No Time to Spare

This lovely collection of short essays have been written in LeGuin's inimitable voice and contain much wit and wisdom. They have helped me to better understand my life and examine my days from a new perspective.

Maria Popove of Brain Pickings has referred so often to Ursula Le Guin that I finally decided to try her, though I knew she was basically a writer of fantasy, which I believed I had out grown. No Time to Spare is a collection of Le Guins' blogs, which she began writing in her 80ties. I was amazed and inspired by her interest in current affairs (angry) her concerns about the world in general, her delightful chapters about her cat Pard. I don't know if she ever wrote another book similar to this - being mostly a writer of fiction. I found myself wishing I could meet her, writer, wishing she were my friend. Sadly I found she had died this past year. I now have an entire LeGuin series on my Kindle and probably will read all that she wrote. I am definitely enjoying the first book more that I would have if I hadn't had the gift of first reading Thinking about what Matters. Highly recommended.

This book will charm the reader, especially if the reader is introspective by nature, and even more so if a cat-lover, since Le Guin’s cat Pard is often a crucial actor in her life. Beneath its often deceptively casual contemplations and evocative descriptions lie provocative issues and stances, some undeclared without being vague, some prominently displayed and fiercely defended. Le Guin invariably employs precisely the tone and situation designed to elicit reader response on a great variety of topics.

I ordered this book because I thought it would be a hard nosed honest look at aging. But aside from a few tidbits Leguin includes nature social and political philosophy, literary observations, her cat and the like. A bright woman, a good writer, but too all over the place for what I was after.

This is my first book for 2018, just finished last night. I was, and still am, reading another book at the same time, but for the first book of the year, this one seemed the most appropriate. It's not just because I am a big Le Guin and have been since high school, it's also because her work has always been a touchstone in my life, from The Dispossessed and Left Hand of Darkness and Language of the Night and ... (insert a string of titles here ) all read and reread I don't know how many times. I wrote my dissertation on her rhetorical use of myth.I recognized, and still recognize, myself in her stories and essays and I did, again here, in this beautiful collection of short essays and musings, in which she is examining "the last great frontier of life, old age, and exploring new literary territory: the blog, a forum where her voice--sharp, witty, as compassionate as it is critical--shines" (front cover). The subject matter ranges questions from readers, her cat, Pard, turning 80+, faith and belief, among others. She writes, as always, with grace and style. Her prose is beautiful. As Michael Chabon says, "As a deviser of worlds, as a literary stylist, as a social critic and as a storyteller, Le Guin has no peer" (back cover).My love affair continues.Highly recommended.

I know author as writer of fantasy, but this deals with real life issues.

This was a book chosen by my Book Group. I believe that it is particularly interesting for older women. Reading No Time to Spare gets you thinking about your life and what you want to do with the time you have left to live. Ursula LeGuin is a deep thinker and shares her opinions on literature, male dominance and women's role. She pushes the reader to reflect .

What wisdom this 1970s ground breaking author has gathered over a lifetime! Still writing with piercing, clear language - what a delight to hear her voice her observations in her 80s. Makes me want to 1) appreciate life in all its small and vast spender, and 2) find more of her books to read!

As ever Ursula Le Guin is wonderful to read, again & again - a book to read straight through & to dip into to feel good.

Ursula Le Guin no deja de sorprenderme con sus ideas y la manera en que las transmite a través de sus escritos. En esta ocasión cada capítulo del libro nos deja una historia aparentemente sencilla y cotidiana que va asentándose poco a poco en nuestro ser, de modo que de pronto la sabiduría que sus palabras contienen nos asaltan en un momento inesperado mostrándonos una verdad muy vista pero escasamente apreciada.

Regardless if you know or like Ursala K. Le Guinn's books, there is something profoundly touching about the thoughts and words in this book.

I was sad to learn of the author's passing and ordered the book as much in homage to her long and brilliant career as to actually see what she had to say. Wonderfully, by actually reading this little book of hard-earned wisdom, I got to know much better an old friend I'd previously known only through her fiction. Thank you and RIP Ursula.

Dopo aver letto tutti i suoi romanzi ora sto leggendo tutti i saggi che ha scritto.È una fonte di profondità ironia e ispirazione quale sia il tema sociale, letterario o poetico che tratta.