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How to Read Proust (Plus Book Club Reading Assignments) (Patreon)

Published:
2021-05-10 16:08:19
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2026-06
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Content

I hope you're as excited for 'The Proust Project' as I am.

Proust's long, winding, consciousness-expanding literary masterpiece is just around the corner now, so I would like to set you some reading assignments.

Pre-Proust Reading Assignments

1) Practical assignment: If you haven't already, treat yourself to a nice journal and at least the first volume of In Search of Lost Time - "Swann's Way". 

I personally favour the Leuchtturm1917 journal range in either bullet or lined variety. The pen of choice is typically muji. And I am working from the Everyman Edition hardback version in deep royal blue (Moncrieff-Kilmartin translation). 

Share with us what writing equipment and book version you have plumped for. 

2) Spiritual assignment: Set your intention. And, if you have a spare moment, please share that with us too.

  • What would you like to get out of Proust?
  • What will be going on in your life alongside your reading?
  • What do you imagine, even at this early stage, you will get from Proust?

Also feel free to think aloud about any apprehensions or assumptions you might already have. 

Most people expect sentences that wind on for multiple pages and few paragraph breaks. 

Some know that Proust goes deep into the themes of sexual jealousy and paranoia. 

And those who have already become acquainted with Proust will doubtlessly delight in his catalogue of marvels from all over the artistic world - paintings, musical pieces, and works of literature galore. 

3) The Philosophy of Aesthetics assignments:

a) Character - "Our social personalities are a creation of the thoughts of other people." You will encounter this quote during our adventure into Proust. What do you think of it? 

b) Narrative - I think every lover of literature should collect their favourite lines from books. You should also start collecting your favourite beginnings and endings. Do you have any at the moment? If so, try to present a case for why you enjoy them. Understanding what you like about the entrances and exits to fictional worlds will be endlessly illuminating for when you come to Proust.

And that's all for reading assignments at this early stage, folks!

Here are time-stamps for the above video:

  • 0:00​ how to read Proust's In Search of Lost Time 
  • 0:40​ difficulty getting into Proust 
  • 1:25​ choose the right time 
  • 1:40​ the perfect lockdown books 
  • 2:44​ Tolstoy vs Dostoyevsky  
  • 3:20​ Clarissa, Don Quixote, Les Miserables 
  • 5:15​ how to read slowly 
  • 6:45​ how to journal about Proust  
  • 7:30​ how to create a practice (morning/evening routines) 
  • 9:10​ only read ~10 pages per sitting 
  • 10:30​ the consciousness-expanding style of Proust 
  • 11:30​ take it page by page 
  • 13:00​ when to read Proust (morning or night?) 
  • 15:00​ how to reread  
  • 15:30​ In Search of Lost Time = literary art gallery 
  • 16:45​ how to hunt for Easter eggs 
  • 18:05​ the Art History approach to Proust 
  • 19:45​ how to explore rabbit holes in your journal  
  • 20:45​ the writer-reader collaboration 
  • 21:00​ recap on the Proust Project ethos  
  • 23:45​ Year of Proust 
  • 25:00​ the Moncrieff-Kilmartin translation 
  • 26:00​ hardback vs paperback (and marginalia) 
  • 27:00​ how to choose the right time for Proust

Happy reading, journalling, and Prousting!

Files

Previews only

How to Read Proust's 'In Search of Lost Time'

📚 Read the Great Books with Hardcore Literature: https://www.patreon.com/hardcoreliterature/about ———————————— 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/70IZA24... (Subscribe to the Hardcore Literature Podcast on iTunes & Spotify) 🏫 https://hardcore-university.teachable... (Hardcore University, Exam Preparation Courses) ✍🏼 https://benjaminmcevoy.com My Personal Website ———————————— Hardcore Literature Lecture Series ———————————— 📔Contents Page: https://cutt.ly/CmNhRY3 🎖️ War and Peace: https://cutt.ly/U3nzGma 🎭 Shakespeare Project: https://cutt.ly/B3nxHH7 🐳 Moby Dick: https://cutt.ly/K3nzVKf ☄️ Blood Meridian: https://cutt.ly/P3nz6Qp 🍂 Wuthering Heights: https://cutt.ly/N3nxxYt 🇮🇪 Ulysses: https://cutt.ly/x3nxQmN 🚂 Anna Karenina: https://cutt.ly/vmNhAWv 💀 Crime and Punishment: https://cutt.ly/rmNhFt5 ⚓ Persuasion: https://cutt.ly/amNhX7b ☕ In Search of Lost Time: https://cutt.ly/5mNh8oD ⚔️ The Hero’s Journey: https://cutt.ly/UmNjrE3 🌸 Siddharta: https://cutt.ly/YmNjuzi 🎠 Don Quixote: https://cutt.ly/cmNjoK4 ❤️Shakespeare’s Sonnets: https://cutt.ly/nmNlW7V 🇫🇷 Les Misérables: https://cutt.ly/J3YixoA 🕯️ The Turn of the Screw: https://cutt.ly/nToAQQ3 🖋️ Dickens Seasonal Read: https://cutt.ly/9ToAybt 📖 Middlemarch Serial Reading: https://tinyurl.com/45rv965c ———————————— Happy reading! Recommended edition & translation of Proust's In Search of Lost Time: https://amzn.to/3uCiDNu Book Bullet Journal: https://amzn.to/3bdK2Oq 0:00 how to read Proust's In Search of Lost Time 0:40 difficulty getting into Proust 1:25 choose the right time 1:40 the perfect lockdown books 2:44 Tolstoy vs Dostoyevsky 3:20 Clarissa, Don Quixote, Les Miserables 5:15 how to read slowly 6:45 how to journal about Proust 7:30 how to create a practice (morning/evening routines) 9:10 only read ~10 pages per sitting 10:30 the consciousness-expanding style of Proust 11:30 take it page by page 13:00 when to read Proust (morning or night?) 15:00 how to reread 15:30 In Search of Lost Time = literary art gallery 16:45 how to hunt for Easter eggs 18:05 the Art History approach to Proust 19:45 how to explore rabbit holes in your journal 20:45 the writer-reader collaboration 21:00 recap on the Proust Project ethos 23:45 Year of Proust 25:00 the Moncrieff-Kilmartin translation 26:00 hardback vs paperback (and marginalia) 27:00 how to choose the right time for Proust 28:00 join the Book Club

Comments

Michael Bell

Hello to all, I am a shiny new member, having discovered the club a couple of weeks ago while searching for videos on Proust. I first discovered his work in my readings of Harold Bloom many years ago, and have attempted this voyage on several occasions, completing no more than the first Combray section. I began these efforts in my mid-20's and the limits of my life experience at the time no doubt made him less relevant than I find him today; although his power was readily apparent even then. Now, in the middle of our Life's journey, I am set to begin once again. Based on recommendation, I purchased the Everyman's Library version of the series (the novel?) and it is lovely. I look forward to taking my time and living with this beloved work for the rest of my life, and I look forward to starting this journey in good company. Well met!

hardcoreliterature
>>100921211

Hello and welcome to the club, Michael! I'm so thrilled that my critical hero Harold Bloom led you to Proust and then Proust led you here :) Nice one on procuring the Everyman's Library editions. They really are such gorgeous books. I have mine splayed open in front of me right now!

Gem Esprey

Hi everyone - I joined the bookclub at the end of last year (2022) and have nearly completed War and Peace with the group. I'm also really enjoying the Shakespeare Project. I promised myself that when I was in a position of 'keeping up' with the lectures and reading, I would dive into the back catalogue and choose something to join in with. I know almost nothing about Proust so this is very exciting. I have my book ready and waiting on delivery of the journal I have ordered. I'm planning to go really slow - one page a day with lots of journalling (and looking things up) - tagging the practice onto my morning routine, as I read the Big Reads and the Shakepeare in the evening currently, and a bit of contemporary fiction before bed. I'm really looking forward to joining in with you all.

Sally England

Bounjour! I tried tackling Proust years ago and failed every time but eventually the realisation dawned on me that it was never going to happen if I thought of it as a battle. And now in my retirement years the time is right to immerse myself in a looooong slooooooow read, and I'm really excited about the Art History approach - I did the subject for my MA and am constantly in galleries and looking at paintings. So I've treated myself to a beautiful dusky pink Rettacy A4 journal, filled up my Pmagenta arker Urban fountain pen with Waterman absolute brown ink and bought the Vintage edition of Swann's Way (Scott Moncrieff and Kilmartin revised by Enright) which thankfully has some pink on the cover. Pink makes me happy so we're good to go here! What do I want to get out of Proust? Time. It's a search for it after all. Time to think about. myself, about others, about the world, time to question, time to learn, time to remember. To discover how to use time to its best effect. What else will be going on in my life? I'm a Druid so quite a lot of spiritual stuff related to nature, to the ancestors of my family, my land, my society, my community, my deities. And hopefully somewhere along the line there will be a new cat. What do I think I'll get out of Proust? A mental gear change, a slower more preceptive way of life, and a good excuse to curl up with a book all by myself, until the new cat arrives of course. 'Our social personalities are a creation of the thoughts of other people' - of course it is. I'm never what I think I am, I'm only a mishmash of how other people have regarded me and reacted to me, what we've done together, and every one of those is different, thank goodness. Favourite first lines? 'Who's there?' 'Call me Ishmael'. 'It was the day my grandmother exploded.' 'The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there' 'There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.'

BetaDog

Truthfully I came to Proust with zero knowledge of what to expect. All I wanted to do was complete this masterpiece and notch it off as a conquest. At about the halfway mark of Swann’s Way/Combray I’m astonished. There is magic in those words. I’ve never read anything so sublime, so touching before. I don’t know how Proust could possibly have known me, but he keeps pulling my inner self to the outside and tempting me to face the real me. It’s as if we share the same soul DNA.Proust is taking me a a level that no therapist could ever reach. I appreciate Ben’s advice to slow down. After reading 10 or so pages, I have to take a break and do something else like playing banjo or blowing up a balloon to see how close I can get to it bursting. It feels like Proust is rewiring my brain, and I can’t stay away for long. When I’m not reading, the thoughts about the book hang on to me like a mantra, growing louder and louder until I’m back in Combray. The magic is between the lines, between the words, between the syllables. That’s where I feel his sublime. As for journaling, I’ll do like my English teacher back in the 70’s in England used to record on my school report, “Peter must try harder.” He once gave us homework of writing three Haiku poems. So when I finished Anna Karenina a few weeks ago, I thought why not, It was bloody hard, but it felt like I found the soul of the book when I’d finished, Ben, I couldn’t have discovered this magic without you. This ol’ man is using his brain again. Thank you.

Karen Beard
>>109635510

Wow, I'm scrolling through the posts trying to get up the courage to give Proust a try. Your post might just have given me the motivation!

Kathy Smith

Just joined a few days ago and want to give Proust a try. Will try to follow the max of 10 pages per sitting. I am very much a mood reader, so hoping I stick with it! I will also be reading A Tale of Two Cities and Jane Eyre. First time for both of these!! Looking forward to this new journey!

Margaret M McGlynn

This vid has so many fascinating points. I would love a deep dive on how those first sentences hypnotize you, because it worked for me. A real induction. The power of language to change your ways of thinking is immense. It's not just his length of sentences, but the music of the phrases. I catch phrases within sentences that at first seem to contradict others in the same sentence, so I fall into them, trying to translate them into my own thoughts, and the sense of each sentence blooms for me. I love this. It's not a way of thinking I have in the rest of my life right now. I need it.

Clare Shepherd

I wasn't a member when this read started. I'm going to do this in 2025, after we finish Montaigne. Going slow I can keep up with whatever Ben has in store for us in 2025. I absolutely loved this video.

Ian

I spent 4 months this spring and early summer reading nothing but In Search of Lost Time, pondering the narrator and his life and his musings. I had spent years, perhaps decades, staring at lists of the all time best novels, before finally picking this up. It was easy to finish once I convinced myself I wasn’t reading one 3,900 page book, but rather a series of manageable interconnected novels, just like any other series you might read. And once you get used to him, Proust’s sentences aren’t any longer than many other authors (Henry James’s sentences are actually much, much, much worse in my mind). I hope at some point Ben continues this lecture series because I have well over a hundred pages of notes which I would love to supplement with Ben’s insights. (I read on an Ipad and use the notes function - I find this much easier because I can write entire paragraphs and find if I just underline a word or make short notes in a physical book I won’t understand my handwriting or know what that abbreviated note even means. The notes can then be imported into a searchable word document. Yup, I do actually do that with book notes and my regular journal, allowing me to search for what I was thinking about anything, including the books I was reading). Ben, please continue this lecture series, even if that means doing fewer lectures on each volume.

HappyKnitter2020

I am startung to undertake my Proust journey & reading everyone's comments as I start the Swann's Way. I know is it is right time to read Proust. I am looking forward to slowing my mind and learning a deeper understand of my own life.

SusanG
>>154863264

I am just starting Swanns Way. I have avoided Proust until now but I have a new reading goal and I am committed to deepening my reading of classical literature. I agree that I am hoping Ben will continue with Proust. His lectures are beyond anything I ever had in my US education.

SusanG
>>160262531

It’s encouraging to see others just beginning. I look forward to seeing comments as our reading continues.

Chris Sen M

I am slowly reading Proust this year. I started thinking I would read it in a year, but that is slowing down. I read before I sleep, and it's such a dreamy experience. There aren't obvious places to start and stop, and I've just had to accept that. It's a whole new way of reading a book for me. I stop one one page, and start somewhere on that page that next night. I haven't been journaling, but I am going to keep watching the videos. I'm reading a few pages a night, and this video reassures me about my pace. Proust will happen as he happens, so long as life gives me the time. Glad to be here with others who are reading now also.

Jessi F

Hi! Starting this project in 2025 in conjunction with the current reads going on!

Dylan D. Erwin

Just wanted to say I 100% agree regarding Leuchturm vs. Moleskine. It’s all about paper. I was gifted a Parker fountain pen a few years ago and quickly learned Moleskine pages can’t handle it. I’ve had no bleed through issues with my Leuchturm journals. I read all of Proust over the last two years, but I’m planning on starting a 1-2 page a day slooooow HLBC-style reread next month. I plan to incorporate it into my pre-existing journaling practice and hope it’ll help me slow the heck down. I adored my first journey with Proust and know this one will be all the more rewarding.

Greg
>>179685418

Hi Jessi, how is the project going for you? I am tempted to undertake it, I keep coming back to it as a « I should … ».

Bill Freeman

Ben - This is EXACTLY what I needed to hear. I didn't understand that the "Proust Project" was a yearlong, deep, and slow dive. I rec'd the first volume yesterday and had planned 20 pages a day. Now, I am going to slow way down, like I read wisdom literature. Your recommendations are spot-on: * Slow, present-moment, mindful reading * Incorporate it into my established morning practice (yoga>WHM >meditation) * Journal (BTW, great comments that are practical and I can immediately implement) I've set up my Proust journal. I very much appreciate your comments -- it takes ALL the pressure off, plowing through via your mindfulness frame. This allows me to continue my dance with Forster and Hemingway. EVERYONE needs to listen to this first before starting Proust (IMHO).

Florian Pesantes

Dear Ben, I liked what you are saying about finding gems and Easter eggs. I already found one at 15:58 of your video. When the picture of the art gallery blends back to your face, for a fracture of a second I could see the angel’s wing coming out of your shoulder. That’s nice. And applies. I have no particular concept about Proust. Just remembered that some decades ago people used to coquetting about how they failed to read “Swann” , nowadays one hears that even no more. I am absolutely determined to follow your lead to the dot here, as I trust your advice, your methods. So, the books should be arriving tomorrow in my absence, I’ll chase the blank beautiful journal and pen while I’m travelling. And then I shall find a good moment to open the book with appetite and an open mind. As you are asking about openings that stuck in our minds: “München leuchtete.“ are the first two words in ‘Gladius Dei’ by Thomas Mann. Precious the image it evokes, the sound of it and how it matches the title of the work. Difficult to translate: “Munich was aglow” captures the meaning, but not the sound and scent. Apart from this: I liked Bill Freeman’s comment here: especially as he says”it takes ALL the pressure off” That’s what you do all the time, taking pressure off, you are the lion that allows us to be the child.

hardcoreliterature
>>59546373

Bill - thank you! I think I may have been keeping the ethos of the "Proust Project" guarded until this point. But now the secret is out of the bag :) And having spoken with many of you, this is the kind of reading you really want. The delightful thing about this style is, as you mention, you can run other books alongside. Ta-da! We're reading multiple books simultaneously AND we have a mindfulness based practice. Perfect :) Also I love how you've phrased your reading of Hemingway and Forster as a dance!

hardcoreliterature
>>59564818

Dear Florian - ha! Thank you - You know, I've actually deliberately blended the faces of some writers into my own in some of the videos (Tolstoy, Austen), but this one was unintentional :) "coquetting about how they failed to read Swann" - I love that. The thing about Proust is, he's one of those authors that people always say they are "going" to read, but rarely do. Is that a shame? Or is the view from the mountain just as inspiring with just us intrepid literary travellers? I believe it's still breathtaking at the summit. And who knows? Perhaps they'll make the climb one day when Proust is right for them. It's great to hear you're travelling with Proust - we have a few Book Club members who are doing this. He's the perfect travel companion. I strongly believe that. And thank you for gifting us that first line. "Munich was aglow" sounds gorgeous to me, but I trust the original is eminently better :)

Jonathan Yance Jones

Will there be weekly instructions? Read, reread, other stuff?

hardcoreliterature
>>67426975

It's a long-term reading project with the rereads baked in. We're not following a weekly schedule. Readers are encouraged to self-pace it, with video lectures on Proust coming out a couple of times a month. And we are indeed reading quite a lot of other stuff in conjunction - it's a very deep read :)

Lori Miller

Benjamin, I really appreciate the “how to” videos that are offered before launching into a book/project. They help me slow down and think about why I want to do this and the best way to approach a text, particularly a long one. My intention for this project is to read and participate with the most openness, curiosity, and surrender I can muster. I know nothing about Proust, so I’m going to dive in and see what happens. I think I’m at a wonderful time in life to read Proust. I’m thinking of retirement in a few years (new adventure), and I have the time to read, reflect, and take on an extended project like this. I don’t have many apprehensions since I’m doing this with my fellow book club members and Benjamin’s help. I think that will make all the difference. I’ve been thinking a lot about the journaling practice. Based on what I know of myself, here’s my plan: I purchased two copies of Swann’s Way, the Montcrieff-Kilmartin translation and a volume from Yale University Press that is the Montcrieff translation edited and annotated by William C. Carter. The annotated addition has wonderfully wide margins, so I thought it could double as my notebook. I think this will be the first time in my entire life I have written in a book. I may faint. For my more rambling thoughts, I’ll do those on my laptop. I type much better/quicker that I write, so I think this will help me capture my thoughts and go with the flow. Attaching this to a practice is wonderful advice. I imagine this will take me 5+ years if I read to the end of Remembrance of Things Past, so I want to make it sustainable. My plan to begin is one page a day. I’m going to play around with my journaling to find the best time fit. Here’s something I’m super excited to try: Read my page in the morning, then at night, after I turn off the light to go to sleep, fall to sleep listening to Proust. I’m excited to take on this project and remain flexible until Proust becomes part of my everyday life. The Philosophy of Aesthetics assignment: Character – “Our social personalities are a creation of the thoughts of other people.” What do you think of this? I agree. It reminds me a one of the “four agreements” from don Miguel Ruiz: “DON’T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.” Narrative – I don’t currently have a journal with quotes and notes. I’ve had them at different times in my life, but I haven’t kept them. I’ve been thinking about creating a book journal on my tablet. This may be ideal to start playing with for a Proust journal, as I could drop in photos and pictures as needed.

Rob Hilliard

As a newbie here in the group, I keep finding such interesting and enticing posts, videos, and conversations in the back catalog. Here we have another fine example. Now, I have no prior knowledge of Proust whatsoever; never even heard his name, as far as I'm aware. And I would typically not even go near a work of this length, as I'm not a very fast reader... and I would think it would take me forever. But... that seems to be the actual goal, as it were, here. So, sign me up! :) If I can't find time in my day to read one page of this beast, then I need to do some serious reworking of my personal time, eh? Of course, I'm learning that it's not just the one (or few) pages, but also the reflecting, rereading, and... wait for it... journaling! Been a while since I tried journaling, but as I dive in deeply here in this newfound interest, I took a stroll into the journals section of the local Barnes & Noble Bookstore earlier today. I was deciding between a Moleskin ( I have used smaller pocket notebooks of theirs before) and the Leuchturm1917 offerings you have as your preferred choice, I noticed a "SALE" section. There were only a few journals on those disheveled... err... shelves, but I could not turn down these three steals!: 1) sienna brown leather Moleskine (ruled), regularly priced at $40, marked all the way down to $7 2) royal blue Leuchtturm 1917 (ruled), regular $20, initially marked down to $10, and then further down to $3 3) 2-pk pine green/lemon yellow Moleskine Volant (plain), regular $14, initially marked down to $8, and then further down to $3 Crazy, right? Check your local B&N in the sale/clearance sections, folks! The first two were opened... but they are in mint condition, so no harm-no foul. :) Now, to actually put them to good use. Wish me luck. Onward and upward! *Oh, yeah, now I need a new classy writing instrument, to do the exercise justice. Hmnnn... any personal faves?

Lisa Cassidy

Hello salon friends! I am a late joiner to the club but will likely be a long timer. I have loved the classics since I was a kid although I do love a good Stephen King novel too. I look forward to really relishing reading along with some new bookish friends!

hardcoreliterature
>>92640299

Hello Lisa! Welcome to the club :) We’re so happy to have you here reading with us. I love that term you used - “salon friends”. Wonderful. I’ll have to adopt that myself! Like you, I enjoy a good Stephen King novel too. I’m currently enjoying a reread of one of my favourites, Misery. Fits the season very well :)

Stella

Hi, I'm joining now as I need to feel I'm reading alongside friends. I'm a carer for my daughter so can't always get out and I need something I can do for myself, at home. I'm going to use my Waterman cartridge pen and a Rettacy notebook. I have a Montcrieff translation already but am wondering whether to get the Montcrieff/Kilmartin. My copy is in two volumes and belonged to my friend who died earlier this year. He sometimes used to read it to me and his enjoyment of particular words was strong and infectious.

Pina Baker

Hi Benjamin, thank you for your videos. I’ve enjoyed watching and learning from them. I adore your passion for books. I decided to read in Search of Lost Time 10 years ago and dutifully bought the whole set. Not your recommendation unfortunately. I read books 1 to 3 and then stopped and have meaning to get back for some time. Imagine my excitement when I came across your Hardcore Literature Club! I’ve made it my 2023 project to read all the books with some help. I’ve just ordered my journal - a Leuchtterm - and look forward to immersing myself again.

Esteban Watler

I purchased a copy of Swann's Way over the summer and so far made it halfway through, but I will start over to follow along with this series to better appreciate this work of art. Pre-Proust Reading Assignment 1) Black soft cover 5x8.25 ruled Moleskine notebook & .38 pen. I have the Vintage International Montcrieff & Kilmartin edition. 2) From my original reading I found myself relating to certain personality traits of the characters introduced and even recalling particular moments of my life that I had forgotten. As I begin again and slow down my reading I expect that I'll reach a level of introspection that I had not originally anticipated when I first decided to read Proust. As I embark on this journey I am in a state of transition as I finalize the steps to pursue a new career in the spring.

Mirjam

Coming rather late to this party, but then it will continue for a long time to come, or so I definitely hope. Finally today my copy of Proust volume 1 arrived (the Everyman’s Library) and I willl break it in today, starting with Bloom’s introduction. I use a Papacasso journal which I love. I write mostly with a fountainpen, I find my handwriting improves so much compared to ballpen. Only trouble is that the ink is so strong that I can only use one side of the page because the ink ‘bleeds through’, so I might choose to switch to a rollerpen (but with pain in my heart). On a more personal level I am at a bit of a cross road with my work and trying to find out if I still want to continue the same job or maybe change direction one more time (I’m currently 58 yrs) and that gives me some headaches. This place is already helping me so much in finding more quality ‘me-time’ and reflect on my life in general

Elle

Hello everyone - I am also new here after unexpectedly stumbling across the book club at a time in my life where perhaps I needed to find a community like this the most. Thank you, Ben, for creating this space and for your fantastic videos from which I have already learned so much. I have loved reading everyone's comments as I dive into the Proust Project. I am reading the Moncrieff-Kilmartin translation and have become totally immersed over the past week or so as I begin my day with savouring two or three pages. I have opted for a Leuchtturm1917 journal and to my delight have discovered they now have an option for 120g/m2 paper - no more bleeding through! My intention for this project is to truly immerse myself in this great work and remember how to find the beauty and magic from the journey again, both in literature and the rest of my life. As a child, I remember vividly the deep joy of visiting my local library at a weekend and discovering a new book within the stacks that sparked my imagination. I'd avidly read a chapter or two but be forced to leave it behind, having already taken out my allocation of books. I'd lie awake at night pondering the story and imagining what would come next before I could visit again the following week to read more. I've somehow lost this joy over the course of life and this seems like an ideal opportunity to rediscover it

Nancy RN

As the others above, I have just come upon the bookclub. In May 2021, I would not have been able to read much and certainly not in a meaningful way. The bookclub (and Proust) have come along at a time that I am in a different country/continent with a slower daily life at least for the next several months. Seems the right time for me to begin MY Search and learn to not search so heavily for lost time from my 53 years on the planet. This week, I am ending 2022 and starting 2023 in Paris which seems the perfect place and time for me to find a journal in a stationery shop as I walk along the Seine.