Blog by Sumana Harihareswara, Changeset founder
I have to wash my hands every few hours when…
Hi, reader. I wrote this in 2002 and it's now more than five years old. So it may be very out of date; the world, and I, have changed a lot since I wrote it! I'm keeping this up for historical archive purposes, but the me of today may 100% disagree with what I said then. I rarely edit posts after publishing them, but if I do, I usually leave a note in italics to mark the edit and the reason. If this post is particularly offensive or breaches someone's privacy, please contact me.
I have to wash my hands every few hours when I work the register. I guess that's what happens when you handle filthy lucre.
Primary reading, about fifty pages per day: Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children. As Anirvan helped me understand, Rushdie did these magical-realism and time-switching narrative gimmicks first, and best, and other Indian diaspora writers redo them badly. But I read those hacks before I read Rushdie, so I immediately recoiled when I saw the tricks in force in Midnight's Children, and then had to let myself relax and like the book anyway.
Secondary reading today and yesterday: a rereading of my favorite bits of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Tip: if you know a particular scene is going to tear you up, don't read it as you while away the hours at the register! Also, I wish Rowling would get us the fifth book already, but at least the pause gives me leverage to shill for Philip Pullman.
More secondary reading: Pauline Kael interviews. Neat! More later.
