My resolution (for those of you not in the know) was to read a book a month. I don’t plan for enough pleasure reading in my life these days. I read one book last year (The Time Traveler’s Wife so good, please check it out.) and so I decided that a new year’s resolution was a good place to change that. A book a month isn’t at all difficult a goal for me, that’s one of the reasons why I chose to accomplish this way. So I won’t collapse from the pressure if I don’t fulfill a goal like: read 5 major works of literature that you have never read in one month for every month in 2007. Life enriching, true. But who needs that kind of pressure?
January’s book was Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. Great stories. Not amazing as far as books go. I guess it was a memoir of sorts and I’m no expert on memoirs (writing nor reading) (which is not to say that I am an expert on any kind of writing) but I felt like it wasn’t very strong structurally. It sort of meanders from tale to tale entertaining and inspiring, but without a nice arc to the whole thing. If you are a teacher, interested in teaching or just enjoy reading fine true life stories, pick it up and give it a read. It goes quickly and reads easily.
February’s book was supposed to be The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. I started it midway through the month, but never put aside the time for it. Being that it was nonfiction, there wasn’t a story that pulled me in to keep reading. It was more for improving my mind and finally reading this oft-referenced work so I could see what the hub-bub was all about. So far I’ve read about the Hush-Puppies (don’t laugh, that part was in the introduction), the plummet of crime in New York and the syphilis pandemic in Baltimore (okay, you can laugh. That’s all in the first chapter.). It reads like a university course lecture which I’m fine with but I guess my brain isn’t after a long day at the office, or on weekends when all it really wants to do is be lazy and not think too much about anything.
March’s book is going to be so exciting, I can hardly wait. I put a hold on it at our local library (which if you live anywhere near or happen to be visiting, you should check it out. It’s a lovely, lovely library. Huge! With a modern furniture exhibit going on right now.). The book is Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay and it’s supposed to be in the library this weekend and I think (hope) that I am one of the first to reserve it. I have even taken measures to announce at the last Kenny family meeting that once the book is in my hot little paws, I plan to take a weekend off and hibernate with the book. If I lived all alone, I would just read it straight through stopping only to pee and maybe grab a bag of chips to munch on. But since m is pretty serious about our three meals a day, and sleep, he finds sleep important too, anyways, I will have to adjust what my normal reading marathons are like to my husband’s fussy demands.
Maybe to make amends I’ll try for two books in March. To make up for February. February is a short month too. Not enough weekends in it to get stuff done. All right then. I feel better about it. I’m glad I came clean with it though. Wouldn’t do to keep secrets about such things. Makes it seem all sneaky and subversive or something.
And how is it that I don’t even have a post category for books? How out of touch with pleasure reading have I become?? Let’s fix that.
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