A librarian friend and fellow Gilmore Girls fan directed me to the Rory Gilmore Book of the Month Club just announced. Now over 300 books were referenced during the course of the series, and it will be interesting what 12 will be selected for our reading pleasure. The title for January is 1984, by George Orwell. Mercifully I have read it already and feel no desire/need to read it again.
And that was my immediate concern about the Rory Gilmore book club. Like many of the recommended book lists that we are encouraged to finish in a year, in our lifetime, before we die, the books mentioned on The Gilmore Girls were usually classic, quality books that will transform your thinking, your outlook, perhaps even the course of your life. Perhaps as a librarian, I shouldn't admit that I have spent a lot of time and effort avoiding these kinds of books. Sure, I read them as assigned in school and college. And this is when I read 1984. But it was a grind, and I love to read! To this day, I remember having to read Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, 500+ pages, aloud to myself because I couldn't stay focused on it otherwise. I have read my share of classics on my own, but they have been specific authors and titles that interested me: Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, Far From the Madding Crowd, Louisa May Alcott, Last of the Mohicans. Are you seeing the theme?
But reading fills a variety of purposes for me: supporting my work, discovering new insights as a parent or as an individual, and most importantly, an opportunity to relax, enjoy, and escape a bit. Most recently I have been re-reading my way through the complete works of Georgette Heyer, an author my mother introduced to me ages ago, an author who brought the era of Jane Austen into the 20th century, creating the modern Regency Romance. It has been a delight rediscovering these wonderful books. Before that I was re-reading my way through the Alex Delaware series by Jonathan Kellerman. I was surprised at how well I remembered them, and how much I continue to enjoy them. Maybe I will try revisiting Robert Parker's Spenser series - that should take some time! Or Dick Francis - gosh, what great books those all are.
My point? Reading doesn't have to be about exceptional quality or deep meaning. You can learn a bit of something from most books. The ones I mentioned about are filled with references to things I didn't know and have to look up - like all the odd fabrics and styles of dress in the Regency era (thank goodness for the Internet - now I can see what these clothes actually looked like). These books provide a bit of escape from the world around us, from the demands of daily life, home, family and work. They make me want to read more, and other authors, and other genres, each book expanding my life no matter how light and entertaining them may be.
After all, all those classic, high quality, and improving books Rory read didn't keep her from going off the rails for quite a while.
