Remember summer book lists? Every June the teacher would hand them out, and every September I'd return to school having breezed through all the titles and then some. I was that kid, the one who kept a novel in every room of the house so I'd never be without entertainment of the literary kind. Yet somewhere along the way to becoming a boring grown-up—blame the Internet, a hectic career schedule, and a fear of falling victim to my own wandering thoughts—I stopped reading. And I'm not okay with that. I can feel my brain withering!
So this summer I've been practicing reading again, with 'practice' being the operative word as my attention span needs bolstering. I've eased beyond 'I should be working' guilt with self-help and psychology books, lost myself in poignant personal memoirs, and escaped into the past with historical fiction. The most marked shift since childhood? I fall asleep when I try to read at night, so now I enjoy my books with my morning coffee. Other than that, it's just like old times!
Tell me: Are you a big reader? What's on your nightstand at the moment? Shopping Guide: 1. Mary Coin, Marisa Silver. 2. Fever, Mary Beth Keane. 3. The Shift, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer 4. Wasted, Marya Hornbacher. 5. Quiet, Susan Cain. Images: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Eeeeeep. Yes. I had to cut back on the books I wanted to take with me though because my suitcase was too heavy. Right now I’m really into “The Shadow of the wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. It’s really good and continuing to get better every page! I also bought “The white Maasai” here (because there’s no better place to read than here, right?) but I just could not get into it at all. At all.
Good for you for reading! I have J.K. Rowling’s new one next on my list and I’ve just finished some history. For historical fiction look into Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel. Enjoy!