Reading/562

As I indicate in the first page of The Book of Mev, I owe a great debt to Natalie Goldberg, whose Writing down the Bones, was so ultimately helpful when it came to beginning and finishing my book of Mevmemory. In her later book, Thunder and Lightning, Natalie has several enthusiastic passages that speak to her practice of reading:

“But when I’m reading and I love what I’m reading, I’m totally connected, whole. Me and Shakespeare, me and Milton — no time or space between us. We are one–not two, not split.” [78]

“As a writer you should go to a book thirsty and suck it dry.” [91]

“I’ve been trying to tell you all year — reading is the hottest thing going.” [99]

“I’m never ashamed to read a book twice or as many times as I want. We never expect to drink a glass of water just once in our lives. A book can be that essential, too.” [115]

“With a mate we love to recall ‘how it happened’ — how the connection was made. A lover is charged with passion, so we are more aware of the passage into intimacy, but it’s no different from the development of friendship or the final bond with a good book.” [144]