Month: September 2013

Are “best” and “favorite” the same thing? If someone asked you “What’s the best book you ever read?” would the answer be the same as for “What’s your favorite?” – BTT

I try to tailor my recommendations to whomever is asking. Bests and Favourites are very subjective. If someone asks me the best book on travelling to certain places, I may offer a travel guide, but my favourite would probably be a memoirs of the same place.

I don’t think I’ve ever been asked what’s the best book I’ve ever read. There are times when I like a book a lot for being well written and beautiful, but it’s not necesarily a favourite. For me, a favourite is a book I really wish to own or reread. For authors, I could say War and Peace and The Death of Ivan Illych are the best of Leo Tolstoy’s work, but Anna Karenina will be my favourite from his works for sentimental and nostalgic reasons.

How about you?

Connected to last week’s—it’s one of the ways writing has changed. Books from a century or two ago spent huge swaths of text describing locations and character traits, but modern writing does all of this in shorthand. You might know a character is short with blond hair and blue eyes, but the author leaves the rest for you to figure out on your own. The writer might tell you the story takes place at a beachside town, but leaves the details to your imagination. Why do you suppose this is? Is it that we have shorter attention spans these days? That, bombarded with video and photos as we are, we don’t NEED every detail of an unknown scene described, because we have a stock of images already in our heads? – BTT

Writings styles have changed in the last one hundred years. Writers use to be written by word, and books did use to be one of the most popular sources of entertainment for those who could read. I also think there is some value in less descriptions in certain ways. There’s a change in how stories are told as well. The physical appearance of the characters are not necessarily as important as who they are and their journeys in the stories. Stream of counciousness or magical realism novels do not offer a lot in the way of physical images either, but perhaps they offer more emotional and intellectual imagery.

It’s not always the details we should worry about, and I can fill in the blank if the writer offers more important things to the story. I like character development, interactions, and plot points more than how the sun shines on the sand. Of course, it is lovely, but not always necessary.

How much do you visualize when you read? Do you imagine faces for the characters? Can you see the locations in your mind’s eye? Or do you just plunge ahead with the story, letting the imagery fall to the wayside? – BTT

I don’t know how one let’s imagery fall at the wayside. Isn’t it natural to be immersed in the world of the books especially when it is fiction? Imagining these things is my default. I do find it harder to get visuals on the faces of the characters. Unlike some others, none of the characters look like anyone else I know or celebrities. I often do not have ‘picks’ on who I would like to be in the role. Much like my dreams where there are more strangers than people with familiar faces!

When reading a good book, it should play as a movie in your head and a good writing will grab you so you can plunge into the deep end.

How about your reading visuals?