My Reading Credo (Journal 26)

“When you read a manuscript that has been damaged by water, fire, light or just the passing of the years, your eye needs to study not just the shape of the letters but other marks of production.  The speed of the pen.  The pressure of the hand on the page.  Breaks and releases in the flow.  You must relax.  Think of nothing.  Until you wake into a dream where you are at once a pen flying over vellum and the vellum itself with the touch of ink tickling your surface.  Then you can read it.  The intention of the writer, his thoughts, his hesitations, his longings and his meaning.  You can read as clearly as if you were the very candlelight illuminating the page as the pen speeds over it” (from The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, p. 4).

 

My Reading Credo:

I believe in entering a book, walking around inside it, communing with the characters, and in becoming the candlelight that illuminates the page.

I believe in always finishing a book, no matter if it seems hopeless or trite; something of worth may be found in every story.

I believe unreliable narrators are the best; they are the most human.

I believe prose should sound poetic.

I believe the best writers are subtle, practiced; they have internalized the devices and conventions so that they flow naturally onto the page and into the heart and mind of the reader.

I believe picture books are full of wisdom for readers of all ages.

I believe in stopping reading to look up a word.

I believe in always having a book at hand.

I believe it's not cheating to be reading more than one book at a time.

I believe in rereading.

I believe in writing in books and marking favorite passages.

I believe in reading a book from its beginning; it is unethical to read the last page first or to skip ahead.

I believe that sometimes you can judge a book by its cover.

I believe stand-alone novels are superior to series.

I believe in “movie reads” on rainy weekends.

I believe in reading in the bubble bath (just don't drop the book).

I believe in reading at least a chapter a night before going to bed.

I believe in the canon – there are books everyone should read.

I believe in owning books – lots of them.

I believe there are worse things I could spend my money on than books.

I believe books make the best gifts.

I believe reading is knowledge and power.

I believe reading can transport you.

I believe reading can teach you things you didn't know and remind you of things you'd long since forgotten.

I believe in my favorite authors.

I believe books can cheer you up and be your friend, or console you and let you know that you're not alone.

I believe the book is always better than the movie.

I believe in the power of story to change the world (or even a person's mind).

I believe that there is no such thing as too many books.

I believe books can change your life, your mood, your outlook, your thinking.

I believe in recommending books and helping people find the right book.

I believe you shouldn't break the binding when you read or fold down the pages.

I believe in pretty bookmarks.

I believe readers make the best writers.