The Baileyophile: Vol 3
On Learning How to Read for Fun Again & Keeping, or Not Keeping, That Same Energy by Reggie Bailey
Books Are Pop Culture is now at the top of my resume now. I figure there is no need to run from it and it shows that yes, I have been off of work, but I have been working. Doing plenty of work to be honest, possibly more than what I was doing when I had a gig. There is a serious reckoning on the horizon as I will soon be working again (it’s official, but that’s Patreon &/or paid Substack material), but nonetheless, my employers will now be fully aware of my reading habit and my bookish endeavors. It remains to be seen whether or not this will benefit me or otherwise, but It’s been interesting to have gone on interviews and be asked about what it is I do with Books Are Pop Culture.
I haven’t gotten around to telling them that I write yet, but those who are here know what’s up and I appreciate you coming back to spend more time with me. This is the Baileyophile: Volume 3.
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Learning How to Read For Fun Again
In Vol. 2 I mentioned having a conversation with Kathia about reading for fun. In that conversation I mentioned that I'll have to make the time to do it, which some interpreted as "Reggie is saying he doesn't have the time," which is not what I was saying. At all. Though time is a limited resource and we probably don't possess enough time to do all of the things they say we should do.
Timeout
No one ever knows who "they" are & that's always been funny to me. "They" say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. "They" say you should read for 30 mins a day. "They" say you should read for an hour a day. "They" say you should have sex 3 times a week. We gotta do better about identifying who these "theys" are.
Back to Regularly Scheduled Programming
Before I interrupted myself, the truth that I was trying to confess is that part of reason I've stopped reading for fun is because I am, perhaps subconsciously, associating reading with work and compartmentalizing it as such. When I used to work at my last place of employment I was notorious around the house for never talking about work. The reason being was because I left work where it was, and that was in the office. Outside of the office was my domain, my place of rest, relaxation, and activities that aren’t related to work. The office already got 40+ hours of my time, why should I give it more?
Books Are Pop Culture is different, because while this is work, I couldn’t be more in love with some of the work that I am doing. Naturally, that leads to tons of conversation being had about the work when I am not reading for fun, but that hasn’t led, at least recently, to a desire to read for fun &/or pleasure. The habit of collecting books is still here, and I’ve gotten plenty, but actually reading them? As of now, if there is no content being created around it then it’s been tough luck for my books. So what do I do to fix this?
I’ve thought of removing my extensive note taking practice from my reading, because some of the books I read have websites that recap everything in these books in pretty extensive detail, so I could easily read a book and then consult a litcharts, or coursehero, to recap what i just read. The problem, of course, is that note taking is a very personal endeavor. It’s nice to see their objective feelings and perhaps seeing one of these places recap Things Fall Apart would unlock some memories of what I read back in 2016, but there is nothing like seeing your own notes and what you said about a book during a specific moment in your life.
Another reason why there is merit to this idea is because of the time that I could save. If I was able to read a book without stopping to take notes on my phone, then I could decide after finishing if I want to reread and take notes. That way I could effectively spin the block, through a physical or audiobook initially, then go back to the physical and give the book the love I think it deserves. I say this because if Books Are Pop Culture was more like Films Are Pop Culture, then I know that I would watch every movie we covered twice. Once for entertainment value and the other for film criticism. Books, as you all know, take a longer time to read than most movies we watch, and I’ve yet to master the art of speed reading so reading books twice, whether it was for 1 on 1 content with Akili & I, or for author interviews is OUT.
I do think, however, that there is a happy medium here, because I do want to take notes when I read, but it seems the answer is to give myself some limits. Whatever I forget, I forget. Only give myself 1 minute to write down everything that comes to mind when I stop to take notes. Maybe I should ONLY stop for page breaks to take notes, and not at sentences &/or paragraphs that move me.
There is work to be done, and I will learn a way to read for fun that is better from a time perspective and something that will help me find the non-work related relationship that I used to have with reading. Life is short, books are long; I gotta find the middle ground that works for me or else some part of my bookish life will have to change, if not be put down for good.
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The Same Energy: To Keep or Not to Keep
R.L. Stine, Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming, and Agatha Christie are some of the authors whose works are getting revised, whether it’s on behalf of their publishers, or estates, and I am back & forth about what to think about when it comes to this.
On one hand, I’m thinking about people having the right to be wrong, and the right to change. Sensitivity Readings are often done to help illustrate language that might be outdated, insensitive, racist, sexist, fatphobic, etc, etc, etc. From there, findings are shown to the publisher and the publisher can decide whether or not they want to proceed with changes. When you think about it, this isn’t such a bad idea. After all, Agatha Christie’s novel “And Then There Were None” was first published in 1939 as Ten Little Niggers in the UK. The United States published it as And Then There Were None in 1940 (Look at the Jim Crow United States knowing better), and there was a timeframe between 1964 to 1986 where Pocket Books published the novel as Ten Little Indians (So much for the United States knowing better). So yes, I maybe don’t want to read a book, especially one written by a white woman, with titles like that, good intentions or otherwise.
Which leads me to the other hand. While I don’t mind the publisher &/or estates taking liberties to update the language, I do believe that anyone who spends their money &/or time on the book should have instant access, contained within the art piece that they buy, informing them of the legacy that this book has lived. We see this often when re-released books have introductions, prefaces, forewords, and the like. We learn a little about the author, their upbringing, their writing career, their relationships to books, the way the book you were holding was received upon its initial release, how it has aged, and so on. I believe that if I were to purchase And Then There Were None, the world’s bestselling mystery novel, then I should be privy to the novel's original title which lasted from 1939 to 1985 in the United Kingdom, and why publishers in the United States decided to adjust for the most part outside of Pocket Books small rebellion from 1964 to 1986.
The backlash of accountability is difficult for anyone to deal with, and publishers are doing what they can to get in front of it before an oftentimes digital firestorm is caused on their behalf. The reason why I would almost prefer to have the language stay the same is because I’m sure this treatment isn’t going to trickle down. The books, at least the ones I am aware of, being changed are those of big name authors &/or big name titles. I’ve never in my life seen a James Bond movie, but you’re damn right I know who James Bond is. Same with Agatha Christie, never read any of her books, but I’m almost certain her work has been adapted and I may or may not have seen some of her work. Same, especially, with Roald Dahl and R.L. Stine. But will anyone read the work of Ann Petry, or Paule Marshall, or Samuel Delany, or Gwendolyn Brooks, Wallace Thurman, George Schuyler to see if they are offensive? Or do you only get the privilege of righteous revision when you are the creator of a franchise that is known the world over? Or will this be a true form of trickle down economics? Do you only get the privilege of righteous revision when you know that no matter what happens these books will be read? Or will the books that may be waiting on their day, similar to Their Eyes Were Watching God, get the benefit of righteous revision so when their time comes their readers can avoid the offensive language?
Another reason why I almost prefer to let the language remain the same is because I’m not 1000% sure I trust these institutions to inform their viewers, within the confines of the art piece, of the art piece’s true legacy. I’m sure there is an argument to be made that most of us who are buying and or reading books have internet access and can do the necessary research on our own to know everything that should be known about an author or a work. There’s another argument to be made that most readers don’t care, and I know there is some truth to that, because most readers who I know, that aren’t trying to be literary citizens, could care less about an author’s background or whether or not the book they are reading was revised. They are simply looking to enjoy a cool story, they aren’t looking for a lesson in morality or righteousness.
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What I’ve been Entertained by That I Can Talk About
Still no books to speak of in this section since all of the books I've been reading have been for "work," but I did read a wonderful essay for fun (more on that soon). Here’s what I’ve been enjoying lately
Bel-Air: Uncle Phil moving wild. He seems to want to be the only Black father figure/mentor in Will's life + he has consistently done all he can to make sure that Geoffrey doesn't have access to his son. Further context is sure to arrive when it comes to Geoffrey, but it still seems heinous.
What I'm enjoying about Bel-Air is that the obvious inspiration is there, but the liberties taken make a story all its own; Hilary being an influencer, Uncle Phil & Carlton having their darker sides, Will playing AAU, Aunt Viv being an incredible artists, banned books, self-help books, Jazz not being a scrub. I'm having fun here.
Ghost: A big reveal occurred much earlier than expected. I'm sure the writers have their reasons, but I was expecting the tension for this reveal to build for a few more episodes, especially considering its magnitude.
A smaller & subtle reveal surrounding the central friendship of the show was also revealed and I am curious to see how this friendship will be affected when the inevitable solving of this mystery occurs.
I wonder if Wall Street Trapper would appreciate the double entendre of Wall Street Trappin that's taking place during this season?
House Party (2023): Y'all are familiar with the phrase "nothing-burger" right? I call House Party a nothing-burger because outside of a "message" (I suppose) of chasing your dreams, this movie offered nothing; No true themes to speak of & not enough cohesion or focus to develop a strong narrative momentum.
There was, however, plenty of homage paid, and a TON of cameos. So many cameos that, if one were writing a good movie you'd wish to have the cache of LeBron James & Maverick Carter, who serve as executive producers of the film, because apparently when they call with a request people say yes. Despite the excessive & oftentimes meaningless cameos & ridiculousness of the storyline & hilariously bad discretion when it came to stunt doubles, I still didn't consider it a waste of time. In fact, it was safe to say I had fun watching this. It wasn't even a hate watch, because I didn't hate the film. It's just not good, you know?
National Books Critics Circle Awards: One of the biggest literary prizes in American Literature was given out: Ling MA, who is quickly rising upon the lists of authors I have no excuse for not having read, took home the NBCC Award for fiction shortly after winning the Story Prize. Bliss Montage is her second book & like her first book, Severance, it has won multiple awards. It's exciting to see a writer come out of the gate and make such an impact, and it only makes me more curious to see what will happen her third time around. It's also important to note that the Literary Postseason of Bliss Montage still isn't over, so there could be more prizes & awards Ma receives on behalf of that collection.
Isaac Butler took home the NBCC Award for Nonfiction for The Method, which is something the aspiring cinephile version of myself will have to read.
Morgan Talty is another winner whom I would love to read. When we spoke to Jonathan Escoffery (author of the very dope If I Survive You & fellow finalist for the John Leonard Prize) he spoke highly of Night of the Living Rez & his words have remained with me since he joined us.
NCAA March Madness: I'll have to admit that I'm something like a basketball republican because this Final Four that we have this year is Nasty Work on a surface level. Connecticut is the only team that makes sense. I have various familial reasons that make it "okay" for Miami & Florida Atlantic to be there, and I would enjoy San Diego State being there more had it not been for that weak ass call which decided their Elite Eight win over Creighton. Nonetheless, my main point remains: Nasty Work.
Snowfall: We're in the Final Season & one of my favorite things to do in crime dramas is figuring out who the writers will kill off as they continue developing a story. A big death took place in the last episode and it's one that I figured would happen. I'm thinking there will be another one that will be a bit more tragic, considering what "could have been," but time will tell.
Swarm: This series and the conversations being had around it show me that there are going to have to be weeks where a movie or a show garners a bigger section then this area where I choose to place more blurbs than anything else.
What I'll say here is that Dominique Fishback put on a clinic in this series. A clinic that I hope wins her some trophies when the time comes because she deserves it. Through Dre she showed us, in an unforgettable performance, the dark sides of codependency, fandom & grief. Swarm was star-studded in a way that is very specific to work that comes from Donald Glover, and it made Janine Nabers a name that I will be following and looking forward to more work from. More to come here.
The Tournament of Books: I won’t spoil today’s result but we are almost to the Zombie Rounds and that is exciting. Only two books get a chance to lose twice each year, but I won’t spoil it for you now.
Your Heart Online.. Act I: The Rom-Com: Kayla Prewitt, aka my Dear Friend KP, is writing her ass off. I had to call her and ask her if her pen was in a safe and secure location, because I wanted to make sure that the phone call we were having was truly a safe space. She calls this Act I, and plays are usually three acts, so I’m waiting to see if there will indeed be an Act II and Act III. I’m also waiting to see the inevitable Publisher’s Lunch Book Deal Announcement because she is already doing the work that novelists we have on the show are doing, it just isn’t packaged in a book yet.
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I hope you had as much fun reading Volume 3 of The Baileyophile as I did crafting it. Y'all let me know if y'all want me to start spoiling away in the Entertainment section.
If I make time for anything, it's reading. I read pretty much every day by habit and also because I love books. My TV might not turn on all week except to watch BAPC and other pods on YouTube. The thing about turning your hobby into a job is that.... you're always working. If you're reading for work, you read deeper, think harder, take notes on questions you have. I agree with having a different approach to pleasure reading- maybe even a different mode. Print for pleasure so you can take your time. Audio and ebook for work? I don't know. I know back in the day I had fun writing and making stuff up and dreaming and now if I can't sell it, it's not worth my time. Part of getting back into my Bookcast is geting myself to create things because I used to like writing it, and sharing it without thinking about how to market it and how much can I make and where should I upload this? I have to find a way to bring back the fun of that hobby otherwise it's all work.