I started up my second book club this week.
I started one up a year and a half ago and having now moved jobs, I've had to create a new one. It's imaginatively named "The Manchester City Centre Book Club".
I don't think book clubs are particularly meant to have names so I'm not going to start worrying myself about the lack of thought that's gone into that title. Which is the kind of thing I often do. Last week it took me four days to name my cat. I consulted two sisters, a mother, a brother-in-law, three work colleagues, a husband and sixty pages of name search print outs. That's 30 pages of Hindi-derived names, 20 of Greek goddesses and the remainder of literary heroines. Being greedy and showy as I am, I picked a name that combined as many as possible. Now the thing is called "Padme". When people say "Padme? That's a strange name, where's that from?" I say " Padma is the hindi word for 'Lotus flower' and Padme is the heroine princess of Star Wars, I felt the sound of the word was remeniscent of the soft sound a cat's paws make whilst it 'pads' around" Then they look at me and think "Silly cow". Which I probably am.
I do try to think hard about most things though. It confuses me when people say to me - " You think too much" , as though there's a limit to the amount of thinking that one is meant to do in life.
It also confuses me as I don't know what else one's brain is meant to do whilst awake apart from being engaged in thought.
If you average that you are going to be awake for about 16 hours a day, that gives you a lot of time for thinking. You may take an hour or so out for mediatation or perhaps get wankered and black out a couple of nights a week, in which case, sure, the brain is not 'engaged'. But apart from that - what do these people who think less do, or not do, or not think. Perhaps they have a switch I haven't discovered yet that allows them to zone out of consciousness.
I think in reality I think they do think just as much. They just don't talk about what they think as much. Which I personally find suspicious. In fact, I find nothing more suspicious than a quiet person.
What are they hiding? What's going on in there that they don't want to share?
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One woman's opinions on anything she decides to have an opinion on...
WHY IS THIS BLOG HERE
- Natalie
- Because, Dear Reader, I am communicating my paltry thoughts and feelings in an effort to foster understanding and empathy between my fellow humans... thus to further the cause of peace and happiness on this good earth. Outrageously perceived by some as 'being opinionated'.
6 comments:
But maybe they are thinking about not so interesting things and they are embarrassed.
Eg on the tube, I may well think something like, isn't that patch of dirt on that seat a bit of an odd shape - but if someone then asked me - what are you thinking? I'd reply "Oh. Nothing." otherwise I'd have to reveal the banality of my thought.
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Isn't Padme the name of Salman Rushdie's girlfriend?
PS What's the first book to be read?
First book to be read is my choice - Brideshead Revisited. I'm ashamed I haven't read it thus far - it has been on my 'Must read' list for ages and it is one of the books on the BBC's Big Read list that I haven't read. the remainder, if you care a jot, are
His Dark Materials
Lord of the Rings (!!!)
The Grapes of Wrath
one hundred years of solitude
the pillars of the earth
dune
of mice and men
the stand
artemis fowl
crime and punishment (!!!)
noughts and crosses
mort
good omends
guards guards
the ragged trouser philanthropists
night watch
the secret history
double act
holes
gormenghast
vicky angel
cold comfort farm
On The Road, Jack Kerouac
The Godfather, Mario Puzo
The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
Katherine, Anya Seton
Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
That's thirty of the best books in the world I haven't read! I really don't want to read Rushdie. i've heard he's like ploughing through treacle.
Salman Rusdie's girlfriend is called Padma. Didn't know that. Some useful useless information.
Why would you be embarrassed by a banal thought? Anyway, had you mentioned what you were thinking re. the dirt, an interesting conversation on what creatures could be said to inhabit the shape of said dirt could have been had.
Banal thoughts… maybe I wouldn’t share it because it seems embarrassing – I think Chekhov or someone might have said, all his characters (or perhaps it was all his life) all they ever sought was not to be embarrassed in life – most strangers on a Tube are maybe not as enlightened as you.
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Are you going to go through all the top 30 books?
I am going to go through all 30 books.
I think it's more likely it's not enlightenment but a non-aversion to embarassment. Sometimes I actively seek to embarrass myself as I know it is one of the easiest ways to make people smile or laugh.(thus feel liked and reassured that people don't think I'm non-normal after revealing my inner thoughts - a bit nonsensical and cicular a rationale come to think of it)
But maybe
non-aversion to embarassment = enlightenment ?
I've actually read over half those top 30 books, to my surprise.
I'm helped by the fact that I like childrens' books (a not so secret passion) and I do fantasy books for light reading too... and the list seems heavy with those.... I maybe wouldn't do all the Pratchet books if you don't like one - but if you do like them you may end up reading all 20-30! For fun reading, I'd start with the Artemic Fowl series, but that's cos I like boy geniuses and fairies. Hm.
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