My book-laden ship comes in
Every now and then, just every now and then, your ship comes in, in the small things.
I have become a frequenter of op shops around my local area, and find the whole business rather hit and miss – some days you score, and some days you think it’s a pile of smelly, dirty, old junk (I guess that’s why it’s called “opportunity” shopping really). Anyway, lately my local op shop as been stocking in the books – they’ve been stocking in just about everything actually, such that it’s getting so cramped in there you can hardly move, and a person now has to be in the frame of mind to venture in.
I’ve never been very rapt by the book selection, until this one day. I told you I have been reading about CS Lewis’s poetry, and there is a work that is often referred to, which is his preface to Milton’s Paradise Lost. Would you believe I found Lewis’s Preface to Paradise Lost for $2 in the op shop – what are the chances? (Whether I actually read it or not is the thing, since I am yet to get through Paradise Lost from beginning to end - much as I like poetry, epic or narrative poetry is not my favourite - but for $2, who cares.) I have also been wanting to read some of Kazuo Ishiguro for some time now, and I picked up Never Let Me Go for $4 (which is being released as a movie next year I believe, so I will be all primed). I have also long been wanting to revisit Alice in Wonderland (because I can’t remember it) and thinking it would be nice to get a copy with the original illustrations by John Tenniel, and I found this boxed set of the works of Lewis Carroll, in hardback with illustrations by John Tenniel, for $10. I’ve also thought I should have a go at Margaret Atwood, and I got Oryx and Crake for $3. Win, win win!
The other day I thought I should actually formulate a reading list for next year, which might help me be a little bit more systematic - not to mention realistic - in how I go about things, and not buy books willy-nilly either, and started jotting. So far it’s almost all a pile of fiction! - but take a look at Jean's list here. I think I need to at least write one. If plans are useless but planning is essential (I believe some military general said that - and my usual modus operandi is based only on the first portion), maybe my list will also prove useless, but the writing of it will be in some way beneficial.