The one stretch of undistracted time most of us have is when we take vacation. The temptation — my temptation, almost always succumbed to — is to go catatonic, escaping the working world into the oblivion of Ludlum. But when I settle into my next holiday, I’m hoping to resist that urge. I hope to use the rare gift of an empty mind to grapple with a big idea or two — with a chunk of Marx, maybe, since I’ve never read a word he’s actually written, or with that Foucault that’s been gathering dust.

Judging from my experience last winter, once you get over the initial hump and start to dig into a text that’s big and weighty, you get an unmatched mental charge.

We play tennis on vacation, or go for strenuous hikes. We might get just as much pleasure from working out some little-used parts of our brains.

via Getting a mental kick from tackling tough books.

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Getting a mental kick from tackling tough books

Has endlessly skimming short texts on the internet made us stupider? An increasing number of experts think so – and say its time to slow down . . .

via The art of slow reading | Books | The Guardian.

Unsurprisingly, I found myself skimming this article.

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The art of slow reading

I am beginning this post while sitting in the beautiful domed reading room at the State Library of Victoria, having just finished a chapter of Lamplighter, by D.M. Cornish.

Today, some weeks later, I have just changed trains on my way to work. On the previous train I buried my head in Peter Carey’s His illegal self.

This morning, some more weeks later, I have just woken up to the sound of birds tweeting. Last night I fell asleep after putting down Peter Cameron’s, Some day this pain will be useful to you.

Now, even more weeks later, I am in a cafe in Camberwell amidst the hustle of people grabbing their morning coffee. I am reading Tomorrow all will be beautiful, by Bridget Lowry.

This post has been sitting in my drafts folder for several months. Today I sat in a dentist’s waiting room with The graveyard book, by Neil Gaiman.

Where do you like to read? Bed? Train? Comfy chair? Cafe? Library? Dentist’s waiting rooms? Where else?

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Where do you like to read?

Well, 2009 is here. I tried to get a somewhat early night but my two littlies took turns waking up crying right through to 3am. I hope you all had a fantastic night.

I don’t know how many of you tend to make new years resolutions, but if you do, how about adding this to your list:

In 2009, read one book that is different in style or genre to your usual reading.

So, if you haven’t read a kid’s or YA book since you turned 18, maybe do that. And don’t just grab an Enid Blyton because that’s what you remember reading before. Grab something new. Something you didn’t already read as a kid. Due to my job, this is what I read most of the time. I’m happy to suggest some titles, or pop over to BookBoy.net or browse my LibraryThing catalog for some suggestions.

If you’ve never read a good illustrated book, or a graphic novel, try one. Grab something by Shaun Tan, it won’t take long to read and seriously, the guy is a genius. I don’t know much about graphic novel writers, so am not much help there.

Maybe you’ve managed to avoid the piles and piles of crime novels published each month. Grab one. My reading in this area is generally restricted to Michael Connelly. If you would like some more suggestions, browse your local library or bookshop, or pop over to batgirl’s book blog. She’s been known to read a crime novel or two.

What about romance? Horror? Family saga? I think my “different” book will come from one of these genres. Maybe I’ll try Stephen King.

Get the picture? As far as a resolution goes, it won’t take long. It’s a one off and depending on what book you choose and how fast you read, it may take a few minutes or a few weeks on and off. But, and here’s the good bit, it might just open your eyes to a whole new area of literature that you would never have tried.

I’d love to hear about your plans and experiences if you decide to try this and feel free to ask for book suggestions. If I can’t think of anything, other readers may.

Other than that, I hope you have a wonderful 2009. May you meet some interesting people, read some really good books, and generally enjoy yourself. If you find that the year does start to drag on or get you down, then read two good books and call your doctor if pain persists.

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2009 reading tip for the year – dare to be different

Author Lili Wilkinson has some very choice things to say about what is considered “real reading” when it comes to teenagers.

Taking a swipe at people (headline-seeking journalists in particular) who sprout on about kids spending more time using electronic media than they do reading, she points out that there is more than one way to engage with story.

Every time you read a book, an article, a piece of fanfic, watch TV, go to the cinema, you are feeding your story machine. It’s like breathing in.

And when you write a story, or blog, or draw a picture, or tell someone a lurid anecdote about what your crazy aunt got you for your birthday, or make a video, or write a song… you are also feeding your story machine. You breathe out.

Do yourself a favour and go read the whole post

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Teenagers and reading

A few months back, Books Alive 2008 (an Australian Government initiative) produced a booklet listing “50 books you can’t put down”. Not the most earth-shattering list but worth a look if you can’t decide which Australian book to read next. If you missed out on a hard copy, you can browse the list online or download a PDF version from any of the past four years.

Also a few months ago, the Guardian published the article, Summer reading: how to pick the right book for any trip. Being from Australia, I couldn’t bring myself to mention this summer focused story when it was published in the middle of our winter so I’ve managed to hold off until spring.

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A couple of recommended reading lists

It is with some regularity that library users tell me they wish they had more time to read. They also tend to say how wonderful it must be to work in a library and read books at work all day. I hate to shatter the myth, but although it certainly is great to work in a library, we don’t just sit around reading all day. We still have to slot in our reading time around work, commuting, families, housework, and so on. With that in mind, here are a few suggestions to help you find more time to read.

1. Turn off the TV. This is a pretty obvious one but seriously, if you want to read more, just turn off the TV. One episode of NCIS/CSI/Law&Order/SVU/Criminal Intent/Boston Public/House is a solid hour of reading. Do that a few nights each week and you’ll knock of a book in no time.

2. Take a book with you. Whenever you go somewhere, take your book. Read while waiting to pick up your spouse/kids/friend or when you’re sitting in a doctor’s waiting room. If you have your book on hand, you can take advantage of any 10 or 15 minute period when you would normally be twiddling your thumbs or reading a 5 year old magazine.

3. Catch the train or bus to work. This may not be possible for you, but if you can swing it, it can be a big one. I get more reading done on the train than anywhere else. Ironically, for other reasons I am keen to start riding my bike to work which will knock this on it’s head for me.

4. Follow less blogs. Yes, I know, this is a silly thing to say on a blog. However, if what you really want is more time to read books, then something has to give. Do you find yourself wading through hundreds of blog posts everyday like it’s become a chore, then bemoaning the fact that you can’t get through the latest Lee Child book before it’s due back at the library? Then think about it.

5. Get up earlier. Are you a morning person? Buy yourself an extra 30 minutes or even an hour in the morning by tweaking your alarm clock.

6. Go to bed earlier. Do you read in bed at night? Then go to bed a half hour earlier. This might combine with the idea of turning off the TV.

7. Diarize some reading time. Book yourself some reading time on the weekend, an evening, or during the day if you’re able. Make it formal by allocating a couple of hours to “Discourse with Dostoyevsky”, “Relaxing with Rushdie”, or “Hanging out with Haddon”. You don’t even have to alliterate it if you’d prefer not to.

I know that all of these are pretty simple, perhaps even obvious. Sometimes however, it’s the simple and obvious things that can make a big difference.

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7 ways to find more time to read

Leo over at zenhabits has listed “50 amazing and essential novels to enrich your library“. While I’m very wary of one person’s preference being considered essential for everyone else to read, it’s still a worthwhile list to get some suggestions. Have a browse, see if any jump out at you, there are also a whole bunch of comments where people have added their own favourites.

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Some reading suggestions

I was thinking about reading habits today. It is my job afterall. In particular, I was thinking about the fact that when I read in bed at night it tends to make me sleepy and I often struggle to get through more than a handful of pages. My wife on the other hand may start a book in the evening, and depending on the book, it is quite possible that she will find herself unable to sleep until she has finished it.

This may just be a function of whether you are a night owl or and early-to-bed type person. I’m not really sure.

What about you? Is reading more likely to put you to sleep, or wake you up.

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ReadingHacks poll: Does reading make you sleepy?

I am currently wide awake in the middle of the night. In order to see some benefit from this, I’ll share a few things that have been open in my browser for the last few days:

• The Globe and Mail has an article about why reading fiction is good for us. Just in case me telling you so wasn’t enough.
• BestCollegesOnline.com have posted a list of what they consider to be the 25 most modern libraries in the world. Apparently, “Libraries aren’t just musty places to store books with librarians shushing anyone who makes a peep.”
• ReaderGear.com has come across a little rack that lets you read in the bath. Of course none of you would dream of risking this with a library book would you?
• Bookhuddle.com is a new entrant in the LibraryThing/Shelfari/etc genre of websites to list your books and interact with other readers. I’ve only had a very brief look and don’t think that it will take me away from LibraryThing at the moment. One thing I notice is a very strong Amazon connection. Amazon reviews, ratings, and descriptions appear in the book details pages and there are links to buy the books. It also automatically sets up a few “lists” for you, like “books I have read”, “books I own”, “books I want to read” etc. You can make more lists of course.

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Insomniac linkage