please don't talk to me, I'm reading
Everyone has their idea of the perfect vacation. Now when I say vacation, I mean a time to relax and escape real life. My dream trips include hiking Machu Picchu and taking a boat from Spain to Morocco. I crave adventure. But the most relaxing vacation I can imagine is a week on the beach with nothing to do but soak up the sun, swim, and read.
I actually experienced such a vacation at the end of my semester abroad in Ecuador. One week of a novel-a-day laying on a towel in the sand. No one interrupted my reading time. I didn't really have to talk to anyone.
Since I am no longer on a beach and have actual responsibilities to tend to, uninterrupted reading time is harder to come by. Thus, when I make time to read, it has to be worth my time. As much as I live to read, I have very discerning tastes when it comes to book choice. If it's fiction it has to be well-writen, and if I can't relate to the main character I'm sure not going to finish the book. If it's non-fiction, it must have relevant application to my life. With those qualifications in mind I spend hours perusing the libraries, both virtual and physical to choose the perfect book. (The day I discovered how to borrow books from my Nook was one of the best days of my life.)
With that in mind I would like to start a reading page on this blog. It will be a space where I list and review books I find to be worthwhile, germane, or intriguing. In this way I hope to start a community where one can find recommendations for their next read, and recommend those books they would like to share and discuss with others.
The books I have in mind to discuss so far are
I actually experienced such a vacation at the end of my semester abroad in Ecuador. One week of a novel-a-day laying on a towel in the sand. No one interrupted my reading time. I didn't really have to talk to anyone.
Since I am no longer on a beach and have actual responsibilities to tend to, uninterrupted reading time is harder to come by. Thus, when I make time to read, it has to be worth my time. As much as I live to read, I have very discerning tastes when it comes to book choice. If it's fiction it has to be well-writen, and if I can't relate to the main character I'm sure not going to finish the book. If it's non-fiction, it must have relevant application to my life. With those qualifications in mind I spend hours perusing the libraries, both virtual and physical to choose the perfect book. (The day I discovered how to borrow books from my Nook was one of the best days of my life.)
With that in mind I would like to start a reading page on this blog. It will be a space where I list and review books I find to be worthwhile, germane, or intriguing. In this way I hope to start a community where one can find recommendations for their next read, and recommend those books they would like to share and discuss with others.
The books I have in mind to discuss so far are
- Writing About Your Life: A Journey Into the Past by William Zinsser
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
- The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner
- The Paris Wife by Paula McLane
- The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
4 out of 5 of these books are non-fiction. I guess I'm in need of some good fiction to read!
Any recommendations?