Six Inspiring Movies

Talking of staying focused on reading schedules, here is a perfectly fair distraction. Almost as much as I love reading I love movies. I've always enjoyed films and love going to the cinema or snuggling up to watch an old favourite on VHS! I thought it would be a good idea to combine my two loves with a list of movies that inspire me to read some more.

Pride and Prejudice
Top of the list, front and centre is the brilliant Pride and Prejudice. I'm cheating a little here because I'm actually talking about the 1992 BBC TV series, so it's not technically a film, but I've never watched it in episodes and have only devoured it as a single mammoth film. While the emphasis on books is not as obvious there is a subtle current all the way through that we should all be broadening our minds "with extensive reading."  Cue swooning and picking up a book to flash at the boy you fancy. See this? I'm broadening my mind. If reading can land Lizzie Bennett a husband that's good enough for me. The whole film has shots of the sisters reading and their father spends most of his time locked up in his library wish a book in hand.

Iris
One of the most beautiful films in the world that never fails to make me cry. Author Iris Murdoch died of alzheimers and the film shows the process. I've never read any of her books, but I have just added one or two to my wish list for Christmas. It combines a few things that are dear to my heart. Biopics, Authors, Books, Kate Winslet and Judie Dench, Alzheimers. I was blown away by the film and it always makes me desperate to read, live, and love. It's based on her husband's book about the situation, Elegy For Iris.

Ink Heart
How to explain Ink Heart. It's about a man who when he reads aloud, his characters come to life, which means he could read out a villain and read IN people from the real world. Which is just what happens. HE and his daughter, who has a similar gift, travel the country looking for another copy of the book that his wife was read into. It is fantastical, it has Paul Bettany in it and is a bit of a whirlwind movie. It's good fun certainly and is all about books and reading and oral traditions and writing.

Becoming Jane
Another favourite that comes to mind is Becoming Jane. Partly for Anne Hathaway and James MacAvoy, arguably the best looking couple in cinema. Still they talk about books, and writing and definitely inspires reading to me. Its a fictional depiction of Jane Austin's life where we see the inspiration for several of her novels peppered through the story. I love the film and will instantly transport me into the kind of dreamy reverie that Jane Austin always delivers. I might even pick up one of her novels after watching it.

Dead Poets Society
It wouldn't be a movie list without Robin Williams featuring. One of the most fun films about teaching enthusiasm and joy for reading. If you're not reading poetry by the end of it your heart must be made of stone. It's such a powerful and sad film and is full of fun. I always want to pick up a book after I watch it so it's perfect for this list.

The History Boys
Definitely worthy of the title of inspiring. If only to put your nose into your books and love them. It's also so well crafted in terms of script, the way that they all talk is just fabulous and might make you a bit of a difficult person to be around for a few hours as you try to emulate them. See what I mean? Anyway, there is love of films, poetry, books and culture all wrapped up in this film and if you're not inspired to read anything they suggest, it inspires me to do what I love, which is to read.

Sticking with your reading

I love reading, I love talking about books, I love spending time in book shops and reading on the train, the car, in bed. But sometimes I know that I am falling behind with my book. There are so many other distractions which pull me away from reading at the moment. I love how busy I am but it does mean squeezing my reading in between everything else.


One thing that helps me want to read is a good book. When I'm reading something that interests me it is easier to pick it up at every opportunity. Those are the days that I will roll over on a Sunday morning and refuse to leave my bed until I finish every page. Sometimes the book I'm reading isn't a cliff hanger read that forces me to return again and again and I end up spending my days listening to podcasts or music and playing candy crush because the story doesn't pull me back.


If that is the case, should I even be reading that book? I would argue that yes, I should be reading that book, even if I am struggling to fit it into my schedule. This is where my 50 page rule comes up AGAIN I feel indebted to the author and industry to read the whole book if I was sucked in by good writing at the start.


Another way I reconnect to my books is by actually looking at them. Reorganising my shelves and paying attention to what I actually want to read is my favourite way to get inspired to read more. Because there are always more books waiting to be read.


There has been a recent suggestion by a friend to start a vague bookclub so that we can talk about books together. And that has been a huge motivation to 'crack on' with my book and start talking about it with friends. It's something I really miss from university, when we were all reading the set text, getting to bitch about it for hours was brilliant and I think I might be about to get that back. The group of colleagues I have my tea break with are all avid book readers or students of literature and although we have very different tastes there is a ton of bookish discussion that has started, mostly by the Man Booker long list being announced.


Finally the last reason I keep reading is for this blog, it's a real motivator to finish a book by the end of the month so that I can write my reviews. Twitter is the main place I post about my blog, so if I am marketing my own writing I quite often have my eye on what publishers have coming out and what books people are blogging about. It's exciting to read about books and to write about them, so I have to do some of the primary research too and actually READ.


On that note, I have a book to finish.