Wonderful, Marg! I'm sorry I missed this one when you first published it. I think I was traveling (I seem to be always doing that these days--not to complain). Anyway, your story of your life in chapters is enchanting. Your reading life seems to parallel mine, though not the personal one. I waited until well into my 30s to have a babe, and then I only had one. (Some regrets about that!) The pictures of your and your daughter, then with your husband are lovely.
I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and remember almost nothing of it, except how much everyone else liked it. I liked the World According to Garp a whole lot better--and the movie too, perhaps more than the book. What else I read, it's kind of hard to remember. William Styron's Sophie's Choice was one--and later there was a movie starring Meryl Streep. I keep thinking I ought to go back and read them all again to see what I'd think now...
It's so funny you should mention Sophie's Choice because I originally included it in this issue but for some reason took it out - can't remember why now! I also loved that book and it made a huge impression on me, not least because it portrayed such a rich vision of the life of a writer. It made me want to write about important things (something I've never really done, although maybe domestic issues are important in their own right.)
I've had some lovely feedback from women around my age and I find it interesting that we have so many reading connections, despite the fact that we live at opposite ends of the world. It's been a fun and rewarding series to write. Thanks for reading and commenting.
We have Zen in our bookcase but honestly, I'm probably not going to read it. I bought it for the bike rider and he won't read it either. It was a library discard so cost about 50cents.
That’s very funny. If you’re not going to read it, 50 cents is a good price. I have a few books like that - bought with good intentions, but probably never going to read.
I did read "Zen and the Art..." back in the mid-70s, probably about the time you did, Margaret. I still have the paperback copy I read. I see that the retail cost was $4.95 and that I bought the book second-hand for $3. All I remember of the book was the meditative care the author took to clean and oil the parts of his motorcycle and keep it running well. That was probably toward the book's beginning, and I suppose I motored impatiently through the rest of it, but did feel at the end the satisfaction of having completed a project.
I love that you bought the book for $3 and I'm impressed that you can actually remember what it was about. Perhaps I was too dismissive. It's probably just the time we should be doing thoughtful, quiet tasks. And yes, it's always satisfying to complete a long book.
My motivation back then was the feeling that everyone else I knew was reading it, so I should read it. I don't think I ever actually recommended it to anyone. Also, in those days I was experimenting with the idea of being a writer, and I was interested in exploring what different kinds of writing might constitute "a book." I worked my way through a lot of books with that purpose in mind!
Oh me too. I completely understand. I am going to write about that in the next chapter. I’m looking forward to hearing who influenced your ideas about being a writer.
Wonderful, Marg! I'm sorry I missed this one when you first published it. I think I was traveling (I seem to be always doing that these days--not to complain). Anyway, your story of your life in chapters is enchanting. Your reading life seems to parallel mine, though not the personal one. I waited until well into my 30s to have a babe, and then I only had one. (Some regrets about that!) The pictures of your and your daughter, then with your husband are lovely.
I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and remember almost nothing of it, except how much everyone else liked it. I liked the World According to Garp a whole lot better--and the movie too, perhaps more than the book. What else I read, it's kind of hard to remember. William Styron's Sophie's Choice was one--and later there was a movie starring Meryl Streep. I keep thinking I ought to go back and read them all again to see what I'd think now...
It's so funny you should mention Sophie's Choice because I originally included it in this issue but for some reason took it out - can't remember why now! I also loved that book and it made a huge impression on me, not least because it portrayed such a rich vision of the life of a writer. It made me want to write about important things (something I've never really done, although maybe domestic issues are important in their own right.)
I've had some lovely feedback from women around my age and I find it interesting that we have so many reading connections, despite the fact that we live at opposite ends of the world. It's been a fun and rewarding series to write. Thanks for reading and commenting.
We have Zen in our bookcase but honestly, I'm probably not going to read it. I bought it for the bike rider and he won't read it either. It was a library discard so cost about 50cents.
That’s very funny. If you’re not going to read it, 50 cents is a good price. I have a few books like that - bought with good intentions, but probably never going to read.
I did read "Zen and the Art..." back in the mid-70s, probably about the time you did, Margaret. I still have the paperback copy I read. I see that the retail cost was $4.95 and that I bought the book second-hand for $3. All I remember of the book was the meditative care the author took to clean and oil the parts of his motorcycle and keep it running well. That was probably toward the book's beginning, and I suppose I motored impatiently through the rest of it, but did feel at the end the satisfaction of having completed a project.
I love that you bought the book for $3 and I'm impressed that you can actually remember what it was about. Perhaps I was too dismissive. It's probably just the time we should be doing thoughtful, quiet tasks. And yes, it's always satisfying to complete a long book.
My motivation back then was the feeling that everyone else I knew was reading it, so I should read it. I don't think I ever actually recommended it to anyone. Also, in those days I was experimenting with the idea of being a writer, and I was interested in exploring what different kinds of writing might constitute "a book." I worked my way through a lot of books with that purpose in mind!
Oh me too. I completely understand. I am going to write about that in the next chapter. I’m looking forward to hearing who influenced your ideas about being a writer.