A Decision

Reading is in my blood.

Maybe its the fact that both my parents were librarians at the Vancouver library when they met, or that reading was the best way for a socially awkward youth to find steady companionship and camaraderie, but one way or another, I can't imagine life without books.

Some of my fondest memories as a kid were sitting on my bed flipping through the chapters of the latest "Star Wars: Galaxy of Fear" series, with its cacophony of insidious characters and dazzling holographic covers.  Or the times I got totally lost reading Lord of the Rings for the first time, constantly trying to picture Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli the way Tolkien imagined them, instead of Peter Jackson.  

This past year I decided to do something different.  I decided to read as many of the "classics" as I could, and see how far I got.  I realized that for all my years of reading and studying literature, there are way too many books that have stood the test of time that I haven't got to.  

So far, it's been a daunting, exhilarating, rewarding, and puzzling experience.  Many times, I've found myself sitting in awe, wondering how it's even possible for someone to write with such insight into the human spirit.  Other times I've felt entirely at a loss as to how the ten long pages I just read have anything to do with the main story line (I'm looking at you, Melville).  

I'm convinced that these books have things to say to us.

There's a reason why authors like Hugo, Dostoevsky, Cervantes, and Tolstoy are still found on many "Top 100 Classics" lists around the world.  We're not so far removed from their  times as we think we are, and if we take the time (sometimes more than less) to give our attention to their work, we can learn things in a creative, beautiful way.

And in the age of smartphones, instantaneous data, and microwave everything, there's something almost therapeutic about sitting down, holding a big book, and letting yourself get lost in a great story.

 

With all that being said, I realized how ridiculous it is to be reading all these books and to never talk about them with another living soul.  Finding someone who wants to hear about my reactions to the battle of Borodino in War and Peace is a little like finding a needle in a haystack.  So I figured the best way to give these great works the respect they deserve was to start a blog.

I hope that you'll stick around to hear what these books have to say and maybe even feel compelled to pick one up and give it a try.  

 

Thanks for listening, 

- The Frosty Hound