Double Feature: Death of a Salesman and No-one Makes You Shop at Walmart

I just realized that it's almost April, and I haven't written a single post this month.  Even though I'm ridiculously busy right now, I think I'll just get busier as the month goes on.  So, even though I have had absolutely no mind-blowing, incredible, amazing, earth-shattering ideas for posts, I think I'll just write a quick piece on the two books I've read this month so far.

The first one is Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.  I absolutely loved this play. The writing was really incredible; it was much shorter than a novel, but every sentence had so much weight. I can't decide whether I prefer this to The Crucible, but I don't think that matters.  When I start comparing work by the same author side by side I always end up not liking one of the texts as much as I had before, because I realize that even though one might be great, it's not quite as good as the other.

Holiday reading

The summer holidays can be the best time for reading.  However, especially if you are flying abroad, then there will be a limit on how many books you can bring, which is annoying for those of us who read a lot.

So, here are a few quick pieces of advice on how you can reduce the number of books you have to pack without running out of things to read.

1. Start Afresh

If you are in the middle of a book, then it's probably better to start a new one.  The weight of the pages that you have already read is dead weight.  For obvious reasons, a paperback is better then a hardback book.

2. E-readers 

I personally am a supporter of the paper book; they don't run out of battery or hurt your eyes, and I think that it's easier to form an emotional connection with a book if it doesn't occupy the same space as a hundred other books.  Maybe that's a bit materialistic of me, but I just enjoy the feeling of reading a paper book.  However, I understand that there are a lot of advantages to e-readers, and going on holidays is one of those times where it can be great to have one. An e-reader and a charger are far lighter then most books, and you can bring as much reading material as you could possibly need with you.

3. Slow reading

While everyone has their own reading pace, this pace can also change depending on what book you are reading.  For example, when you read a fast-paced book, then you might read more quickly, either consciously or subconsciously, because you want to get to the end, or find out what happens next.  However, if you read a novel that's very introspective and thought-provoking then you might spend more time digesting the ideas and thus read more slowly.  While there is nothing wrong with either type of book, it might be a better idea to bring a book that you think you will read more slowly on holiday, so it will last longer.

4. Buy a book while you're there

If you're on holidays somewhere were you have some knowledge of the local language, then it might be a great idea to buy a book in that language while you're there.  You might only be able to read children's books, but it can help to learn the language.  I would particularly recommend this if you are on a student exchange.

5. Join the library

If you are going on holidays in your home country, you might not need to go through a long, complicated process to borrow some books from the local library in the place where your staying.  This helps reduce the number of books you have to bring and is better for the environment then buying a brand new book.