This afternoon, after the students had left for the day, our faculty book club met to discuss Pat Conroy's memoir, My Reading Life. Here is how the publisher describes it:
"Pat Conroy, the beloved American storyteller, is a voracious reader. Starting as a childhood passion that bloomed into a life-long companion, reading has been Conroy’s portal to the world, both to the farthest corners of the globe and to the deepest chambers of the human soul. His interests range widely, from Milton to Tolkien, Philip Roth to Thucydides, encompassing poetry, history, philosophy, and any mesmerizing tale of his native South. He has for years kept notebooks in which he records words and expressions, over time creating a vast reservoir of playful turns of phrase, dazzling flashes of description, and snippets of delightful sound, all just for his love of language. But for Conroy reading is not simply a pleasure to be enjoyed in off-hours or a source of inspiration for his own writing. It would hardly be an exaggeration to claim that reading has saved his life, and if not his life then surely his sanity.
In My Reading Life, Conroy revisits a life of reading through an array of wonderful and often surprising anecdotes: sharing the pleasures of the local library’s vast cache with his mother when he was a boy, recounting his decades-long relationship with the English teacher who pointed him onto the path of letters, and describing a profoundly influential period he spent in Paris, as well as reflecting on other pivotal people, places, and experiences. His story is a moving and personal one, girded by wisdom and an undeniable honesty. Anyone who not only enjoys the pleasures of reading but also believes in the power of books to shape a life will find here the greatest defense of that credo."
I liked this picture because it shows two different versions of the book, both in print and as an ebook. That's my copy on the right. (I'll bet you thought I had the ebook.)
A nice photo. Sometimes it spites me that I never developed an interest in reading while growing up. My Parents never encouraged it, and it was something I always struggled with. Books could not hold my interest. Recently I have tried listening to the audio books, and that has been nice. Perhaps as I grow older and life slows down some more, things may change.
This sounds like a book that I'd enjoy...some day. I'm so busy grading that I can't handle reading anything else. But some day! I prefer the book myself. I'm not sure what I think of ebooks.
Cool shot! I have a hard time accepting the idea of an e-reader. For me, there's something about the physical book... the way it smells, the way the paper feels, that I just love. Plus I don't like the way current digital copyright laws are framed.So for now, I'm going to stick with you and keep going the printed book route.
@melissapike Actually I believe in stories in all their formats. Currently I am listening to a book on my iPod, reading another on my iPad and just about to start a print book for next month's book club. I think it's good for one's multiple intelligences!
ha ha allison i was convinced you had the ebook...just goes to show...........you just can't judge a book by it's covers (an English phrase...don't know if you use it in the US) !!!
