Ah, Rosana... a very interesting set of words. And I thank you for it. Personally, I think I'm not reading less, even though I have retired, and rarely read academic papers, reports, etc. anymore. Basically, I'm reading a lot more emails (which I would rather not do), and things related to everyday life like bills, accounts etc. These are also not enjoyed, but they are necessary. What I do find is that I am reading more fiction! And it is probable in an effort to escape the realism. And, I am reading it on my Kindle, which I dearly love, simply because it is so convenient to take anywhere. (I have backbreaking memories of my first trip to Europe many years ago, and taking so many books with me, because I wasn't sure where I could find them, in English. I would have really appreciated a Kindle type apparatus then).
But, in spite of my escapist fiction (science, historic, crime, etc), I just went directly to Amazon and bought the real book that you mentioned---The Dawn of Everything. And I can hardly wait for it to arrive. (This kind of topic is always interesting to me.) Again, I thank you for this set of words!
Thanks so much for reading, Sue! Should bills and accounts count? Glad you are reading books, too! I remember going to Italy for weeks or a month at a time as a kid. I didn't have enough books to get me through, and there were no bookstores in the little Italian mountain village where my grandparents had a summer house. So I re-read the Narnia books and the Little House books quite a few times! A Kindle would have been nice — but I still enjoy actual books. By the way, a good companion to The Dawn of Everything is Sex at Dawn, which I happened to find in a little free library in our neighborhood. It's shorter and a lot more readable, and it provides an unusual look at human culture.
Ah, Rosana... a very interesting set of words. And I thank you for it. Personally, I think I'm not reading less, even though I have retired, and rarely read academic papers, reports, etc. anymore. Basically, I'm reading a lot more emails (which I would rather not do), and things related to everyday life like bills, accounts etc. These are also not enjoyed, but they are necessary. What I do find is that I am reading more fiction! And it is probable in an effort to escape the realism. And, I am reading it on my Kindle, which I dearly love, simply because it is so convenient to take anywhere. (I have backbreaking memories of my first trip to Europe many years ago, and taking so many books with me, because I wasn't sure where I could find them, in English. I would have really appreciated a Kindle type apparatus then).
But, in spite of my escapist fiction (science, historic, crime, etc), I just went directly to Amazon and bought the real book that you mentioned---The Dawn of Everything. And I can hardly wait for it to arrive. (This kind of topic is always interesting to me.) Again, I thank you for this set of words!
Keep writing...every bit as important as reading.
Thanks so much for reading, Sue! Should bills and accounts count? Glad you are reading books, too! I remember going to Italy for weeks or a month at a time as a kid. I didn't have enough books to get me through, and there were no bookstores in the little Italian mountain village where my grandparents had a summer house. So I re-read the Narnia books and the Little House books quite a few times! A Kindle would have been nice — but I still enjoy actual books. By the way, a good companion to The Dawn of Everything is Sex at Dawn, which I happened to find in a little free library in our neighborhood. It's shorter and a lot more readable, and it provides an unusual look at human culture.
Thanks for that suggestion; I'll check it out!
ChatGPT signed up for Blinklist to gain better understanding of Smart Brevity. Overall it got confused. It’s a true story!
Very nice, Rosie. I don’t know if you like podcasts or Ezra Klein--I listen sporadically--but this recent interview with UCLA linguistics professor Maryanne Wolf digs into a lot of these questions you pose. Recommended! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-conversation-about-the-reading-mind-is-a-gift/id1548604447?i=1000587098985