Open a book this minute and start reading. Don’t move until you’ve reached page fifty. Until you’ve buried your thoughts in print. Cover yourself with words. Wash yourself away. Dissolve. — Carol Shields
I love this quote by Carol Shields, and I love that feeling of settling into a really good book. Novels are my favorite indulgence. Right now I’m reading The Girl Without a Shadow by Joanne Harris. It’s the sequel to her novel, Chocolat. What about you? What are you reading? As always, I’d love to hear from you.
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If you haven’t already, please consider “wash[ing] yourself away” with my latest book: The Secret Sense of Wildflower.
P.S. I am an ex-shrink who writes novels. Check out my books here.
From one of our lovely email subscribers:
“Hi Susan—I am reading “Cutting for Stone” by Abraham Verghese. His writing is an inspiration to all of those who love the written word. Wonderful book. Curling up just about anywhere, is my idea of summer lust. – Take care, Mary”
Last week I received my summer issue of “Candler Connection.” It was devoted to the topic of reading. One comment that stood out especially to me was in an article written by one of my former teachers, Carol Newsom. She said, ” . . . When books are lost, we are cut-off from important elements of our past–cut off from our history, from aspects of our identity. I know this firsthand. For over thirty years I have been part of the international team of translators of the Dead Sea Scrolls, books that were truly lost for almost 2,000 years. The first text I was assigned was a beautiful collection of mystical songs for the Sabbath. When they were handed to me, only two or three members of the team had ever read them. I was one of a handful of people to have read these texts since the destruction of Qumran in A.D. 68. Bringing these lost songs back to life for others to read was one of the most meaningful thingsI have ever done.” These words touched me in the very core of my being. At present, I am reading: “In the Wilderness” and “Thinking in Circles” both by Mary Douglas.
I just started the novel Kiss & Tell by Alain de Botton. I’ve read his non-fiction works, but I had no idea he wrote novels too.
Hi Jo,
That was very touching what Carol Newsom said. It’s hard to imagine someone unearthing a Kindle 2,000 from now and feeling the same way.
May we all bring our “lost songs back to life” for others to read.