Creativity can sometimes be a very ephemeral thing. There are weeks where I can plan my posts out days in advance and then I will find my posts are even longer than I wanted them to be. And then. There are weeks when I am feeling ho-hum and stare at the wall hoping it will give me a good idea for a post. So far, it never has. This is one of those weeks.
I am reading some great books, so you would think I would have lots to talk about. I wouldn't mind posting on Don Quixote, but as I've mentioned before I can be a rather lazy reader at times. No matter how slowly and thoughtfully I try and read, I rarely seem to be able to write really intelligent, thought-provoking posts like those that you can read at Tilting at Windmills (maybe I should start taking notes while I read?--or at least invest in those little sticky things you can attach to favorite pages?). I'm happy to read other's responses to the book. It's one thing to read and understand, but another thing entirely to organize and digest and then express those ideas in a clear and intelligent way as other DQ readers have been doing. So you may see an occasional post here (no doubt "DQ-lite"), but I will content myself with reading the Tilting posts and absorbing the ideas and integrating them into my own reading. I did, however, check out A Critical Guide to Don Quixote by L.A. Murillo to aid in my reading, so maybe eventually I will have something to share on the Tilting blog.
I also finished reading Virginia Woolf's Night and Day. How to write about Woolf--such an iconic figure in literature--I'm a little (well a lot) in awe of her. I'm still sorting through my thoughts and feelings on this one. I am trying to find some criticism, and discovered there is a chapter in Julia Briggs's Virginia Woolf: An Inner Life on Night and Day, which I checked out from my library (it's not a completely productive day unless I can go to third floor and find a book to check out...). I have only just glanced at it, but it seems less a criticism of the work than straight biography discussing this period in Woolf's life. Nonetheless I am happy to read what I can and the book looks like it would be good to read in its entirety.
On a happy note I finally picked Tess of the D'Urbervilles back up today and started reading once again. And I also started The Good Soldier. I like Ford Maddox Ford's writing style. I'm not too sure yet of the story (have only just started), but the narrator gives lots of facts right off, so I will have to pay close attention to keep everyone straight. I was thinking recently that I was doing a poor job this year in reading the classics, but perhaps I will make up for it this month!