As part of my "repositioning" and adding more meaning in this next phase of life after work, I arrived at the conclusion in late 2022 that I needed to consume more books. 'Consuming' sounds guttural and crass, but I think it's an apt description. I want the books I choose to be a part of me, some longer than others, influencing thoughts and even actions. So my reading goal for 2023 is 23 books.
Once I made the decision, I had to decide on a reasonable number of books to read each month/year. The answer hit me square in the face in December 2022 as New Year's approached. Twenty-three. A little less than two books a month.
Now I know voracious readers would smirk at this number, but going from 0-100 books a year is not possible. Not for me.
I was one of the kids that was sent to remedial reading classes in the library. It was never dyslexia. It was never ADHD, although undiagnosed at the time in the late '70s.
I think, honestly, it was boredom. The books I was reading in public school and most of high school never cut it with me. That is until Grade 12, Mr. Ashdown's English class in Westminster Secondary School, London Ontario, 1985-86.
Mr. Ashdown turned reading on its side. Not just with the books on the curriculum - Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Richler's The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz to name a couple - but with his approach to unpacking each and making them relatable.
Sitting in a circle, sharing these phenomenal new cookies called President's Choice Decadent, we struggled with Duddy Kravitz's gut-wrenching life choices, understanding we will also have to make hard decisions in life.
Reading was a joy. It transformed you to another place, time, person, or situation.
I carried that love into University, taking classic literature studies under Professor Orange and Science Fiction with Professor Stanko. I still use terms like "Yahoo" from Gulliver's Travels which Professor Orange loved, but it was Stanko's class that made a profound impact on me.
Dune, Brave New World, We, The Left Hand of Darkness...expanded my mind three-fold. We even watched an episode of Star Trek - The City on the Edge of Forever with Joan Collins guest starring. Mind-altering.
But as I moved through my undergraduate and graduate studies, I began to write more than I read...reading to write as it were. Time was the enemy I assumed, and as I began a journalism/communications career that trend continued.
After my divorce, I discovered book clubs and ultimate frisbee as a great way to meet new people and stumbled upon great authors and their books, namely John Irving. With little exception, his books enthrall me and pose the same kind of ethical, and moral dilemmas Duddy Kravitz faced.
But the reading faded and flickered pretty much until this time in my life.
23 in '23 is a wake-up call for me. Time is not the enemy it was. Communication plans and White Papers aren't competing for my attention. I have no excuse. Social media is a middling affair and should be treated as such. Reading has meaning. Reading books has meaning.
I am pleased to write that I am 10 books into my project. Books that aren't necessarily in any curriculum or must-read list...although I'm sure some are due to their weight and brilliance.
These books so far are becoming varied, part of a wide spectrum. To fall in love with reading again, however, I could not risk boredom. No War and Peace or John Le Carre and their rich trappings. I had to start with the page-turners, each highly recommended by critics or friends. Only then can I venture into more delicate works.
So follow me as I write about each. They are thrilling, relatable, out of this world, and all transforming. I've been fortunate and I think have picked well...so far ;)
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