Behold! A selection of watches! Just kidding! It’s books. But not 52. Only 24.
I have had an ongoing love affair with the written word since I was 6 years old. In my life BC (that is, Before Children) I easily churned through 2,000 pages per week. It is very safe to say that I have missed reading more than I have missed regular meals and plenty of hot water for showering. It seems that there has been a shift in household dynamics in the past 6 months or so. All my children are now readers. They get the concept of, “just a sec, I’m reading.” This is new and different. It’s been roughly 25 years since I was able to say that and get the desired response, which is….waiting just a sec without whining or pouting. I’m able to read again.
In 2013, I read 50 books. I eeked the last one out on New Year’s Eve, but eek it out I did. This year, my goal is 52. Magazines count, as long as I read the whole thing. Textbooks count, with the same caveat. Books that I pick up, read 10% of and then discard also count. Because if the author doesn’t have my attention 10% in, if I am not emotionally invested or at least curious by that point, he/she hasn’t written a good book and life is too short to read crappy books. There are so many good ones out there waiting for a little love. There were 2 such discards last year.
I’d like, at least for the first 6 months of the year, to read primarily paper books, and ones that may or may not move with me. I gathered these up last night from various nooks, crannies, and shelves. Then I added them to my currently reading list at goodreads. Yes, I currently have 28 books in my “currently reading” list. Too few you say?
You will probably note the Holling C. Holling selections in the back. Yes, kid books count too, depending. I have many books here that I used when I homeschooled my children. When we stopped, I kept the ones that I wanted to read myself and I think it’s time I allow myself to do that.
Anyway, these are the ones I plan to start with. Some of them are underway already. My plan is to start a new one each Wednesday so I can talk about it on Thursday. Because, do you remember this?
Last night, I started You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down by Alice Walker. This is a collection of short stories, and they are short shorts. The longest so far is about 15 pages, and the shortest was two paragraphs. Interestingly enough, it’s the two paragraph story that is still blazing in my mind this morning. It’s called “Petunia.” Read it if you get the chance.
This week’s BTT question is: “What were your favorite books last year?â€
In fiction, History of Love , by Nicole Krauss. It is a beautiful story beautifully told, and earned a spot on the permanent shelf alongside The Time Traveler’s Wife. I also greatly enjoyed The Book Thief.
Nonfiction, Tao Te Ching and Thich Nhat Hahn’s Peace is Every Step. Both of these were game changers for me, and I plan to read them once a year every year for the foreseeable future.
