Monday, February 20, 2012

Musing Monday..."I Forgot to Remember to Forget" [18]

Another gray day here, but no whining, because it is Monday and we have to check out the Musing Monday question, as always from the mind of Miz B at Should Be Reading.


This week’s musing asks… What is the last book that you learned something from? What book was it, and what did it teach you?

Well, most people probably assume if you are talking about learning something from a book, you must be talking about non-fiction. And I will admit, I have learned a lot of things from books in the past. I learned how to re-do a bathroom, I learned how to crochet and I am working on how to use Photoshop Elements..all from books. Countless things, learned from books, especially in a pre-Internet world. Yes, there was a time before the Internet..

But honestly, I rarely read non-fiction these days.
So are my opportunities to learn from a book limited?
I think not!

Because in my opinion, you can and should be learning something from just about every book you read!
Take a recent example, Available Dark. Certainly fiction, but still I learned many things I never knew, about Iceland, about Death Metal Music, about photography..about all sorts of things. Even a few I could have happily lived without knowing..lol
But my point is, just about every book is an opportunity to learn.
About a different place, a different time, a different place in society, a different set of experiences...it is all there for us to learn about in books

I have, in books, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, lived in Ancient Rome, been chased by people out to kill me, I have never had tea on the lawn of and English manor house. In the span of my reading life, the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of books I have read, I could not even begin to list all the things I have learned from books. Yes, it certainly is not the same experience as actually being there and actually doing those things, but still, especially in the hands of a skillful, talented writer, I strongly suggest that the experience, the chance to learn something, is very real.

Have any of you ever had this experience?
I was recently talking to a friend about something and I recalled, vaguely, an experience I had that applied to what we were talking about. And then, after a minute, I began to wonder if what I remembered was something I had personally experienced or was the vague memory from something I long ago read.
Is it that I am getting old or that my brain is full with all those many books and they are starting to spill out? I am not sure it really matters. All those books, all those things I read are part of me now.

Perhaps I need to start to remember to forget...wait, isn't that a song?

And because the Beatles are the greatest band of all time, certainly beating The Stones if you read my answers to Jenner's 11 questions last week, here is a forgotten Beatles song for your enjoyment.



10 comments:

  1. I just couldn't start my week off without reading your Musing Monday and today was another example of why. Great post!!

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  2. Love the song...

    I agree with you that we learn so much in our own little reading world. I'm reading The Brass Verdict, by Michael Connelly, and it does teach you a little about the law and the court system, at least I think it does. ; ))

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  3. haha what did you learn about heavy metal?

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  4. Yup, every books has things in them to be learned. It doesn't matter if the book is fiction. I just read two books set during WWII and learned some things about Switzerland's stance in the war. Even though the country was neutral, their policy re Jews coming into the country was to turn them over to the Nazis. Hmmm . . . not nice!

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  5. You are so right! We can learn a lil something from every book. My answer kinda proves that haha Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. I agree - you can learn plenty from fiction. So far my real life isn't blurring with my reading life, but, never say never!

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  7. I always say I've got enough reality in my life without reading about it or watching it on TV (aside from the news) .... I do believe I've learned from the fiction I read .. and I've learned this past week that I do not like Blogger's new WV .. a true pain in the tush

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  8. we learn so much from our reading, whether it be fiction or nonfiction. it all broadens us in different ways!

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  9. I totally agree -- you can learn a ton from books of all kinds. And I've had moments where I wasn't sure how I knew something -- whether from real life or from books.

    Love your musings … Bubbles.

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please speak up, I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!