#whydoweread

[sgerbman]

Confession Time

I didn’t read anything last week except Harry Potter. I’m not sure how that happened, honestly. I get into slumps occasionally but that’s more deliberate. All I can see from the calendar is that my daughter’s social life/transportation needs and my own work schedule conspired against me, and I didn’t even notice it.

I went back to Rebecca West yesterday and got a decent chunk in. This led to an interesting conversation with my boyfriend, who I think feels like I’m treating reading this book as some sort of medicine and doesn’t understand why anyone would do that. Why read something you’re not enjoying just because you feel you have to? And that’s a very fair point. 

So I have a couple of thoughts on this. The first is that I am enjoying the West and wouldn’t be reading it just out of a sense of obligation. It is, however, difficult going, mostly because there are a lot of political conversations and references in the book that are completely over my head. So I need to know a lot more Croation/Serbian history to feel like I fully understand what’s happening. Now, I could skip those parts and just read the sections of the book that are more like a traditional travelogue. Her writing is insightful, descriptive and quite powerful and I enjoy it. But the other thing is, the reason I picked this book up in the first place is because I do have a concern that my reading has become a bit lax. I don’t think there is anything wrong with reading to challenge oneself, to learn and to expand your knowledge and your thinking. So I’m going to stick with it, but I do have to accept that I can’t read this book in half hour increments here and there. I lose too much in between and it takes time to get fully back into it. But I’m doing it. 

Also, this weekend I read book 12 of Maisie Dobbs, leaving just one in the series. It’s been such a pleasure for me to have these to look forward to over the past year. But it’s also good to put them to bed, and turn to different things. 

[ej-potter]

It's finally here! I am very honoured to invite you to observe the first interview of 'Books, Beasties and the Great Beyond'. A new blog (and hopefully one day YouTube) series, BBGB is all about my fellow readers and book bloggers. We will discuss their hopes, their passions, their great literary loves. All so that we may learn a little more about why people read 😀 ✨ 📖 ✨ 📖 #booksbeastiesandthegreatbeyond #bbgb #firstinterview #abookamonth #mayedition #australianwriter #readingquestions #questionsaboutbooks #whydoweread #whyshouldiread #readingfordays #booksbooksbooks #book📖 #bookblog #bookblogger #blogpost #bookstagram #readingfordays ✨ 📖 ✨ 📖 Oh, and a very important instruction to check out the amazingly wonderful @laurayaminreads 😍 I could easily spend hours on her Instagram page. And don't even get me started on her writing! Check out her work at joyfulshimmy.com ✌🏻 (at South Morang, Victoria, Australia)