October 12, 2023

If you’ve read Rachel Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, you must also read the companion book, The Love Song of Miss Queen Hennessy, and then the story of Harold’s wife, Maureen. I had read and loved the Harold Fry book when it was first published in 2012, but until I read a post in Joanne’s Reading Blog, I didn’t know about the other two books. Each book is tender and human and highlights the ways we are each vulnerable in our loves and our losses. Just as these characters became my companions, thanks to Joyce’s good writing, I felt myself becoming a companion to these characters, too.

What they experience is not my story, not in any factual way, but aren’t we each on a pilgrimage and don’t we each need others to guide and support us on that pilgrimage?

But here’s something else that happened as I neared the end of Maureen. This book is short–only 132 pages and after an evening of reading in the snug, I only had 15 pages left to read. How easily I could have read those last pages in bed before turning off the light, but, instead, I decided to read them the next day. To not rush to the end. I was tired and knew I could not fully appreciate the end of the journey–just for the sake of finishing the book. I wanted to savor the experience.

I am a fast reader, but sometimes–often–that means I don’t get the full impact. I miss some important details. I don’t live fully with the characters, the story, or the setting. What would happen if I challenged myself to slow down?

Well, most likely I wouldn’t read as many books on my TBR. I might not be able to read my 100+ books a year. Last year I read 150 books, and I know, unconsciously at least, I want to beat my own record and at least read 151 books this year. Really? What does that matter?

Recently, writing an article, “How Do I Keep Track?” for BookWomen about keeping lists of what I want to read and what I have read (Thanks to all of you who contributed your methods and ideas about book journals and To Be Read lists.) made me re-evaluate this passion for reading as many books as I can. Soon after submitting the article, I read or heard somewhere (can’t recall where) that TBR lists can be treated as a menu, rather than a To Do list. Suggestions. Possibilities. Not something to be completed and conquered. Who eats everything on a menu! What a concept!

Two Other Reminders to Savor

1. Recently, I re-read Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver (See my October 5, 2023 review.) and I wondered, as I immersed myself in this excellent book, how much I had missed when I read it the first time. I have this urge to re-read many favorite books, but perhaps that desire reflects a need to slow down and savor, as well.
2. While fixing the first batch of applesauce this season, I watched a long interview with Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone and his latest book, The Covenant of Water. I loved the first book, but only liked, rather than loved the more recent book. (See my June 29, 2023 post.) I now want to re-read the new book, for I think I read it too fast. I want to savor it.

Inspiration

I like what novelist Yiyun Li says.

I once asked some students how fast they could read, and one of them said she could cover 100 pages in an hour, so I decided to use Housekeeping (Marilynne Robinson) to teach the students how to do slow reading…they read word by word, sentence by sentence, and they ponder over an unfamiliar word choice, a fleeting gesture, the shadow of an image, and the ripple of a sentence seen in the following sentence…It’s a testament to the art of reading with not only five senses but also with memory and imagination. And I hope it’s the most important thing I can teach my students: not merely the crafts of writing but the importance of paying attention, to the world in a book and to the world beyond a book.

“By the Book,” New York Times Book Review, September 10, 2023

Here’s my new challenge to myself: Read to savor, rather than to devour.

Stay tuned.

An Invitation

Do you have a reading challenge? I would love to know.

NOTES:

Joanne’s Reading Blog: https://joannesreadingblog.wordpress.com

BookWomen: http://bookwomen.net

Abraham Verghese Interview: Talking Volumes Abraham Verghese on http://Youtube.com

I also recommend watching Talking Volumes Ann Patchett on http://Youtube.com