for me, and my life runneth over with stress. I find my solace between the pages of books, and I am so grateful to have shelves filled (though I constantly donate and cull my shelves) with the words of authors I love and read and re-read from.

Rereading is my love language

I reread as much as I read new works to me, and as I usher out summer (IN the dead of summer), I am preparing my shelves for some of my favorite Fall rereads. I will squelch my joy and share that at a later date. I know some people loathe those of us who rush the Fall to come, but loathe as you will... I'm done with this heat and humidity and am eagerly anticipating slower days :)

Wishing you a happy Women In Translation Month and happy reading ☕️ 

library acquisition: beware of pity by stefan zweig

It goes without saying that our libraries are vitally essential to our communities and existence- so I'll save that speech, and lament that my library only gives me SIX checkouts per month! 

I use one of them for access to Hallmark channel app, and I ration the others like wartime sugar. This month I did checkout Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig. This book came across my radar while I was browsing the New York Review of Books website. It is out of stock there, so I searched my library (my first stop).  I will just add this to my currently reading pile!

Book Synopsis:

"Stefan Zweig's brilliant novel, Beware of Pity, is an original and powerful work."-The New York Times

The great Austrian writer Stefan Zweig was a master anatomist of the deceitful heart, and Beware of Pity, the only novel he published during his lifetime, uncovers the seed of selfishness within even the finest of feelings. Beware of Pity is an almost unbearably tense and powerful tale of unrequited love and the danger of pity.

In 1913, Hofmiller, an Austro-Hungarian cavalry officer stationed at the edge of the empire, is invited to a party at the home of a rich local landowner, a world away from the dreary routine of the barracks. The surroundings are glamorous, wine flows freely, and the exhilarated young Hofmiller asks his host's lovely daughter for a dance, only to discover that sickness has left her painfully crippled. It is a minor blunder that will destroy his life, as pity and guilt gradually implicate him in a well-meaning but tragically wrongheaded plot to restore the unhappy invalid to health.

Stefan Zweig's only novel is a devastating depiction of the torment of the betrayal of both honour and love, realized against the background of the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

source: speech repository

Stefan Zweig

This author had a much too short life and literary career, but I am fascinated by this novel's premise and this author's life and work. Read about him here.