Learning from My Own Reading Process, pt. 2

Skimming ahead and reading the ending (and Karen & Franki) helped me understand that Muriel Barbery was setting up her story for the first 128 pages—the entire first section. By that point she has helped us come to know the narrators, our protagonists, quite well. Now we are ready for the rising action. Maybe now that I have a better understanding of this structure I will be able to break myself of this filthy habit?

With my temptation out of the way, I got hooked a little before the end of the first section, on page 110. I know I am hooked when there are passages I want to copy down into my notebook.

“Language and usage evolve over time: elements change, are forgotten or reborn, and while there are instances where transgression can become the source of an even greater wealth, this does not alter the fact that to be entitled to the liberties of playfulness or enlightened misusage when using language, one must first and foremost have sworn one’s total allegiance.”

What a lovely way of saying, “First you have to know the rules, then you can break them.” Soon after, on page 123, Barbery offers us this tribute to writing as thinking:

“…I witness the birth on paper of sentences that have eluded my will and appear in spite of me on the sheet, teaching me something that I neither knew nor thought I might want to know.”


And then, to fully set the hook, on page 164 there is a reference to the Japanese concept of Wabi, connecting this fine book synchronously to a string of others we have studied this school year: Love That Dog, Hate That Cat, A River of Words, and finally Wabi Sabi. Suddenly, I was in love! I read a hundred more pages that night, unable to quit until it fell out of my sleepy grasp at nearly 3:00am.

What lessons are there for my instruction?
• Trust recommendations given by people who know you well as a reader, especially if they have been right in the past.
• Read at least a little everyday to keep the story fresh in your mind.
• When a book is challenging, one at a time is more than enough! No books on the side!
• Pausing and reflecting is essential when you’re struggling. Writing about what is difficult is even better. When you are attempting to clarify your own thinking, the puzzle you’re trying to solve gives purpose to your reading.
• Know that long books often take the first 100 pages to “set up.” As Franki and Karen remind us, there are details in those pages essential to your understanding. Be patient and pay attention!
• Know what hooks you as a reader.

And what will I do differently next time as a reader?
• It might have helped if I had known how my friend knew I would love this book. When my enthusiasm began to wane, I could have focused on that as my purpose.
• Don’t be afraid to contact your recommending friend to ask for some coaching. Book lovers will gladly revisit a title they cared enough about to recommend!