I heard about this actual book before its official release while I was listening to The New York Times Book Review podcast ( the book is now released). I immediately pre-ordered the book on Amazon, and counted down the days... It was worth it. This particular book took me through completely a different experience. In addition to highlighting the importance of reading in our time, Schwalbe discusses some books that left a great impact in his life (sometimes they even changed it). He also shows us how books can define who we are and who we will become after reading them. He said in his book introduction:
"... there's one question I think we should ask of one another a lot more often, and that's "what are you reading?" ... [it] isn't a simple question when asked with genuine curiosity; it's really a way of asking, "who are you now and who are you becoming"
I totally agree. If you are the kind of reader I am myself, then reading a book is much more than entertaining yourself, or answering a question you had in mind. When I read a good book, I wholly dive into its pages, focusing on each single word and idea, no matter what genre the book is.
Books for Living has 26 chapters, in addition to an introduction and a final word. Every chapter is about a specific topic and a book (some books are new, others old). With each book, the author shares personal memories and stories, while discussing the main topic the mentioned book is about (travel, writing, living, hope, loving, death....). At some point, it seemed like the author is telling his life story through different books he read. I liked the idea.
Reading this book took me back in time. It forced me - somehow- to think about some of my favorite books and how they affected me. But what really surprised me, is remembering the very first books and stories I read when I was a kid during long summer days and hot nights, reading in my room, while all my peers were enjoying their holidays somewhere else. Books were my best companions during my childhood, and they continue to be. As Schwalbe puts it:
"... reading is one of the few things you do alone that can make you feel less alone; it's a solitary that connects you to others".
The main and most important thing I learned from this book was: how to think differently about books I didn't like before. Giving an example, "The Girl on the Train" is one of the worst books I read last year as I posted earlier (click here to check the post). However, after reading the chapter about this book, I could see the story from the author's perspective. I realized that the book was not that bad after all. It just happened that I got the plot wrong, may be because I was really in a bad mood when I read the book.
As some people say that a book can be judged by its last words, I can confidently say that Books For Living is a good book that is worth reading. It ends with:
"I read to live. I read for life"
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| Books For Living |
Merry
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