Reading and Re-reading

Lazy day today - no tennis :( I have however managed to start a new book. Considering how much I read you wouldn't think that would be a notable event but actually, although I read a lot I'm very lazy. I mostly read books which either I've read before or at least who's author I've read before (does that sentence make sense?) and I find it very difficult to get going on completely new book/authors. Its one of the ways OUSFG has been good for me - the author meetings encourage me to make the effort to read the books before they turn up (that's how I got into Michael Marshall Smith) and they've pushed me to read books like Snowcrash and The Sparrow which I've ended up loving. Yet still I remain intimidated by new authors, new books. Often I want to be lazy when I'm reading and so the temptation is to go back over well loved books. Terry Pratchett books are particularly well suited to this, possibly because most of the pleasure of his books is in the word play rather than the continuing story and I have found that going back to them after a while I pick up different references, different emphasis. Douglas Adams and Diana Wynne Jones also seem to work well although for slightly different reasons.

While I'll never lose the pleasure of re-reading I've decided that I need to make more of an effort to read stuff - even if I buy no new books this year I could read a new book a week and still not run out what with all the stuff on my PC. Even if I stick to hardcopy I've got 10-15 books waiting on my shelf. So I've made a start and discovered (as I always do) that it's not nearly so much effort as I fear to read a new book. Its a different kind of enjoyment than re-reading but now that I don't have to commute I have enough energy to enjoy it again rather than it being an effort to get my brain working.

So I've started Timescape by Gregory Benford - I'll let you know what I think when I finish it but so far it's pretty good. I'm enjoying it.