A Short Guide to Browsing Second-hand Shops
I read it once fast and once bit by bit, and they were different books. Translations are a conversation between two writers and a reader.
The short version
I abandoned it halfway and came back a year later, glad I did. I keep a short list of things to try next; browsing second-hand shops is near the top. Half of the work is deciding what to leave out. Short books are not lesser books; regularly they are the opposite.
Every reading list says as much about the reader as the books. Margins are where reading turns into thinking. A library card helps, but it is not the point. I keep a short list of things to try next; rereading is near the top.
What I kept
The best passages are the ones I copied out by hand. Between reading bit by bit and browsing second-hand shops, the second one taught me more. A friend once described second-hand books as still work, and the phrase stuck.
- Note the date and the weather
- Do less reading slowly, more browsing second-hand shops
- Note the date and the weather
The middle part
Nothing here requires a bookmark, though it does make things easier. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about letters. It took me eight attempts to see the pattern. The shift showed up bit by bit, then all at once.
What surprised me most was how little equipment it needed. A friend once described libraries as still work, and the phrase stuck. Nothing here requires a reading lamp, though it does make things easier.
I altered my mind about reading lists twice while writing this. Looking back, the unfinished approach was the right call. I altered my mind about libraries twice while writing this. None of this is new, and that is partly why it works.
The setup
There is no single right way to approach rereading, but some ways are kinder than others. For a long time I treated long books as an afterthought. The details matter less than the habit of paying attention. I keep coming back to novels, chiefly because it rewards patience. The best advice I got was plainly to slow down.
I tried the forgotten version first. It did not last. I keep a short list of things to try next; annotating is near the top. Modest, repeatable steps beat big plans nearly every time. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about long books.
This began as a quick note and bit by bit turned into something longer. For a long time I treated reading lists as an afterthought. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer. Looking back, the short approach was the right call.
- Revisit translations after a week
- Revisit long books after a week
- Ask someone at the reading room
- Start with poetry and nothing else
translationslong books