Jenny of Reading Envy, which is one of my book podcasts whose Goodreads page I lurk around (true confession, I’m a great lurker), is hosting a 2022 Reading Envy Russia Challenge, in which participants read books from/about Russia, by Russian authors, or otherwise considered to be “Russian literature” (there are a lot of geopolitical questions baked into that definition!)
I love history and consider the Cold War to be one of my principal areas of interest, so a Russian reading challenge automatically had my attention. The challenge only requests that participants read two books in the first quarter, so I thought that was manageable alongside my other reading projects. I figured I would choose a short Russian novel and fit it in. I dismissed W&P as a viable option immediately - it was too long, it would require too much energy, and I have too many other books to read right now.
Of course, once I determined that I was definitely not up for it, my brain went to work, ultimately convincing me that my reason for not selecting it, because I was too busy reading other stuff, is the very reason why I should be reading it.
How I arrived at that conclusion:
I have two projects that I’m reading before a deadline. The first is reading through the 2022 Tournament of Books shortlist before the judging starts up in March. The shortlist is eighteen books long and is entirely comprised of books published in English in 2021. Thus far, I’ve read twelve of the eighteen. And I hate to say this, but I’m finding the list hard to enjoy, with some exceptions (Louise Erdrich, Sally Rooney). I am usually not averse to experimental fiction, concept/idea novels, books without plot or resolution, AT ALL, but this year, sadly, I found so many of the books on the list to be frustrating rather than provocative or exciting. A part of me wants to blame publishing, writers, and pandemic trends, but, as I am the common denominator, I am sure the problem is me, my attention span, and maybe (maybe?) a certain level of malaise from everyday life during these past two pandemic years. In the end, regardless of why, my reaction makes me feel incurious, and that really bums me out, as I actually consider curiosity to be one of my core values.
So, I think the remedy for this discontent must be to read a classic as a counterbalance to the new books. I want something that hopefully sheds light on universal human experience. Last summer I read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, using the schedule provided by Emily of the Book Cougars, and I loved it. There were definitely morsels of wisdom about finding happiness and understanding the hedonic treadmill alongside the penetrating psychological depth of his characters that I wouldn’t mind finding in another Tolstoy novel.
Also, it was probably the second time in my adult life where I deliberately spent more than a month on a book (the first time was reading Ulysses by James Joyce in 2013, which actually involved reading two other books at the same time, to help me figure out what the world was going on). Usually, I read a book in a few days’ time, at most. I have built in reading habits throughout my day and usually don’t want to put my selected books down. But for Anna K and Ulysses, I made a reading plan and generally stuck to it (until I just couldn’t help myself). By breaking the books down into manageable bites, I was able to ease into the intimidating aspects of them, perhaps getting used to the style or, in the case of Joyce, used to existing within chaos. Also, there was something rewarding about taking my time and stopping after a certain page count each day. I was forced to think about each smaller section as I continued my non-reading day, and certain scenes or lines stuck with me more than they would have, had I wolfed down the book 100 pages at a go.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized a long, slow read is what I need. It doesn’t hurt that I live in Chicago where the weather and the conditions of the pandemic are keeping me indoors and at home most of the time. Also, in normal times, an actual deterrent to reading W&P would be my inability to lug around a paper copy to and from work. I have been working remotely for almost two years now, so how could I not take advantage of this time? I do read ebooks, but I prefer codex form, any day of the week, especially for big books.
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| 2 lbs. 8 oz. |
As for my other reading project with a deadline — this would be reading through the Inspector Gamache/Three Pines series by Louise Penny. And once again, the more I thought about it the more I realized that this specific project should in no way hinder my ability to handle the Tolstoy. Again, the existence of this particular reading project is actually a reason to read W&P. As a cozy mystery series, the Gamache books are the perfect companion to a Big Important Book. I guess, if W&P is my counterbalance to the newer titles I’m having a hard time with, then Louise Penny will be a counterbalance to my counterbalance (Aside: I also have maybe 4 or 5 drafts of different Louise Penny blog posts that I have been struggling to complete; the series is about so much beyond cozy mystery. I hope to be able to properly distill it into this blog some day.). Moreover, the project’s deadline is not really a defined deadline yet, I just would like to finish the series before the Amazon Prime series is released, and so far, I do not think a release date has been set.
And thus, I convinced myself.
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| But I do not think I convinced Freya. |
Probably to make the decision more real, I posted about reading War and Peace in the comments on a Book Cougars’ Facebook post, and Chris, who is co-host of the Book Cougars podcast and who blogs at Stay Curious, reached out to ask if I’d do a Buddy Read. To which I gave a resounding YES. I’m so excited to read this with Chris, who had this wonderful post about it (favorite line might be about which books make it to the death bed). I also think I’ve recruited a couple coworkers and a best friend from college into reading it, though not necessarily on the same schedule.
I will be reading the Briggs translation, which I saw on a number of blogs as the most accessible to beginners. I really love the Pevear and Volokhonsky cover, and I’m certain that it would also be a rich reading experience, but I just went with the choice that is supposed to be easiest for me.
In conclusion, I really can’t not read War and Peace in 2022. If not now then when?
Now is the time. As in, right now. Bye!
(I certainly hope to post more while reading or after having read it, but I think I’ve definitely written enough about deciding to read it at this point!)
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