A Reading Addiction

I have so many books lined up that I want to read: The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Eat, Pray, Love, Deepwater Mountain, and so many more. I have one major problem; I suppose it can be called a problem, or maybe not. Right now I am addicted to reading M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin mysteries. I love Agatha Raisin. I read them quickly and then go the library and pick up more. My fear (horror) is that I will eventually run out of them; I've read many of the books, but happily, there are still a few left for me to read. The next one is not coming out until October 2010! There is, in addition, an Agatha Raisin Companion book due out in October 2010 as well. I feel as if I know every inch of the Cotswolds, the setting of the books. Agatha lives in a thatched roof cottage with a front and back garden. She has two cats and interesting friends. She solves mysteries. Even though the village Agatha lives in, Carsely, isn't real, the other towns mentioned are real. I love Beaton's descriptions of the towns and the countryside. I will read those other books. I really want to read them. At least that's what I keep telling myself. I just have to pick one up and get started and put my Agatha Raisin books out of sight. But then, maybe the time isn't right for those books. I really enjoy reading Beaton's books. As far as addictions go, I think this is a fairly harmless one, and after all, what can be wrong with reading about an intelligent, but abrasive, middle-aged woman, who has obsessive loves, likes to eat, and loves cats.

Reading with a purpose. . .or not

I always listen with great interest and attention to the titles of books my friends read. When we go around our stitching table and tell what good books we've been reading, I usually have as my bedside book something in the category of an English cozy or Scotland highland mystery by M.C. Beaton or a great mystery or gothic romance. My current book of choice is Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House. It is light and nice and enjoyable. In comparison to the books some people read, it is definitely on the softer side, without serious themes or passions. I sometimes feel like I should read more serious books in my leisure time, but then I realize that I read enough serious books as a part of my job.

Actually, my serious reading comes from the novels I teach to my junior and senior students. My juniors are just finishing The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. It is a brilliant, harrowing insight into the Vietnam War. It is memorable and the themes it embodies I don't think any of us, my students or me, will ever forget. Reading (and in my case re-reading) this book with young people and listening to their wonderful insights into the thematic aspects of this novel make reading and discussing this book even more remarkable to me.

My seniors are reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. This is the penultimate descent into the darkness that exists within everyone. It is a book that challenges the reader and is one of the most difficult literary experiences that one will ever undertake. I can never say that I like the book, but I am glad that I have experienced this book. Teaching this book is often an exhausting lesson for teacher and student, but after reading it, I can honestly say that a person never looks at life in the same way again.

I believe that all reading is important, but I suppose that after the novels that I teach, my choice of English cozy, highland mystery, or gothic romance is a balance to the intricate works that I cover each day in my classes. For me, reading for enjoyment is an escape. I cannot imagine what life would be like without reading. Reading is a challenge at times and an escape at other times. The next book on my leisure list to read is The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb.  It should be a great read, and one that I look forward to beginning soon.