I’ve been reading a book to a friend for a bit, and it’s an unexpected pleasure. It’s something to do in the quarantine, and my friend was having trouble reading my recommendation – Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.’s Cat’s Cradle – and I offered to read it to her over video call.
I do need to figure out how to vocalise from the diaphragm rather than the throat, because three sessions in, I can feel it. And other than that, I’ve realised that a lot of Vonnegut’s rhythm was uneven – not someone who would read his prose out loud, I think – although when it works, it really works.
I’ve never read something to anyone – always looked enviously at the people who’ve read each other Harry Potter and the like – but way back when, my dad used to read me comics before I learnt to read for myself (from those same comics). After that, I read quietly and fast, but recently, when I switched over to audiobooks, I learned to enjoy the specific flow of a book read out loud, and it’s nice to share that with someone.