I’ve Got the Fever, Book Fever

Whenst I first began this here blog, I was fast approaching ungrad graduation and beginning the laziest year of my life. That year I did actually have a job, an awesome job, but restaurants don’t really open until 11. Or at least the one I worked at didn’t. And because it was open 6 days/week, and some days shifts lasted more than 8 hours, I didn’t have the typical 8-5 job. Some days I didn’t work at all! It was fantastic.

However, some days did bring boredom. You can only watch so much daytime TLC, TBS, Vh1, and MTV. I did have a fun tradition with my roommate Sammy who would come home for lunch, and we would eat and watch Just Shoot Me reruns together. Blah blah blah, odd tangent there…… Anyway, so I decided to pick up reading again. I had been a big reader during youth, petered out during junior high and high school and completely stopped in college because I couldn’t be bothered. But right outside my door was our bookcase filled with other people’s books just calling me to come over and read them. One of my roommates, Becky, had some books she hadn’t even read yet. (I am the type of person that will only buy a book if I’ve already read it, Becky is the opposite.)

I selected the book Atonement. I had never seen the movie, so I was excited to read it and discover it on my own. I had heard that was some unpleasantness in the first part of the book, but once I got passed things of a minorly graphic nature, it was fantastic. It was like the spark plug in my literary tank of gas (terrible, terrible analogy). I started reading one book after another, bang bang bang. Even sneaked some in to work when I was just at the cashier desk. It was like all the books I could have read during school were coming back in full force. Even when I started grad school the next year I would set aside reading time. A flame that couldn’t be extinguished. (Lots of references to fire and heat in this post.) I did slow down during thesis time, but picked up again right after.

I keep a running list on the index card I use as a bookmark for all my books and the timeframe that I read the books listed on that card. I also keep a “book box”. I like to keep track of what books I’ve read for a couple reasons. 1) My mom kept a “book box” of all the books she’s ever read, a little summary of them, and what she thought of them. Just little index cards. She has about 2-3 card boxes bursting with the cards. She, and the other members of my family, have always been voracious readers, so I felt like I needed to step it up and keep track. My book box still looks quite bare. And 2) I sometimes refer to my running list when someone asks me for suggestions. It’s amazing how easy it is to forget what you’ve read in the last couple months.

Since starting WIC, unfortunately reading has slowed. I really only have time for reading when I get home for about 30 minutes or so, and during lunch hour. So lunch has become a very selfish, precious hour for me. The problem is also compounded with the fact that I also get Rolling Stone and Food Network magazines. Lots more to read each month. Anyway, I’m working my way through the Girl Who Played With Fire. I read the first book in the series over a year ago, figured I should finish it up. I can honestly say I have no interest in seeing the movies based on these books. They are so incredibly graphic in print, I never want to see it on film.

After this, I’m not sure what I’ll read. I flip flop between classics that I feel like I should have read, and contemporary books that everyone is talking about. My family always pushes Dickens, so maybe I’ll do another one of those….

This post was brought to you today by the fact that NO ONE is showing up for their appointments. Slow slow slow….