E.M. Forster
And so it sometimes is.
I hesitate to say the ONLY books that influence us are these, but I do think there is truth in the notion that books that are a little bit ahead of us, that take our thinking further, or meet us at the edge of our interest or understanding are really really good books!
They offer incentive to continue to learn, explore and pursue; they offer new ways of doing things and I really do think they can change our thoughts and behaviours too. O simply just give us even more glee and things to look forward to!
I often get a blinding insight into something, sometimes only one thing, but it is a powerful and mighty breakthrough. Perhaps it crystallises my thinking; or puts together a bunch of disparate things I haven't thought to connect before, but I am a real lover of ah-ha moments.
Out comes the penned paper to jot it down; or the pencil is out to underline it. This! This here! This says what I want to say or had been thinking!
These books meet me out on the edge of my thinking and dreaming, and come to meet me.
Jerzy Kedziora, Krakow, 2017.
it's so interesting ... I bought a set of books for each of the 9 year old grandsons then got a copy from the library to re-read before gifting them ... and realized they weren't "there" yet as I recalled the Zone of Proximal Development from my teaching days, which relates to reading skills, but also to emotional readiness
ReplyDeleteand so it is that a book that doesn't engage me isn't necessarily a bad book, just not the right book for the me I am today ...
finding the right books for the right times is an ongoing pursuit ... blogs are wonderful places to "meet" those just-right books, as the blogs I read tend to be written by those who seem to be in much the same life space ... and so I am thankful for Paper Ponderings, where I discover artists and authors I might otherwise never have encountered
Dear Liz - thanks for those offical words - the zone of proximal development makes so much sense! Love it. I completely agree regarding books sometimes not being right for me as I am. Utterly agree, and how some books that were; no longer are...go well
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