I have read only 88 pages of my book club book, so now I'm not sure if I should go tomorrow. It would not look so good to turn up to my very first book club meeting having read only a quarter of the book. If I put in an extra-special effort, I can probably manage another 40 pages or so, but I can hardly spend all day with my nose in a book during the Easter holidays with three kids at home.
I am genuinely trying to read every chance I get, but I am just too predictable: I fall asleep every fricking time. But then again you try reading the relatively small print of even a very entertaining and well-written paperback (because my falling asleep is absolutely no reflection on the content; this is turning out to be one damn fine piece of literature) - but you just try it after not sleeping another bloody night, a walk with two bicycling children, a couple of hours of heavy gardening, a trip to the garden center with a baby strapped to your chest and two other kids to marshal, and then to top it off a quick outing with those same three children to the supermarket - allowing them to scan all the produce and put it in their miniature cart. I bet you'd be snoring within minutes, too.
Another stumbling block is the fact that it's an English book. I may sound all fluent to you (ahem) but English still is my second language and as a result I still read it at about half the speed I read Dutch books at, maybe even slower. Isn't that just the weirdest thing? I think in English, write in English, make love in English, watch TV in English and still my brain treats it as a poor relation to my "first language." Someone should tell my brain that its first language has been changed. Maybe I should go into my mind's "Setup Menu" and change the "Language" to "English (UK)." Or, more accurately, "English (UK, well, international with a dash of American - or shall we just call it confused?)."
Babes just walked past me and asked me "Shouldn't you be reading?" How to explain I was blogging about not reading...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Had you been reading a book instead of....um....goofing off, you wouldn't have to worry about running around after the 3 kids.....but that is unkind of me.
ReplyDeleteI applaud your wonderful ability to be fluent in two or more languages. Read on!
Just go- don't worry about how much you've read. Just go and have a good time. And I'm with Lo on your ability to read in two languages. You're amazing.
ReplyDeleteWell just great, you know I had the tenner on this post coming out on Sunday! did you sneaky write it yesterday and post it today to see me pay up (chqs in the post!). Now, ahem 'make love in English'...?! you can do it in different languages? OMG I am sooo naive and obviously a mono-linguistic love maker *sigh* I aspire to be be you..but without the Yiddish Policeman to worry about :) I think you should go and blag it, it could be very funny or very embarrassing...hey what have you got to lose...only an evening with us!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure which would be better, speed for you, or opium for the kids :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to the meeting, and I hope you have a nice time.
Part of the "English" problem with the Yiddish Policeman's etc. is that it it written IIRC with a Yiddish flavor, at least certain words are Yiddish, not English, which may be slowing you down.
ReplyDeleteI find that I can read Dutch if I take out every other vowel. Maybe you can try sprinkling a few extra vowels in the words and see if you can read faster?
I bet the people in your book club will give you a break - you have three kids! How are you supposed to stay awake / find time / etc? I say go and fudge it.
ReplyDeleteIf it's anything like my book club, at least half the people won't have even started the book, but are just there for the wine and chat. Go anyway!
ReplyDeleteMost of my book club just go along and blag it without reading - I sometimes just read a coupe of reviews via google and maybe read the synopsis then at least I know what's going on through the alcoholic haze that is our book club!!
ReplyDeleteThere are ways round this problem - I personally know an English Lit undergraduate who talks eloquently about books he's never read - I'll ask him what the trick is and report back!
ReplyDeleteI had to smile about you writing about not reading. I couldn't read a single word of a book in another language. Except about from Bonjour in French but I don't think there are many French one-word books, and even then I wouldn't understand the title. You'll have to post an update saying whether you went to your book club or not.
ReplyDeleteSurely the lady who invited you to the book club knows you wouldn't be able to finish the book in a week, specially if she knows you have 3 little children? Anyway I'd still go, since you can take part in the discussion, of at least the part that you read (unless you don't want to know how the book ends, of course).
ReplyDeleteYou know? When you first mentioned you were joining a book club, I thought you'd read the book in Dutch, since it's probably easier to get it, particularly on a short notice. I see now you're not the cheating kind ;)
And I applaud pueblo girl's choices, I think you should take them into consideration for next month's book ;)
Sorry I'm late! I hope you went to your book group. Nobody would bother that you didn't finish - unless they are a very serious book group, and well if that's the case, they're not much fun.
ReplyDeleteI heard that book is excellent. I must get it and add it to my mountainous pile of books I wish I had time to read, and probably would have time to read if I didn't spend so much time on the internet.
Hmm, maybe listen to it as an audio book?
ReplyDeleteI prefer to read English books in English and French books in French.
You could be there now? I hope you went and enjoyed the chat! When I used to study Spanish I was always waiting for the point where I could read without translating to English in my head - it never happened!
ReplyDeleteThere are Dutch books?!
ReplyDeleteI say go and just fake it! I'm sure they'd understand.
ReplyDeleteAh, but when you make love in Dutch is it better? Worse? Just the same?
ReplyDeleteI always know I'm going to laugh. Thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteI am still in awe that your first language isn't English. I didn't know that for the longest time--which speaks to your ability.
When in doubt sleep and lie. Go to book club, no one will know the difference. It's really about getting out of the house and talking about something other than poopy diapers, right?
How do you make love in English? Can you post a how-to video? ;)
I went to Spanish camp in high school each summer for 4 weeks. All the counselors were from Mexico or Spain, it was the coolest thing. I don't remember hardly anything though because if you don't use it, you lose it. One person told me that you know when you have made your second language as fluent as your first is when you dream in that language--so what language do you dream in?
I haven't read a German book in so long, I don't know would I be faster? I am struggling with German, my 2.5y old answers back in English all the time, I'm supposed to only, ONLY EVER, speak German to her, but my brain is letting me down. I start in German, might keep the conversation up for 30 seconds in German, then she asks something and my answer will be English.
ReplyDeleteI'm fluent in both but useless at translating!
As for the book club, I hope you went!
You're too amazing. Never even caught a sniff of the fact that you blog in your second language!!! Too impressed!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt never even crossed my mind that English is your second language! Truly amazing.
ReplyDelete