Literary Summits

So it’s time to come clean and admit that I’ve abandoned “Tales of Genji.” Time to go back down this mountain — after 85 pages and a mere 5 chapters, I admit defeat.

It’s not as spectacular a failure as the ski-jumper who wipes out in the opening of “ABC’s Wide World of Sports” — but without a doubt, I’ve lost my way at the base of only the second of seven summits.

Sure, there has been lots going on in my life: 

• moving to a new condo in Chicago
• traveling to Germany for a study tour, and 
• staying busy at work

 . . . but those are lame excuses. Since the move, I’ve actually had MORE reading time now that my commute is longer, so I can’t really make the “no time to read” excuse.

Still, “Genji” is a book that requires an attention span of more than my present 28-minute limit, so I decided yesterday to take another book with me on the train: “Swann’s Way: In Search of Lost Time, Vol. 1“

And guess what? It’s working. Maybe it’s because I’m more familiar with Marcel Proust’s general storyline (or lack thereof),  and I’ve studied it a bit in college. And his sleepy cadence fits well with my summer rhythm. We’ll see if it lasts.

So for right now I’ve put “Genji” back on the shelf and look forward to another attempt, another time.