My Reading Journey

Have you every thought about WHY we read? I think about it all the time, because my reading tastes keep changing. There are so many reasons I am attracted to different books: for entertainment, to escape from daily cares, to explore new issues, and to educate myself. I for one feel like I have been on a reading journey that has led me through every genre of fiction, and has now shifted to nonfiction.

Here I am in my fifties hungry to learn about history, science, philosophy, art – you name it – I want to know MORE, especially if I am going to be traveling somewhere. At least six months before any trip I start reading about the area I am going to be visiting. This doubles my enjoyment, as I get to anticipate the journey through the literature I choose to read.

Listed below are some favorite books from my latest trip, a journey to Paris for Thanksgiving with my stepdaughter.

The Discovery of France: A Historical Geography from the Revolution to the First World War, by Graham Robb. I love it when I am surprised by a book, and this one really threw me for a loop (so to speak). Graham Robb strips France of its romanticism by developing a picture of its people in all their disparity. The differences in language and custom tell a story that actually defies the creation of a nation – you can’t believe that France became a functioning state. He also manages to infuse this tale with a great deal of humor, something I always appreciate.

Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution, by Ruth Scurr. A biography of Robespierre, the man who is undoubtedly most responsible for the terrible excesses of the French Revolution. This psychological portrait attempts to explain how a person with good intentions could get things so terribly wrong.

Mistress of the Revolution, by Catherine Delors. Here’s the one fiction title in the group, and I feel like I’m cheating, since it won’t be released until March 2008. It’s a classic page turner, which I managed to read in one sitting. The story concerns Gabrielle de Montserrat, an impoverished noblewoman who is widowed and a mother while still in her teens. Gabrielle manages to arrive at the court of Louis VXI and Marie Antoinette just in time to be swept up in the emerging cataclysm. I forgot to tell you that it’s a real nail biter, too.

Liberty: The Lives and Times of Six Women in Revolutionary France, by Lucy Moore. You think Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had it hard? You should read about the women who tried to have a role in the French Revolution. All of the women in this fascinating story paid a price (some to exile and prison, one to the guillotine), when they tried to give women a voice and role in the revolution.

The Age of Napoleon, by Alistair Horne. Alistair Horne wrote one of my favorite histories, The Seven Ages of Paris, so I was glad to see him tackle Napoleon in this wonderful new biography produced by the Modern Library. I don’t know if you are aware of this, but the Modern Library Chronicles are a series of short biographies and histories by experts in their field of study. I want to collect the whole set – how 19th century…

Walks Through Marie Antoinette’s Paris; Walks Through Napoleon and Josephine’s Paris, by Diana Reid Haig. Here’s my last pitch, for two of the best travel guides I have ever seen. These petite, beautifully designed books give you just enough history (and wonderful illustrations) to get a sense of what happened on the streets of Paris during those tumultuous times. And they are small enough to carry on a trip!