Craftstuff, e-books, BIG books and an agonizing decision

Just looking at this picture makes me want to jump up
and do a Snoopy dance in my home office...


Those interested more in craftstuff than bookstuff should skip to the bottom of this longish entry.

So Jeff brought a book home as a surprise gift for me when he came home from Chapters yesterday: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. He said he bought it because the blurb on the back sounded so much like the kind of thing I liked to read...and hoo boy, he was absolutely right. I started salivating before I got halfway down the back cover.

And this book is HUGE: 782 pages. I don't know about the rest of you, but I adore big books. The more pages, the better, assuming it's my kind of story. I can usually tell if I'll like it within the first five pages.

For me, it's akin to visiting friends while travelling. There's an investment of oneself in the planning, the travel price and time, the unpacking and settling in, but most of all in the quality of time spent with any particular friend. If I had a choice, I'd far rather spend a week visiting with a single friend than visiting seven, hopping from one home to another each night.

In the same way, I'd far rather read a good meaty 1000-page novel than a dozen short ones simultaneously or in succession; I get enormous satisfaction settling in for the long haul. In the end, of course, length doesn't matter as long as I'm enjoying the story, but if I AM enjoying it, I'd like it to last as long as possible. :-) So I'm curious about how the rest of you feel about this. I know at least one friend whose preference is to avoid bigger books because of the effort and time investment. I can see how reading a huge book could be a frustrating experience for someone who is only able to grab bits of reading time sporadically (e.g. a parent with young children, for example). What about the rest of you? What's your preference, if any?

And this is where e-books will always fall short for me, I'm afraid, though it would seem like a boon to most people. I LIKE the feeling of a good, heavy tome in my lap, the texture and crispness of the paper, the faint whisper of each page as I lift and turn it over. The tactile experience contributes a great deal of the pleasure for me. Not to mention one of my secret vices: the joy of reading books in the bathtub (could be somewhat more awkward and definitely riskier to one's health to attempt this with an electronic reader).

I could see how shorter and more transient pieces could be better suited to an e-reader, like magazines and newspapers. How wonderful it would be to select my periodical reading material for a commute and download it into a slim, easily-read, affordable (and sadly therefore yet unavailable) e-reader, deleting and adding according to preference and whim.

Though the compactness of such a medium brings to me my current quandary: I WANT TO TAKE MY NEW BOOK TO VIENNA WITH ME to read in the airport and on the plane (and perhaps at bedtime), but it's too big to easily lug around; I can see where an e-version of the book could be handy about now. Heck, the print book wouldn't fit into the pocket on the seat in front of me, not even if I tossed the airsickness bag and emergency card. Augh. But if I start reading it now and love it, it'll kill me to leave it behind for a week. BUT HOW COULD I NOT START READING IT NOW?

(pause as I calm my hyperventilation, close my eyes and think of peaceful chocolatish thoughts, move on...)




Necklace I made at the cottage.


I was in Lewiscraft with Allison last week, and picked up a bag of loose beads ($7.99) and a package of coloured soft wire ($5.99) for a craft activity at the cottage with my nieces. The wire was soft enough that even a child can bend it without any special equipment. I love Lewiscraft.




Butterfly made from two different colours of wire.


Anyway, we had lots of fun. We didn't have any instructions or examples, so we just improvised from our own imaginations, making sculptures, necklaces, bracelets, rings. Even Jeff got in on the action, creating a miniature solar system from beads and wire. :-) Sadly, I neglected to take a photo of his masterpiece and it's still at the cottage.




Bracelet from beads and wire.


I've always found something immensely satisfying and relaxing in doing crafts like this. I don't have the patience or coordination for needlework, but I love crafts which can be completed in an hour or less.




My first creation: not exactly sure what this is, but
I hung it up from the dining room lamp anyway!


Hm. Even as I type this, I'm realizing that I could write a how-to piece for a adult handcraft or children's activity magazine about this particular craft. Yay, an excuse to buy more materials for me to play with!

'Twas fun to reading all your responses to my poll question about packing (and thanks for the cartoon, jwordsmith!). Funny to hear about incidents where some of you have gone bottomless or topless (well, almost) because of packing errors. Hm. Now I'm paranoid. Think I'll make a list after all...

September 2004 comments: Read Blatherchat | Post in Blatherchat | Livejournal comments