I love to read; I always have. I crave the written word like my dead grass craves the sprinklers . When I was younger, my sisters would tease (or torment) me that when I was supposed to be cleaning, instead, I would be distracted by reading something - it didn't matter what. It could be a book, a magazine, a brochure, a program from my younger brother's kindergarten play, a grocery ad, a phone book, a coupon, a receipt - anything.
When I was in elementary school, my goal was to read every book in the city library (I gave up on that when I realized how many nonfiction books existed. I just don't really care about bugs or science or boring stuff).
I can't eat breakfast without reading. Cheerios, milk, and the newspaper just go together like three best friends. You can't leave one out or the others feel bad. I subscribe to the newspaper just so I have fresh reading material at breakfast and to make the cereal and milk happy.
One of my favorite things to do is to spend the day reading. I love it when it rains or snows and I can justify not going anywhere and spend the day cuddled up in a warm blanket with a great book and reading the day away or sitting outside in the shade on a nice sunny day in a comfortable chair with a nice cold glass of lemonade and the newest Mary Higgins Clark book and nothing else to do. Ohh, but that is the problem now...I always have something else to do!
Now that I am the main housekeeper, cook (or milk source), chauffeur, diaper changer, bill payer, caregiver, storybook reader, or in other words MOM. I can't always while away my hours immersed in a good book. So I have discovered a new way to indulge in my favorite pastime while still accomplishing all the tasks I must do in one day.
I listen to books on tape! I actually prefer books on tape rather than CD because tapes are more portable. I wear a cassette Walkman clipped to my jeans with headphones. (In fact I asked for a new cassette Walkman, with a rewind button-yea!, for my anniversary last year and I was so happy when my wish came true. I have already worn out 2 pairs of headphones). I wear the headphones so the story can move with me and the kids can't hear (not that I'm listening to anything inappropriate but Emily will actually listen and murder mysteries aren't exactly appropriate for 5 year olds.)
Books on tape run in my family so to speak. My mom and Vicki listen to a lot of books on tape. Mom loves to listen to George Guidall read The Cat Who books. She often has a book on tape going during the day. Maybe I can say I learned from her example. Books on tape make the drudgery of housework much more interesting. I mean lets face it; mopping the floor is so boring and laundry can be such a pain. But when you are listening to a good book it is actually an incentive to keep working so you can keep listening. Sometimes I actually look forward to a day of cleaning and laundry because I have the companionship of a good book. Try it - your house might be cleaner because of it!
What I'm listening to right now: The First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde (The 5th in the Thursday Next series) Very good!!! Start with The Eyre Affair
Books/authors I like to listen to (a very small sample):
The Cat Who books/Lilian Jackson Braun
Thomas Pitt or Monk series by Anne Perry
Thomas Pitt or Monk series by Anne Perry
Elm Creek Quilt series by Jennifer Chiaverini
Harry Potter/J.K. Rowling (great reader!)
Okay, I'll listen to just about anything but I have to admit that 1776 read by the author was a little boring.
Do you have any good suggestions of what to read/listen to? I'm always looking for something new.
3 comments:
I think I get almost all of my titles from you. I am constantly amazed with how much you have read, and how whenever I need a title of something new to read, you can suggest something good!
How well put: cereal, milk, and reading go together like three best friends! I also get a lot of good titles from you and always can use more because in my house reading is usually what you can find us doing pretty much any time of the day, and I love that Jenni and I can spent hours chatting about good books. At work, I can listen to NPR or audio books all day (actually, it is against the rules but I have my justifications) and therefore get a bit more in than the usual person. I find that sometimes I would listen to an audio book I probably wouldn't take the time to actually read, but usually I determine if I want to listen to the book by the reader, whether they are good or bad. Example: Goodbye Alexander McCall Smith! Get a better reader!
Its so true she is a total addict. Does anyone know of a 12 step program for reading addiction?
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