Summer is not just warm weather, but a lifestyle.
Sitting outside (when possible), and enjoying some reading is part of the lazy days of summer too – books you have promised yourself to read when you had the time.
The art of writing is a special one and there are many different genres. Readers have so many choices and now you can have the actual book on an e-book reader. I have invested in an e-book reader for travelling. And I used my e-reader to read the things I always wanted to read, but postponed (the classics). It amazed me how beautiful the English language can be while reading Dickens, Hawthorne and even the translations of Victor Hugo’s works such as Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina were wonderful translations.
Everyone has heard of these books but few people get around to actually reading them. All I can say is “do it.” It is not easy to start off in these kinds of books, but once you get used to the style, take the time, sit back and enjoy, without hurrying. Les Miserables has 1,480 pages (yes, I read the whole thing) and War and Peace has even more. So you can take all summer just on one book.
I am a very fast reader with modern-day books, but because of the language of the classic books, I had to take my time and I found it very relaxing not to hurry to the end, but to enjoy the art of the writing of these fabulous authors.
If you have any kind of e-reader you will find that almost all of those old classics are free. I placed an order on my computer for all of Dickens’ works, which is quite a lot, and within seconds it was all on my e-reader for free. That is what gave me the incentive to read all those old books. It always seemed like a lot of money to spend on the oldies, but now almost all of them are past their copyright dates and are free or 99 cents on an e-reader.
It also helped to use this modern-day gadget because by putting the cursor on a word I did not know, the dictionary would pop up and “bingo,” I had enriched my vocabulary (assuming of course that I remember it all).
And if you don’t have an e-reader and you don’t want to spend the money, there is, of course, your local library. Our new library is now easily accessible in the new civic building and is great for a choice of any of the classics.
After I am done with the classics this summer, I will go back to the “real” books. I still like the feel of holding a book better than a screen, but eventually there may come a day that our books will only be on screens. And then, what will I do with all my books and bookcases in my house?
So, whether August is going to be sunny or not, treat yourself to lazy days on the couch, lawn chair or hammock, and read that book you always wanted to read. I can highly recommend it.
If you have any art news, please call Carla Krens 250-836-4705 or email carlakrens@telus.net
