I woke up this morning thinking, "January 10th. It's the Day to Read." Oh, no! The Day to Read was on January 10th of 2008. Last year I was psyched up on January 9th and wrote a report of my reading on January 11th.I took note when SMID (Soccer Mom in Denial) challenged us to do it again in 2009. I even posted about it on my blog.
But then something came along and got in the way of my thinking ~
I moved.
Yep, I haven't been thinking. Correction: I haven't been thinking in my normal channels. I've been moving, but I've been reading. Here's a list of the books I completed in the last half of December, during the time from signing the lease to getting moved into my new place:
Dec. 15 ~ Catherine Called Birdy, by Karen Cushman, young adult historical fiction, 1994
Dec. 16 ~ One True Thing, by Anna Quindlen, fiction, 1994
Dec. 17 ~ The Secret School, by Avi, young adult fiction, 2001
Dec. 19 ~ Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel, by Michio Kaku, physics, 2008
Dec. 21 ~ Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really DO Make a Difference, by Lynne Truss, punctuation, 2006
Dec. 24 ~ The Alpine Christmas, by Mary Daheim, mystery, 1993
Dec. 25 ~ Maxine: Yelling It Like It Is, by John M. Wagner, humor, 2001
Dec. 26 ~ Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, by Richard Bach, fiction, 1977
Dec. 27 ~ We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy, by Maurice Sendak, children's (sort of), 1993
Dec. 28 ~ Too Bad, Ahab, by Marilyn Lashbrook, children's Bible story, 1990
Dec. 29 ~ The Reincarnationist, by M. J. Rose, fiction, 2007
I was reading a lot, as you can see. Eleven books in fourteen days. It was a good way to relax when I was tired from packing and lifting and transporting and lifting and unpacking at the new place. But it made me forget the correct 2009 Day to Read. Dang!
Nevertheless, I can write a report on what I read. Even if I failed to notify the world I'd be reading more than blogs. And even though I didn't take notes during the actual Day of Reading.
While moving, I've been loading and unloading boxes. That means I found stacks of old newspapers and magazines. I seem to have the idea that I can't throw things away unread. Think about it -- "unread" is one of the worst words in the English language for readers. So I skimmed the old newspapers and read parts of old magazines. And at my new place (a gated community for seniors) we have a "library" of sorts -- people contribute books and magazines and others are welcome to borrow whatever they want to read. It's small, but I looked it over and found Avi's The Secret School (see above) that I completed it overnight on December 17th. So on Thursday, January 8th, I happen to know I was reading two copies of AARP: The Magazine that I borrowed from "the library" here.
I picked up the January/February issues of 2008 and 2009. Last year's issue had Caroline Kennedy on it, and this year's has Glenn Close -- because AARP begins the year by presenting ten people who make a difference. I read about those twenty people (ten twice) and all the other articles in each magazine.
What else did I read? The menu when I went out to eat with my two daughters and my youngest granddaughter that evening, and the signs all over the Creative Discovery Museum when I took my granddaughter there after we ate. (You remember Cady, don't you? Now you know we do more than swim together and review books.)
Wow! That is just downright impressive. No worries about the date. Just glad you were reading. But then, that is part of you so no need to prod!
ReplyDeleteMy word (pun intended)...you sure can read! I don't think I could get through that many books in that span of time if all I did was sit and read. I tend to linger and drift off into thought...or if reading at night, drift off into sleep :-) That you did this while at the same time moving...well, that's just plain miraculous! Hope the move has gone well and that everything is A-OK.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Bonnie! So glad you got all moved in and hopefully settled. I can see you will be spending a lot of time in your new "library" - actually I can picture you running the place, incorporating the Dewey Decimal System, etc. Just kidding, but it does sound like fun, sharing books and magazines with your neighbors. Looking forward to hearing all about your new life!
ReplyDeleteYes, SMID, reading has been a part of me since before I learned what words (or even letters) meant. Mother discovered me reading to my baby brother, getting all the words right and turning the pages at the right time, and then realized I had MEMORIZED the whole book.
ReplyDeleteJune, reading was my break from moving, which I did slowly, one car load at a time. And I would read myself to sleep each night, reading as if my life depended on it -- and my sanity probably did, since I was very sick while moving and exhausted most of the time.
Susan and June, it was a good move, though I'm still (in a sense) moving in. Doing it slowly has been perfect for me right now, and I've been buying what I need and doing things when I'm ready -- like filling the bookshelves and putting stuff on the walls. It's been much more relaxed than any previous move.
Susan, my new "library" could easily BECOME my new life, though I've never actually seen anyone leaving or taking a book or magazine. They do change, thogh, so I think I'm not the only person perusing them. However, please note, I do not intend to immerse myself in the free-book library.
Instead, I've booked Wednesday the 21st for my writers critique group to meet in the community center for two or three hours, rather than at a deli, as we usually do. The people in the senior community are very active and assure me "they" offer lots of activities for us. Whoa! I'm not looking for MORE things to do, but FEWER. I'm a busy girl already and need to find more time to write book reviews. (I am SO behind!)
But the best part is that I really like this new place -- and the people in that community.