Thursday, May 24, 2007

Summer Readin'

In the flurry of the regular semester, I rarely get time to make a dent in the steadily increasing pile of Things I Should (and/or Want to) Read. But this summer, I am making an effort to read voraciously and widely. This past week, I polished off Oryx and Crake, The Namesake, and have almost completed Night (which I'll post about when I finish). The library has two more books awaiting me that I requested--one about the wedding consumerism culture (you might find it interesting, Kerry) and one about a woman who decided to go a year without buying anything unnecessary.

I used to read wildly during the summers, before I started working and schooling. Then, somewhere, I lost the ability to just read. Sit down with a book and read for hours. Part of it was the working and the schooling, part of it was also that I became much more social. But finishing two books this week made me feel good about my ability to still sit down and get through a book, even with the working and the schooling and the socializing.

I like it when I have an active reading life. My creativity and energy go up. I think more. I have more to talk about, and I can recommend books to others. It feels like something I should be doing, considering my future goals and all. And I really enjoy the satisfying feeling of finishing up a good book. It's like being thirsty and finishing off a tall glass of refreshing water, when you say "Ahhhh" and smack your lips with contentment.

What are you all currently reading?

3 comments:

Kathryn said...

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately. Also reading some books on Microsoft Access and Oracle. Terribly exciting.

If I had some free time I would finish rereading Thomas Merton's "Seeds of Contemplation" (I think this would be my third reading of the book). I had to put it back on my bookshelf because I've been so busy. I'm also about 1/3 of the way through his "No Man is an Island" book. I tend to read multiple books at a time...but usually on similar subjects.

PossumCrepes said...

I've been spending a lot of time reading and writing on blogs, too. Upon thinking about it, I suppose I still had quite a good amount of pleasure reading throughout college--it was just on the blogosphere instead of in books. Interesting...

Quiet Moments said...

I miss reading. I will frantically read as much as I can in the days around the wedding.

And thanks, but I know first-hand about the consumerism wedding culture. *grins and winks*