If you write, you have to read what other people write. It’s part of the learning process. And, it’s only fair.
But lately it hasn’t been easy to read as much as I want. The books are piling up.
I collect first editions of writers I like. I discover an author or rediscover one. I start with one book and pretty soon I want to own all of them. If I am lucky I will find them cheap at a used bookstore, the book section of a second-hand store, or a yard sale. I’ve gotten a few from friends who were cleaning out their bookshelves. If not, there’s always the Internet.
I did finish Gregory Martin’s Mountain City, which I liked very much. He was part of the SOMOS Summer Writers Series and his new book is coming out soon.
I just joined a book club. Last month, my first, I managed to get through Cutting for Stone’s 600-plus pages. September’s choice is Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. Lots of false starts so far, but I’ve got to get it done by Sept. 6 if I want to be part of the discussion.
Here’s what else is waiting to be read: Richard Russo’s Nobody’s Fool and Mohawk; Michael Ondaatje’s The Cat’s Table, on a recommendation of a friend; and two by my Taos friend Bonnie Lee Black, Somewhere Child and How to Cook a Crocodile, both memoirs.
I’ve promised myself not to buy any more books until I’ve read these unless, of course, I stumble on something really good I can’t resist.
