I spoke too soon, part 217 1/2
Two weeks ago I was patting myself on the back for my extraordinary restraint. I had managed to return from London with only four books to add to my backlog, which stood at 16 (not counting the Russians). This is a manageable number as long as I refrain from buying books for the next two months.
(Confession: Previous backlogs were dealt with by admitting that I would never get around to reading the books then giving them away, or pretending they are part of the furniture.)
I spoke too soon.
Avalanche!
In my defence I must say that I did not buy a single one of these books. Some of them are review copies, some from friends who need shelf space, and some from friends whose reading backlog reduction scheme is to pass the books on to me.
I have been meaning to read Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series. Did you see Peter Weir’s excellent film adaptation of Master and Commander starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany? I wish they’d film more of the books.
Karl May is an early 20th century author of mystic fantasy adventures. His fans include Albert Einstein, Albert Schweitzer, and Adolf Hitler, who apparently took the wish-fulfillment fiction too literally.
The other day I opened The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis and literally could not stop reading—it’s hilarious! The Michael Dirda is like hot buttered popcorn for bibliophibians, and I could never resist Alan Furst’s WWII spy thrillers…
But first I had to finish David Mitchell’s The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, which I’d been lugging around for a month. That it took a month is not the book’s fault—first I was traveling and there were too many things to look at, then when I got home I had a pile of work to attend to, and this last week I slowed down the reading because I didn’t want the book to end.
I should’ve rationed the pages, I should’ve read another book between chapters, I should’ve done more to prolong it.
I finished reading The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet last night at 8pm. It’s Magnificent. I will write a full review when I have collected my thoughts and returned from Nagasaki at the turn of the 19th century.
As for the backlog, I have decided to look at it from another angle. Having too many books to read is not a problem, it’s a gift. Having no books to read: that’s a problem.
If there were a tournament for rationalization I would be the topseed.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
July 22nd, 2010 at 10:05
Please, where did you get your copy of Thousand Autumns? I saw only a hardbound edition at Powerbooks and would really prefer a paperback copy.
July 22nd, 2010 at 10:50
galactica: It’s a review copy, uncorrected proofs. The paperback edition may take a while. I’ll post an announcement when it becomes available. Meanwhile check out Cloud Atlas, Ghostwritten, Number 9 Dream, and Black Swan Green, also by David Mitchell. All in paperback.
July 22nd, 2010 at 11:00
Hi Jessica, I am on a very tight budget this year and can’t buy many books. Is there any decent library in Quezon City?
July 22nd, 2010 at 11:03
top51: Good question. Does anyone know of decent lending libraries? I know Makati has one. Also if you’re a UP graduate you can still get library privileges.
Maybe we should build a library. Let me think.
July 22nd, 2010 at 12:53
Oh I see! I may have to get the hardbound ed, then. Thanks!
And yes, I have David Mitchell’s previous novels, all in paperback. Black Swan Green is my favorite; Cloud Atlas is a hairsplittingly close second.
July 22nd, 2010 at 19:49
Money by Martin Amis is also hilarious. Maganda rin yung Night Train.
July 24th, 2010 at 00:36
If you’re in university, use and abuse their library as much as you can. I found Heinlein at the Ateneo University library, and never looked back.
Scour the used bookstores of the metro, like Chapters and Pages and Booksale. Sometimes you can find unexpected gems in them. Like a copy of The Brothers Karamazov. It’s around here somewhere, I swear I’ll get to reading it soon…