An Interview: My Reading Life by Brenda Leyland

Reading and writing cannot be separated.

Reading is breathing in: writing is breathing out.

The Language Nerds, as seen on Facebook

In our writing prompt this month, Lorrie Orr poses a few questions regarding our reading practices and how our reading influences our writing. I have turned these questions into an interview-style post which I hope you will enjoy.

What do you enjoy reading?

Reading is, perhaps, the great joy of my life. I enjoy many things, but I have loved books from the earliest beginnings of my time on earth. I feel most 'at home' in my skin when there's a book in my lap and a stack of them waiting on my bedside table. I read to escape, to learn, understand, remember, imagine.

I enjoy reading...

– For pleasure and adventure. For the sheer joy of holding a physical book in my hands, turning the pages that pull me into stories and descriptions that grab my imagination. I love 'meeting' heroes and heroines in books who are braver and more adventuresome than I—vicariously grabbing their skirts and shirt-tales to discover places and experience things I'll probably never do or see in real life.

– To expand my knowledge of who I am as a person and who I am in the Lord. I no longer chase for answers as I once did. I had so many questions as a young woman, which is really why I read in the end. Novels of all sorts, how-to and advice books, spiritual books, magazines, backs of cereal boxes, whatever I could lay my hands on. I was ever on the look out for what were the 'secrets' to a happy and successful life.

– To fill in the blank spots of my knowledge of world events - events that were a blur in my mind when I was young (WWII, Cold War, Vietnam, why the town siren blew every day at noon...). As I read about these various events, global and local, light bulbs go off, 'So that's what that was all about.' It's so satisfying a feeling to finally know. That's why I love historical fiction. Because even though the story itself is fiction, a good author will have done her homework so that she gives her readers as accurate as possible a sense of that time and experience.

– For companionship and for connection to other people and their stories, especially in memoirs and biographies. I like discovering how other people lived through their own challenges, how they faced their life-threatening situations. To be encouraged that I, too, might overcome my own life issues. James Baldwin once said, "You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read." Oh, yes. I read to know I'm not alone.

What genres do you prefer?

For pleasure and adventure, I most often reach for mystery/thrillers, literary fiction, historical fiction, some fantasy, and children's classics. For human interest, I enjoy memoirs and history. For heart and soul nourishment, I often turn to nature writing (essays, poetry), spiritual inspiration, books about art, writing, and creativity. 

Who are your favourite writers?

I have so many favourites, I'll just mention a few. Lucy Maud Montgomery and Alexandra Stoddard are forever favourites; both were early mentors in showing me how I could live life more beautifully. Lucy Maud also stirred my love for descriptions of nature and beauty. Favourite mystery writers include Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Donna Leon. Favourite poets are Mary Oliver, Naomi Shihab Nye, Billy Collins, and Stephen Berg.

C.S. Lewis was my first literary spiritual mentor, and I devoured everything I could find of his writings in my young adult years. Other authors came along like Luci Swindoll, Brother Lawrence, Henri Nouwen, Francis and Edith Schaeffer, Anne Lamott, Madeleine L'Engle.

Because everyone I know loves a book list, below you will find a short one mentioning a few of my favourite writers - the titles are a mix of forever favourites and current favourites.

Nonfiction:
- A Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
- If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland
- Heaven, the Heart's Deepest Longing by Peter Kreeft
- A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
- Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
- Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen
- Call Us What We Carry (Poems) by Amanda Gorman
- The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
- This Beautiful Truth and Reclaiming Quiet by Sarah Clarkson
- Common Prayer by Shane Claiborne, et al
- Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon
- Women Holding Things by Maira Kalman
- The Lives We Actually Have, 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days by Kate Bowler, et al
- Things to Look Forward To, 52 Large and Small Joys... by Sophie Blackall

Fiction:

- Anne of Green Gables (series) and Selected Journals (series) by L.M. Montgomery

- Little Women and A Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott

- Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion by Jane Austen

- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

- At Home in Mitford (series) by Jan Karon

- Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

- Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

- Pilgrim's Inn by Elizabeth Goudge

- A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

- The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

- The Beautiful Mystery and All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny

- A Time for Mercy by John Grisham

- Brother Cadfael's Penance by Ellis Peters

- Once Upon A Wardrobe and Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan Henry

Do you follow a reading program, or read whatever books come your way?

I don't follow a reading program and tend to read whatever books come my way, either by recommendation, book lists, or when a gorgeous cover beckons as I walk into the library or bookstore. Since I don't have a reading program to share, perhaps I could give a few of my reading practices.

– Sometimes I like to read aloud, especially when I'm reading poetry or when something is so exquisitely beautiful or truthful I need my ears to hear it. I do enjoy reading aloud to my husband; that's most often for shared laughter over humorous passages.

– I read every day. It's never a chore, bore, or duty. When I don't read even a few pages somewhere in the day, I feel a deep unsatisfied yearning on the inside.

– I listen for little nudges and I will sometimes ask for guidance about what book to choose. This was more so during my younger years when I was eager in my learning, growing, and maturing. The first time I remember this happening, I was in the Canadian Bible Society bookstore on Jasper Avenue. I wanted to spend my money wisely. What to choose, what to choose. So I sent up a little prayer. Walking around the store, I felt drawn to a paperback which turned out to be 'perfectly' suited for me, a single young woman-in-waiting. And years later, there was a season when I wondered a lot about heaven and why there was this kind of homesick feeling way down deep inside. At the library, there 'gleaming' on the trolley of books to be reshelved was Peter Kreeft's Heaven, the Heart's Deepest Longing. I took it home and devoured it, feeling His pleasure in my pleasure as I read.

– I am a staunch believer in there being seasons for some books—divine appointments, as it were, to read specific books in the right time. Books out of season (and I don't mean winter, spring) are often a disappointing experience because the words can remain dull and uninspiring on the page. But when drawn in some mysterious way back to a book at another time, even though it's the same book with the same words, I have experienced where it suddenly feels alive, fresh, and nourishing. It was the right time, and then I'd be so glad I hadn't given it away earlier thinking the book wasn't for me. 

– Generally I can read quickly but there are times and books where I slow read. Paying attention to the story, to the descriptions, staying longer with favourite passages, letting them soak in. I find real joy in slow reading - there's a real pleasure in discovering the nuances and the subtle layers in the writing. As a youth always in a hurry to learn how a story ended, I'd skip past lengthy prose and descriptive passages—who cared how the sunset looked over the hills on a summer's eve? Little did I realize that one day I would take delight in such scenes. It started in my twenties during my reading infatuation with C.S. Lewis (I think I was a little in love with the man) when I found one of his books at the library called An Experiment in Criticism.* In it, Lewis described the mark of a literary person versus an unliterary person. Of course I wanted to be thought a literary reader so I checked out his advice (see End Note at the bottom of this post). I took out a lengthy novel from the library, Michelangelo by Irving Stone, and charged myself to read it word for word, slowly and carefully, paying attention to details, looking up words for which I had no definition. It was an amazing experience. Although I never read the book again it stayed fresh with me for decades as a touchstone reminder of how I want to read. I saw that finding out how it turns out isn't the only goal for reading a book. In turn, I have become a better describer of my own world when I try to share the beauty of it with my readers.

Are you part of a book club?

No. I don't want to spend my time sitting around 'patiently' waiting for a chance to share my thoughts about books I enjoy. And I don't like being in the 'spotlight' in a group setting. I prefer talking about books 'one on one' with a like-minded soul. In that case, I can get quite animated. I guess this could be considered a casual book club for two (for introverts).

How does your reading life influence your writing life?

I think it's Stephen King who said if you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Books are my tools. I can't tell you how many times I find what I need—an idea or phrase or word—that clarifies what I'm struggling to find words for. I learn so much from other writers, whether they write about writing or about another topic entirely.

Since my youth, I am an avid collector of quotations and favourite book passages. These gems of wisdom by other writers usually resonate because they are snapshots of my own views, beliefs, and what I value. And they startle me with their eloquence. Many quotes have become lifelong guideposts (including what I read in Scripture). They inspire me to carry on and to stay the course. They are also a great resource for my own writing—often jumping off points for blog posts, essays, and articles. 

I love elegant writing, and am inspired by the language different authors use. Enthralled by their unique turns of phrases and ways they describe things, I am spurred to find my own 'perfect' way of describing my life around me.

I enjoy seeing how some authors experiment with different ways to present their material. Years ago, I read Eat, Pray, Love, and I loved how Elizabeth Gilbert wrote her bestselling memoir using short vignette chapters, sometimes no more than a page or two in length, describing one small scene or event in few words, and then moving on. It lifted a weight off me as I realized I didn't need to write pages upon pages of details to tell my stories. I'm still learning how to write in that succinct, delectable way.

My writing is richer and more thoughtful because I read. Books and their authors are my mentors on a bookshelf. I couldn't do life without them.

_________________________

* End Note. An Experiment in Criticism is a 1961 book by C.S. Lewis in which he proposed that the quality of books should be measured not by how they are written, but by how often they are re-read. Lewis described two kinds of readers: the 'unliterary' reader who tends not to reread a book and the 'literary' reader who does.

In case you are interested, I found my notes of Lewis's list in my 1988 commonplace book in which he describes the mark of an unliterary person vs a literary person:

1. An unliterary person never reads anything twice. | Literary people read great works over and over.

2. An unliterary person doesn't set much store in reading, it's a last resort. | Literary people look for leisure and silence to read with their whole attention. They feel impoverished if they are denied this opportunity.

3. There is no sign of change upon reading the book. | The reading can be a great experience; a reader changes, sees things differently.

4. Never thinks or talks about what they've read. | Literary people mouth over favourite lines and stanzas in solitude. Scenes and characters provide them with an 'iconography' by which they interpret or sum up their own experiences. They talk to others about what they've read.

5. Books are only a marginal ingredient of their lives. | To literary people it is a main ingredient of their well-being.

6. Unliterary people are indifferent, not only to literature, but to other art forms and natural beauty.

(Top) Photo credit: Image by Nick Stafford from Pixabay

Brenda's sweet spot places for reading are on her bed, on the couch by the bay window, or in a comfy chair in the garden where she can look up to see birds and trees and flowers and blue skies. When she's not reading, she loves blogging at It's A Beautiful Life and here on InScribe. She can also be found on Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.