I love the feeling of the page as I’m reading. When I’m reading the left-hand page, the thumb of my right hand is lightly on the right-hand page and my right index finger rests on the top, measuring out with satisfaction the pages still to be read, from time to time lightly riffling them like a gambler with his deck of cards. When I’m approaching the bottom of the right-hand page I slide my index finger overleaf, separating the single page from the sheaf to come, ready to turn. The finger makes a slight sssshushhh sound as it slides between the sheets, and I can feel the grain of the paper against the edge of my finger, and the finger-pad against the page, and my thumb is still on this page, ready to help turn. All this without looking, almost absent-mindedly but not at all absent of mind. I like the feel and sound of it, the lightness and pressure of the paper. As we were reading, Jo said: “I like the sound of you turning the page.”
3 November 2026 (Tuesday) – Vouno Melisson
