Simone and Her Books

For quite some time, I’ve been a little disappointed in the reads I’ve been picking up. Some have been fantastic, but I’ve noticed there are more books I put down than I pick up and I wondered to myself if it may be related to the quality of stories publishing lately.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read some incredible new books, but my drive to continue to read and review new books has just completely dried up. Instead, I’d rather explore the fiction that’s been published for over hundreds of years. There’s so many great stories that I haven’t read, been wanting to read, and putting off for so many years. I’m finally ready to do that!

But where do I start? As someone who studied journalism in college, I don’t have the literary chops to discuss all the millions of books published since the invention of the printing press. Maybe it’s not necessary for us to know, but it’s an area of study I’ve always wanted to explore.

I think it’s quite serendipitous or even divine that in the midst of my struggle with new books and my brewing ideas of learning more about literature that this idea of a “personal curriculum” fell into my lap. The algorithm sometimes brings something along that’s actually useful.

I found the idea of the personal curriculum from the influencer @classicallyclare, who shares how you can set up a syllabus for yourself in an area of study you’ve been wanting to learn. It doesn’t need to be reading, either. It can be improving on a hobby you’re working on or learning a new skill. Perhaps you want to try and become a better cook, or a better dog owner, or a better bird watcher. With creating a personal curriculum, you can set yourself up to study these subjects and hopefully improve your life. I started thinking about a personal curriculum for myself.

While fantasy will still be near and dear to my heart, I want to explore more. Back in 2013, I made four critical book purchases:

1. On Writing by Stephen King
2. How Fiction Works by James Wood
3. The Collected Works of Amy Hempel
4. Aspects of a Novel by EM Forrester

I bought these books with the intention of growing my knowledge on what makes a good novel and using that knowledge to discern the fiction books I read. And while I read two of the four books on this list, I abandoned the rest having to re-purchase both of them for this study.

And in this season of my life where I’m done chasing the trends of novels that come out and focusing in on my own personal growth and study of literature, I’ve decided to create my own personal curriculum. I’m calling it: Back to Basics: What I Should Have Read in High School English Class

My objective: to improve my working knowledge on the definition of a good book and to apply that knowledge to both classic fiction and modern fiction.

Once I had the theme and my objective, it was time to pick out the books. And let me tell you, it’s tough to pick out books for a curriculum that works for you and not the other way around. But I think I figured out something for the time being:

1. How Fiction Works by James Wood – this will be the main component of my study as I venture into each chapter and consider the components that make a good story. The first chapter explores narrative, which probably is the most important part of any work of fiction.
2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – A timely classic as we get into the Halloween season. It’s a first person narrative from the point of view of Dr. Frankenstein, the man who brought life to the dead.
3. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry – A more modern classic (published in 1985) showcasing the journey of a group of men and their cattle from Texas to Montana in hopes of raising a cattle farm. I may have also watched the show recently and needed to pick this up next. It’s in the third person omniscient, but I’m hoping it’s a good example of Wood’s “free indirect style.”
4. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain – A memoir that I’ve been wanting to read for some time. It’s a different type of narrative since it’s a memoir, so you’re reading the life of someone who actually lived it.

I don’t know how this will go. Honestly, I’m nervous my mood will swing in a different direction and maybe it will. Perhaps the curriculum will only work for one season and I’ll be onto something in the next, but why not try it? If there’s something you’re interested in learning more about, then why not play “school” again and teach yourself that thing you’ve been wanting to learn.