Day One Hundred and Eighty-One
Joseph and His Brothers Thomas Mann Page: 185
I’ve hardly read today. We did finally get a whole Sunday off (thank you Q) but between church, taking the boys swimming and trying to spend a little time with my husband…well, the book just lost out. I’m tired and I don’t feel well; Alex has been a bit under the weather and I think we’re going to stay home tomorrow but that won’t be very restful for me. I’m longing for the days when a cold meant you got to lay on the couch and watch movies all day while mom plied you with goodies.
I’m sure I’ve blogged about this before but reading Thomas Mann has reminded me of the joys of a long and wordy book. sometimes the pleasure in reading comes simply from the process and not from the excitement of the story. Some books carry you forward quickly; incidents pile up and you can’t wait to see what happens next. Other books are almost poetic and the shape of the language is a positive aesthetic pleasure apart from any story told. But books like Joseph are parts of each and a third thing; they repeat and re-emphasize, they argue and debate within themselves. The story is told but slowly with each detail lovingly and precisely described. Their chief delight is that they do not end too quickly and the pleasure of reading is not interrupted by any anxiousness to “find out”. Unless of course you have a reading goal of 200 books…