Surrender to fiction: Fall books: Reading habits
I would love to tell you that I read psalms every morning, poetry every noon, theology every afternoon and prize-winning fiction every night. The truth is that I read largely by necessity during the school week, saving the good stuff for late nights and weekends.
On weekdays, my early morning reading includes a review of the material to be covered later that day in class. I seldom assign the same textbook twice, which means that I am always reading something new in Bible, theology or world religions. This not only helps me keep up with fresh developments in these fields; it also reminds me that there is no “neutral” approach to any of them. An author’s values are embedded in the work.
On Fridays I shift gears, reading something that puts my mind out to pasture for the weekend. Right now it is the collected poems of Jack Gilbert; next on the list is Kayak Morning, by Roger Rosenblatt. I have a few trusted friends who send me such books, which I accept as maps to places I might never have gone on my own.
