How do I choose?

I've been asked how I choose the books and quotes that get included in the 1+1+1 for 365 project. 

The answer is simple but not necessarily easy:  there is some method in my madness, but not a rigid one.

Let me try to explain some of what has emerged until now and as I see it at the moment:

QUOTES:  Many of the quotes have been personal favourites for years, or come from people I admire.  Others deal with issues I am thinking about at the time, or with topics that are dear to my heart.  Sometimes the quote follows the book, sometimes the other way round.  They do not always relate to one another but very often will.

BOOKS:

Generally I dip into my library in ways that are becoming clear to me slowly but surely. Because it is quite a big undertaking, I try not to make it into too much of a duty, but rather a pleasurable journey. Some of my real favourite books will follow much later, while some that I mention appear early on in this "year-long journal" simply because I have read them recently or discussed them with someone for reasons unrelated to the blog.

• I try not to feature books from the same genre or that deal with the same theme directly after one another.
• I mix classics and more contemporary works on purpose
• Although I mention more novels than any other kind of book, I will include non-fiction as well as some poetry and drama.  It is a blog about books, not about novels.
• I include fiction for children/youth literature on purpose, but as in the case of other genres, I do not pretend that these are representative of the very best that contemporary youth literature can offer.
• The origin of the books: many come from the English-speaking world, but there will also be many that are translations from other languages.   I will include books by South African authors but again,  I do not pretend to be an authority on South African literature. 
• My notes are not intended as in-depth critical analyses.  The opinions are entirely my own and at times may agree with those of my readers but sometimes not - because I write from my own experience, interests and world view, whereas some readers may see the world and the books differently.    
• This is not a scholarly undertaking. I include some notes about the authors and the background to the books, but do not feel obliged to cover everything of importance.  Doing that would make the entries too long and will make the task into an unnecessarily laborious one.  I'd rather keep going and keep it fairly simple than to talk to much.  There are other places to do research about the books - I am sharing my enjoyment of books and hope to plant some seeds, but that is all. 
• The books are not intended as a "365 best books" list.  Sometimes I will only talk about one book by an author I admire, and that author might have more than one book in any theoretical "best books" list.  Some of the books I discuss will not feature in a "best books" list,  if I were to compile one, at all.   Besides, although I read a lot, I don't read anything as much as I would like to do. Thousands of good books across many genres are published every year. No single person can possibly read them all.

Nevertheless, I hope that I will sometimes give some readers ideas of what to look out for when you visit the library or a bookstore. There is much more on offer than the few books mentioned in my blog, but one thought leads to another...

I am thankful for comments and ideas.  Those help to keep me going.  Please participate!

PHOTOGRAPHS:

The most difficult part of the challenge.  I don't always have pictures that illustrate some of the spirit of the books or quotes, so often the pictures stand "on their own".   Part of the reason why I included pictures in the challenge is to force myself to start scanning some of my many slides and pictures from the days before digital photography.  

WEBSITES:
There are tons of good places on the Internet. I grab something from my "Favourites" folder or am reminded about good sites by something that happens during the day.

Generally I try to dip into my library in ways that are becoming clear to me slowly but surely. Because it is quite a big undertaking, I try not to make it into too much of a duty, but rather a pleasurable journey. Some of my real favourites will follow much later, while some that I mention appear early on simply because I have recently read them or discussed them with someone.


Text: © Lee Labuschagne - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED