April 17, 2013
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Reading is FUN-damental
I have really had little interest in Xanga, as of late… because I’m going thru another reading phase. This happens regularly – I love to read. And when a reading kick hits, I’m on the sofa by the window, sunlight streaming down on the pages of books. Scads and scads of books.
At the bottom of my page is a link to Goodreads. Thanks to my friend, Missy, I found Goodreads, and joined their 2013 Reading Challenge a few months ago. But I’m reading so many books… that I had to up my target goal a month ago, already! And more, it’s looking like I’m going to have to up that goal again, probably in the near future. Because… I like to read.I’m an indiscriminate reader. That means I like thrillers, mysteries, action, biography, fantasy, sci-fi, gothic, classic, dytstopia, modern, how-tos, westerns and more. Pretty much if there’s words in it, I’ll pick it up and give it a try. And I try to shake it up by jumping around genres, which makes things fun, too. Since I can’t browse at the library (having five littles in tow), I mostly browse Amazon, and write down things that sound good, then look them up at the on-line card catalog, and know exactly what to get when I go to the libraries. Plural – I have eight that we frequent on a regular basis.
I get books everywhere. Goodwill. Garage sales. Library book sales. I never pay more than a buck for a book, and we have just TONS of books. There was a lady on Freecycle a few years ago who bought Harlequin new releases, and bagged them
up and gave them away as she finished them… I have seven of her bags that I haven’t even gotten to, yet (I call them my SHTF books… they’re for when libraries no longer exist. LoL!!!). We have shelf after shelf after shelf of books here at the house – Classics. School recommended reads. A to Z mysteries, Magic Tree house books, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drews for Lydia, I have shelves of Bibles and commentaries and more. Our lesson books. Encyclopedias of history, poetry, art, literature, and just plain encyclopedias. This is the bookshelf of a gal I ‘follow’ on Facebook… I have severe bookshelf envy of her. I need Brian to build us some more bookshelves. When we build on, maybe…?Since Ali talked me into an e-Reader tablet (and my friend ‘V’ hooked me up with one), I have gotten literally thousands of free books via Amazon.com. I belong to Pixel of Ink on FB, which gives four free books everyday. Homeschool Creations links to even more, every other day. And there’s a homeschool FB list (New Bee Homeschooler) that I’m on that gives even MORE books – today is an easy leather-working book and bird flashcards. Luckily, now that Lydia has a Ki’nook, I can send the kid books to hers and separate the grown-up ones to mine. But there are SO many books to read, and so little time!
Following the Goodreads link in the corner takes me to my page. And the fun thing about Goodreads is that you can log what you read. Of course I started 25 years too late (and can’t go back and add EVERYTHING I’ve ever read, hello)… but I log everything since January and have been rating and reviewing them. It’s so fun, acting like the Roger Ebert of literature, over there. So my reading challenge? Oh, yeah, it’s going swimmingly.
Mostly I like love stories. Romances. Which is… if any writer is worth their salt, there’s a love interest, regardless of WHAT kind of book it is. Because as the Beatles’ sang, “All you need is love, love. Love is all you need.” And I like love stories. They’re an escape, in my life. Because there just ain’t a lot of love to be had, in my little world. Never was. And I’m not complaining… I’m just saying.
To get any sort of semblance of kindness, interaction, or caring, I go into a book. Brian’s great – don’t get me wrong, but he’s the ONLY person in my real life who gives me kindness/interaction/caring, and I can’t lay that much on his shoulders. So I dive into books for supplement.I had a friend once (haha… not funny, but it seems funny, to say ‘had’ like that) who berated me for reading romances. She said that it was wrong as a christian, because THOSE BOOKS (all caps) only served to make women unhappy in their marriages, to serve as an unrealistic comparison to their spouse. If someone has a problem like that, and can’t differentiate that it’s not them in the story, they’ve got bigger problems than a little book can be blamed for. Better never watch a movie with actors kissing r’anything, either! Sheesh, what a load of hooey. ((Almost makes me think there was a valid reason the Lord took that friend from my life. Almost.))
I do read books with S-E-X in them. GASP, Shock, oh the horrors!!! Oh, puh-leeze. Sex is a part of life. I read books with murder, deception, and conflict in them, too. Sometimes even four-letter words! Isn’t that AWFUL??? Y’know… books are about other places, other situations, other people than you may have contact with in your life. It’s about seeing the world thru different eyes for a little while. It broadens ones horizons.
But the reason I really wanted to write about reading today is because I wanted to state for the record that waiting drives me crazy. The mundane of our school routine, our family routine, our lives… when the get mired in ruts deeper than I am tall? Sometimes, I just leave it. Not grabbing the keys and abandoning my responsibilities or something, but… I don’t think there’s anything wrong with getting caught up in the pages of a book… or twelve. ((I’m a fast reader.)) Besides, it’s good for my kids to see me reading. It encourages them to do the same. Heck, I’ve had Brian reading about every night – He’s doing Enclave and Outpost ((I. LOVE. THEM.))… and he grew up in a home where reading was nearly non-existent. He didn’t read before he met me – not even for school… he just flunked the book reports, because he didn’t care, and thought books were a drag. He married the WRONG woman – I set myself down on the toilet seat while he showered and read to him, when we got married. Complete with accents and the works. He was SO freaked at first, but then really got into the stories… and realized that books are NOT a drag. Now he reads TONS of books… keeps up with Lydia and I pretty well. I just keep bringing them home for him and lining him up. He laughs, but he really does enjoy it.
And reading is not just fun… it’s fundamental. It’s encouraging. Enlightening. Enriching. It’s so much more than just words on a page. It’s recorded thoughts, dreams, aspirations, fears, and hope. The Lord must like literature – there’s poetry, prose, proverb, adventure, war, love, hope, and prophecy in HIS book. It’s intoxicating. Invigorating. Interesting!
And I love every minute of it.
So in case you wonder what I’m up to, lately?
I’m on a reading kick.
Comments (8)
Sex is in the Bible from the getgo. And if it’s okay to read about it there (even in children’s Bibles), well then I don’t really know why people complain it elsewhere. :p
I have a *huge* stack of books to read, and never can find the time.
*points to large stack of Nancy Drew that still sit on her shelf since childhood* ^_^
My husband and his boys are *not* readers – they just never got ‘into’ reading.
Whereas – my family reads like we breathe. My dad was a machinist for 30 years and once the machine was set he would read – he would get through 2,000 pages during a work week easily and still have his work done WAY ahead of schedule. (of course that was back in the days when you had to write your own program for everything – now they just download it and walk away)
he would actually get upset if he knew he would finish a book before he had something else to read. Now he has a hard time reading for long – arthritis in his neck.
When I met my husband I would (like you!) read to him all the time I read the David Eddings Diamond Throne series to him and he Loved it. The teenage boys thought reading was dumb – but every evening they would creep in the room as I was reading to hear how our hero was getting along.
I started reading it to Danny a few weeks ago, but I missed a few days and he came in and started telling me some funny stuff from the book. Whoa – what chapter are you on?? chapter 11?? Part of me was upset – because you know the voices and reading out loud is a treat for me. But I was worried for along time that my kid would not love to read.
If you can read it – I recommend it – you will love the characters.
PS my husband actually tells me I have too many books and I don’t need any more because I don’t have enough time to ready the ones I have. :twitch:
That thinking is diametrically opposed to my own.
Wait – there’s such a thing as too many books? What?????? I…can NOT comprehend that thought!
If it were up to *me*’, every wall in my house would be lined with books. ALL types – like you, Anna, I’ll read anything that’ll sit still long enough for me to see the words. Romances? Good for an hour or so. Novels? Yum! S-e-x? Yes….but sometimes the author goes over my limit (if the book is otherwise good, I skip he too graphic parts.). E-books have made it easier for me to indulge….and Calibre has made it possible for me to organize all my epubs. (Over 4K at last count…but it’s been awhile).
Give me a book and I’m happy. So far, both kids read – but PS almost killed Ian’s love. I’m slowly trying to give it back to him…..
I LOVE to read too! And I have lots and lots of books. I’m like you, I get them at Goodwill and yard sales and flea markets, and I don’t pay more than $2 for them. Up here, every year, the library has a book sale. Tables and tables and tables of books, paper backs $1 and hard backs $2. And around the end of the day, they sell as many as you can fit in a plastic bag for $4. No limits. I go nuts every year! I have more books than shelves, but we are going to get a bigger house and I will turn one room into a library.
And I agree, reading is so much more than just fun. It makes your mind strong, and I think keeping the mind sharp will help prevent things like dementia.
I recommend the Outlander series by Diane Gabaldon. Romance, time travel, history, a sexy scottish man. I love them. They are my absolute favorite. And she is coming out with a new one this fall.
Time travel is my absolute LEAST fave. Having said (and just to give you a laugh, because this is HIGHLY unusual), I’ve just started a time travel novel this morning. BUT – in my defense, it’s a dystopian future heroine goes back in time to Regency England book, so it’s a little different.
Wow, looking at your bookcases I think I have book envy! Just looking through your bookcases would make me happy let alone reading them. I really enjoyed reading this post, so thanks for the inspiration.