Have any of you felt like this is the longest week ever? Maybe you have been looking forward to Friday since last Friday. I know that this has been a long week, and I am SO glad it is finally Friday!
I found some interesting reading material this week, and once again, wanted to share that with you all.
- Sherman Alexie…read his work. There’s a new book coming out, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me. This is a book about his mother. A complicated woman, she was a quilt maker, and they had a strained relationship. Alexie has been quoted as saying that producing the audiobook was hard. Maybe we’ve had relationships like that with our own parents, or know folks who have struggled. Also, incase you didn’t know, Alexie is a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian. He writes beautifully of his heritage.
- Charif Shanahan is a poet who has an amazing collection called Into Each Room We Enter without Knowing. His book has been published by Southern Illinois University Press! You should check it out! http://siupress.siu.edu/
So, because of this new reading material, I wondered where you all like to read? For me, I can curl up with a good book in my reading chair. Yep. I have a reading chair. It is perfect. I also have the best blanket to go along with it. Sometimes I read while I am eating my lunch. I read with a cup of tea. I get lost in a book.
I am working on a book review (my first!)…and I AM SO EXCITED. I am reading an amazing book, See Me For Who I Am which is a great collection of experiences that are often connected to the military-civilian divide. At times, the stories are heartbreaking and at times the stories seem familiar, a little therapeutic if you will. I’ll keep you all posted on the review!
I read what I love. I enjoy a variety of books, it is really hard to pinpoint my favorite genre or author. But, I do know that once I start reading I immerse myself in that book. I’ve put a few books on hold to start a new book. That’s wild! Who does that? I love to picture the characters, the scenery, everything that goes on, I want to understand, I want to relate, I want to have a connection.
I also buy books whenever I want…eek. When I was in Portland I had to stop in Powell’s bookstore. I could have stayed FOR HOURS. I was also at a conference that allowed me to get books as well. So…being a book lover that flew to Portland, I had to ship books back to myself. Yep. I had that many.
So, this Friday, after a long day, I plan on curling up with a good book! I want to get lost and enjoy the surroundings of the characters, and be connected.
What ways to you relax, rejuvenate, and disconnect from day to day life? For me, it is reading. For others, it is running, hiking, maybe a Netflix binge. Whatever it is that you do, I hope you enjoy, and remember that books are amazing! I’d be lost without them!
Powell’s Bookstore in Portland, Oregon. ALL.THE.BOOKS are there, you guys!