Book 208: You Perfect, Broken Thing by C.L. Clark (Levar Burton Reads Podcast Episode # 106 (August 3, 2021)

This short story knocked my socks off. Levar Burton chose "You Perfect, Broken Thing" for the 106th episode of his "Levar Burton Reads" podcast which I follow pretty closely. I had to include it.

C.L. Clark is a master at bringing the feelings of both despair and joy and showing that they truly can exist together. As far as I can tell, her story was published with Uncanny Magazine. You can read that version here: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/you-perfect-broken-thing/ 

The author paints a gorgeous story about an athlete who must push herself to the brink to save her family. Training and competing isn't about winning some trophy or a gold medal. In this world, training and competing translates to saving your family's lives.

I was stunned at how much depth a short story could hold. I've shared this story with at least two friends, and one was in tears, like I was. For me, Levar Burton's voice lent itself to the beauty of the story (he's been a favorite of mine since childhood) and brought the themes home for me. I was enraptured at the love portrayed in this story and the sacrifices made for that love. Without ruining the ending for you, I will only tell you that it was an enormous surprise.

I encourage you to check out the "Levar Burton Reads" podcast on whatever platform you use to subscribe to podcasts. And check out this particular episode, which aired August 3, 2021.

Much love, LB!!! :)

Book 195: A Case of Need by Michael Crichton

Last week, I mentioned this book to my boss and told him I thought it was one of Michael Crichton's last books written before he died. I was completely wrong: this was one of the first books Crichton ever wrote - and in fact, he wrote it when he was still in medical school.

The book was a quick read, but a good one. It is the story of a pathologist (someone who figures out what kind of illness or cancer or infection a patient has based on evidence) that finds out that a colleague has been arrested on charges of performing an illegal abortion... because the patient died of a hemorrhage. He knows his colleague is innocent of the charges and decides to stretch the boundaries of his job description a bit to solve a murder and clear his friend's name.

I am the Ardent Reader, and I am very fussy about the books I read. I start and put down more than I finish, just because I know life is short and my bookshelf is stuffed with books I must finish before I die. I tell you this because I don't often find books that are as intense and engaging as this one - and it hooked me from the very first page. I don't want to spoil the book for you, but I'll tell you one thing: it definitely had momentum... and a ton of twists. And, like most Michael Crichton books, A Case of Need was filled with all kinds of real science, so I learned a thing or two along the way.

There were some hints here and there that the story was not set in today's modern healthcare setting. For one, the doctors all smoked inside and stowed flasks in their desk drawers. Abortion was also illegal in this book, so I knew it had to be set sometime before Roe v. Wade. In fact, Crichton wrote this book in 1969, which I didn't find out until the end. 

A Case of Need was available on Amazon Prime Reading, so I borrowed it for nothing! I hope you'll put it on your list of books to read. I found it fascinating.

Book 194: Fascism: A Warning by Madeline Albright (Audiobook read by author)

Well, this was one of the most disturbing books I've ever read.

I'm not sure what your political views are, but I have been closely following the insanity documented by the press ever since my world was completely changed in 2016. I'd heard the word "fascism" a thousand times before, but never knew the depth of that term's meaning. I have a lot of respect for Madeline Albright, so I figured if anyone was going to give me the lowdown, it would be her. 

Albright didn't disappoint me - although I did sometimes wish she would have paid a narrator instead of reading the book herself. (At a few points, it was clear that her voice was fatigued, and I sort of felt bad for her.) She presented a historical perspective on the fascists in history and did it incredibly well. Then she turned the tables on me and pointed her attention at today's political environment here in the U.S. 

Fascism is about riling up people, using their anger and nationalist tendencies to build political support. Truth has no place in fascist strategy - lies are much more effective. Fascists play on fears, ignorance, and pride (not good pride.) In her book, Albright profiles Hitler, Mussolini, and many lesser-known world leaders in this book to illustrate how fascism takes hold within otherwise civilized societies. 

Toward the end, Albright provides her readers with a list of questions that people should ask themselves about their leaders. This was enormously helpful for me. 

I hope you'll read this book. Thanks. 

Book 190: The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (Audiobook)

I am so-o-o-o lucky to have a coworker who is happy to share her advanced listener's copies of audio books. That's how I got my hands on this fantastic book.

It started out a little bit slow... but in no time I was hooked on the story so cleverly assembled by the authors. Every time I had to get out of the car, I was upset that I didn't have more time to listen.

The Wife Between Us is the story of two women who fall in love with the same man. Their stories are interwoven in such a way that it's almost impossible to tell them apart. And when the surprises come, they aren't just surprises... they're thrills... the kind that give you goosebumps when you realize you've been wrong all along.

I can't tell you much more without blowing the big secrets in the book, but the themes are clear. Abuse comes in many forms. Perception is everything. And people who will lie about the little things will lie about big things.

Definitely, definitely, definitely pick this up and read it. And pay attention.

“Fake News” - The Search For Truth in Fiction (Part One) by Deidre Briar (Guest Blogger)

Few things define our current zeitgeist so clearly as “Fake News.” Overnight the statement became little more than a catchphrase, a childish insult hurled indiscriminately at anything the speaker disliked, leaving others to flail and flounder in attempts to properly define a fact in the same ineffective manner a child uses to prove that they are NOT a stinky buttface.

So what can we do about Fake News™? How can we push back at the competing forces of perception and belief and desire and all the interests, powers, and money that manipulate and control?

First, we need to stop giving up our power over language, so henceforth the problem will be referred to as false statements.

Second, we need to stop playing politics. Just Staaaahp. Pretending false statements are a vice of the other side is FALSE STATEMENTS. We all are victims believing falsehoods. Belief is a popular and well-documented field of psychological study: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/supersurvivors/201705/why-do-people-believe-things-aren-t-true

(No, no, please finish the article. Feel free to look up corroborating articles. Extra points for reading core research past the abstract. I’ll wait. It’s no trouble, this is just text. It’ll be here when you get back.)

False statements are no new thing.

“A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on.” - Mark Twain

“Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it.” - Johnathan Swift

Versions of these popular quotations can be found in the earliest recorded philosophers worldwide; a universal truth. The modern twist is that our lies fly on the wings of WiFi, and the speed and accessibility make manipulating ideas the biggest, most profitable game in anytown, everytown.

What’s worse, the expedited delivery and massive echochamber of the internet and social media platforms heightens the availability heuristic and puts confirmation bias on steroids (see link above).

Moreover, once we accept a belief we use all our powers, intelligence, and reasoning skills to defend it, rather than debunk it, cherry-picking our data, sources, and arguments and quickly demonizing others

STOP EVERYTHING AND READ THIS:

Absolutely pausing here because this one is a doozy. See you on the other side… http://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/05/alternative-facts.aspx

So, to recap.

We believe what we want to, regardless of evidence, not because we are stupid, cruel, or evil, but because we are hardwired to accept what already fits into our worldview, and protect our beliefs. This also leads us to join and cling to communities that support our beliefs and further acclimate our beliefs to match the groups’ and also to become more extreme and more deeply entrenched over time. Bonus, the smarter and more educated we are, the BETTER we are at twisting information on our beliefs’ behalf, and the more extreme our beliefs are, the closer we place them to our sense of identity and therefore, the more emotionally and powerfully we respond to defend them.

We close ranks, we divide into “us” and “them” and we can always, always find supporters, selective information, and vehement opposition to feed our monsters.

We. Are. So. F*cked.

"The conversation around 'fake news' often ends with statements about teaching people to become better consumers of information — to be skeptical as they educate themselves through encounters with online media. Alternative news sites have appropriated these arguments and are using them to support the propagation of alternative narratives and other conspiracy theories," Starbird explained in a Medium post.

So what can be done to combat conspiracy theories so that people can reliably inform themselves? Starbird is as stumped as you likely are. “I don’t have solutions right now. I think it’s an all-hands-on-deck kind-of-problem," she said. "It’s a lot easier to disrupt the system and cause mayhem.”

Sourced from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccaheilweil1/2017/06/25/how-internet-conspiracy-theories-go-viral-and-get-people-to-believe-them-too/#a9884beecb83

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ESTHER'S NOTE: 
This blog post turned out to be more of an essay, but it is a complex topic and hard to cover in the maximum word count. You can read the rest on my web site. Click here to read parts two and three of this blog post-turned-essay.
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This blog post was curated and/or edited by The Ardent Reader, Esther Hofknecht Curtis, BSOL, MSM-HCA. The views expressed in this blog post are those of the guest blogger. Visit www.parrotcontent.com for more information.

It's sad, really...

When someone doesn't make progress, it makes me sad.

When they stay in one place.

When they refuse to move forward.

There is never any excuse not to seek to become better.

I mean, why don't they realize the resources that are their fingertips?

They have:

• THE INTERNET
• THE LIBRARY
• GOOGLE
• YAHOO
• LINKEDIN
• SKILLSHARE
• YOUTUBE
• YOUR FRIENDS
• YOUR FAMILY
• YOUR COWORKERS
• ME!

Not making progress is a choice. Plain and simple.

Everything you need is right in front of you.

GO.

A word on motivation.

My friend Mary is the queen of motivating others. She has a kind of intuitive sense of what people need to hear to accomplish a goal.

When I was working toward my higher degrees, Mary kept telling me that no matter what, I could do it. I really needed to hear that. I was struggling in so many ways. When I achieved my goal, she attended my graduation as an honored guest. I could not have appreciated her more if she had done the work for me.

Flash forward two months, when I seated my nine-year-old son next to Mary during lunch. He has been having some problems with getting his reading done for school and we talked about it. She asked him what he needed to achieve in March, and it's a lot. He told her which book it was and said he needs to finish it by May 28 to test on it and get the points. When he told her it was nearly 500 pages, she shook her head and said to me, over his head, "Oh no. There's no way he can finish that book in time."

My son's eyes blazed. He was absolutely furious. He turned bright red and slid all the way down in his chair.

I whispered to him, "What's the matter?"

Almost in a growl, he said, "I don't LIKE IT when someone tells me I can't do something."

I responded, "Well, then I guess you have to show her you CAN do it."

Since then, the kid has read every night at least an hour. He knows he can do it, so he can.

Anger can be a powerful motivator. And sometimes, it takes others to show you how to make it work for you.

A word (or two) on parenting.

As a parent, I'm dedicated to raising my kids with all the love and patience I can summon. If you're a parent, you probably know some days are harder than others. At the end of the day, if the kids are safe, well-fed, and healthy, I consider it a win.

My goal for my kids is to build in them the skill sets they need to go forward in life when they're 18 years old. I expect my kids to move out, go to college, or get a job. I expect them to become productive citizens and care about one another. I expect them to build the future when I'm no longer around to do it.

As other influences (good and bad) come and go, I am dedicated to remaining aggressive about their learning. My kids do chores, have responsibilities, and know what I expect of them. They know how I'm going to react when they display poor judgment or act like entitled little brats. I try to be consistent, if nothing else.

Whether my kids become rocket scientists or custodians, they're going to need to know how to read and comprehend language, cook a meal, do their laundry, shop sensibly, be accountable for their actions, learn good habits, be affectionate and compassionate, respect others, give back to their community, and learn. These are the things I am seeking to teach them while I have their relatively undivided attention.

Am I always going to be perfect? No.

Am I always trying to be better? Yes.

Am I expecting to be my child's best friend? No. And that is why I will succeed.

In return for all of my hard work, I have inexhaustible motivation to be a better person for my kids.

💖💖

The Spelling Bee.

Today, my daughter represented her school at the state spelling bee. She got to the third round and was stumped by a word I had never encountered in all the time I've been reading. In fact, there were a few words I'd never heard before.

In any case, the experience was a good one for her, and not one she'll soon forget. She was the top speller in her school, and for good reason: the kid reads like a fiend. When I see her getting totally absorbed in a book, it makes me so proud.

I'm proud of my son, too. The other night at Cover2Cover Book Club, he said he wanted to say something at the end of the discussion. When it was his turn, he stood up and presented Eragon, the book that has totally immersed him, and told 25 adults they should check it out. One adult responded, "Well! We love smart boy readers in this group!" (Cue proud mom blushing.)

What an ignorant ass I'd have been if I'd never had kids.

Book 177: I Hate Everyone Except You by Clinton Kelly

I like birds. I picked up this book because the cover had a bird on it. (That's true.) I kept reading this book because it was freaking hilarious. I laughed until Mr. Fussypants asked me to please stop, so he could hear his show. When I kept on, adapting my guffaws to Muttley-style huffing, he gave me the look. Luckily, I have insomnia due to some sort of throat ailment, so I finished it in private later on, chuckling quietly to myself in the den. 

Clinton Kelly was a co-host of What Not to Wear and is now on The Chew - two shows I never even heard of until I read this book. (Sorry, Clinton, but don't feel bad... I don't watch much TV.)  This book is a series of stories from his life, opinion pieces, and even a previously unpublished screenplay. He writes about his life as a co-host and talks about his working relationships, bitches about celebrities (Paula Deen, for one), and talks about his relationship with his family and his husband, Damon, who sounds like a saint.

Clinton Kelly is the king of snark. Every story from the theme park adventure as a child to the two hour forced commentary on salad was filled with wit and sarcasm that would give Joan Rivers a run for her money. Because I can visualize everything that happened in this book, I found it riotously funny.

I Hate Everyone, Except You was funny, but Kelly also injected a lot of truth about love and life into it. For example, the wishful-thinking "if I were president" piece in which Kelly says one of the first things he'd do is initiate a mandatory draft for food service - for everyone. As a former waitress, I could not agree more. I learned some of my most profound life lessons while serving others their food and drinks, and I often think some of the assholes I come across could do with a dose of humility that often comes along with the job.

I borrowed the digital copy of this book from the Delaware Library Catalog, but if you don't have access, you can buy it here.

I needed a good laugh, and this did it. Thanks, Clinton.

Book 171: What Happened by Hillary Clinton (Unfinished)

I wanted to finish this book, but I lost momentum halfway through, then my library loan ended, and I wasn't going to buy a $15 digital copy for my Kindle so I could finish it. Truth be told, this book is just too long to read in a few days, so I'm moving on.

Still, this is what I have to say about it.

Whether you love her or hate her, it's difficult to deny that Hillary Clinton has incredible resilience. No one wants to talk about their own failures (and some people ignore them completely), but through this book, Hillary explored her own to understand how and why they happened. She admitted her own shock and humiliation at losing the 2016 election and kept on going. She wrote about her mistakes before and during the campaign and the lessons she's learned because of them. She also wrote about what she did right. For her, I think writing this book was therapeutic. It was also very smart, because the book sold like crazy when it was published.

If you decide to pick this up, give yourself ample time to read it. You'll also need an open mind.

Book 167: The Palm Reading After the Toad's Garden by Michael Dickel

To be completely fair and totally transparent, I am no poetry buff. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of poetry books I have read cover to cover. So please, if you are looking for a seasoned, professional reviewer of poetry, keep on looking.

However, I am still The Ardent Reader (and not a newbie to this reading thing) and I believe poetry is one of the bravest forms of self-expression, because a poet can almost always guarantee that the majority of people won't understand what he or she is trying to convey with words or otherwise. For that reason I admire people who decide to try their hand at it.

That being said, Michael Dickel's collection entitled The Palm Reading after the Toad's Garden was not straight up poetry, nor was it prose. It was a series of stories - well, not really stories, either - more like encounters told from a variety of perspectives. It's sort of like art, made of words.

In the beginning, some of the language in Dickel's poems made me anxious, until I realized it may have been the author's intention to make me feel anxious. Further into the book I found poems that were simple and beautiful because they were about everyday stuff. I don't know why I liked those so much, but I think it's because I felt the moments were captured in a genuine way. Some were fun, such as Words and God's Pop Quiz (hilarious, reflective of reality, also sad) and some tackled hard stuff, like Final Destination. I found myself wondering how much of what Dickel wrote was taken from real life, and how much was conjured. I think when you can't tell the difference, that's a good thing.

The author, Michael Dickel, is one of my Twitter buddies (@MYDekel469). When we connected and I learned he was an author and had written a book, I said what I always say to authors, "Send me a copy and I'll review it on my blog." So he sent me a copy in the mail and inscribed it, too:

Es Curtis - 
I hope you find something here that sparks your creative fires.
Michael Dickel

I enjoyed reading Dickel's collection. It was almost like visiting someone you just met and peeking in on their knickknack cabinet, wondering what the story is behind each item... and dying to ask.

See, that was almost poetic, right?

❤❤❤

Today is National Family Literacy Day: Passing on A Legacy of Reading

Today, November 1, is National Family Literacy Day!

When I was a kid, my mom always had a book on her nightstand. She kept Reader's Digest or the novel she was currently reading in the bathroom so while my brothers played in the tub, she could catch up on her reading. She read in the car while my dad drove up and down the east coast on our family vacations. She borrowed books from the Roxborough branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia and always turned them in on time. She showed me reading was a priority. Sometimes she straight up ignored us while she was reading. My dad was good at that, too. He collects enormous art history books, which are stored in tortured-looking bookcases throughout their house.

Without even realizing it, many parents strive to keep members of our households occupied every waking hour of the day. We bounce from one activity to the next, never setting aside any time for ourselves until we crash in front of the TV. This is a terrible way to live and a poor example for our children, who will likely seek the same balance in the future that all of us wish we had today.

I try to emulate my mother's example for my own two kids to show them it's good to incorporate time into each day for reading, whether by themselves or alongside others. I want them to see that reading is something to be enjoyed, not endured. I want to catch my kids reading on their own, nestled in a blanket on the couch or sitting up in their tree fort. I hope they will cultivate their own lives through reading and encourage others - perhaps one day their own children - to do the same.

Today, sit down with your kids and read them a book. Or, if they say they're "too big" for reading together, take them to a book store (yes, a brick and mortar one) and let them pick out something new. Or, like me, you may decide to head to one of your local libraries to participate in a book club. My own favorite is meeting tomorrow at 6:30 at the Smyrna Public Library if you'd like to join!

❤❤❤

Whew.

So you are aware, reading two books a week is not getting any easier. If anything, it's getting harder. Thank goodness for insomnia or book 161 would have been delayed another day, which would have shortened the time I would have had to read my next book. It's a bit like trying to keep up with a speeding train, only I'm both the engineer driving the train and the idiot running behind it.

As soon as I finish one book, I barely have enough time to relish its completion before beginning the next one. That makes me a little sad, but writing about each book helps me close it out, say goodbye, and move on. I look forward to finishing the book so that I can write about it.

I've quickly realized that having two or three books in progress is the only way I'm capable of accomplishing this goal. Right now I've got a partially finished hard copy book on my nightstand and another on my desk at work, a Kindle e-book on deck, an audio book on CD in my car, and an Audible book on my phone.

Before I started doing this, I thought people who jumped back and forth between books were crazy. Now I'm doing it and somehow it's working. I do feel like more of my neurons are firing, so maybe my brain is reorganizing its neural pathways to keep up with this level of absorption. It's teaching me new ways of paying attention.

Onward!

Reflections on Reading, Identity, Career, and Achievement

When I first began this blog, I would read whatever I could get my hands on in time to accomplish my goal of one book a week for that first year. As a result, I read a lot of really terrible books. But that year was not spent in vain; I also read a lot of really good books that I enjoyed and seemed to all fit into similar genres. Eventually I realized that I kept returning to the same sections in Barnes & Noble - the social and behavioral sciences. I visited similar sections in the library - history, medicine, anthropology, biographies, self-help books. So I decided to began exploring these topics even further. 

Flash forward to 2013, when I had to choose a major to finish up my bachelor's degree. Of all of the programs offered at Thomas Edison State University, one topic piqued my interest: organizational leadership. The courses would be applicable to all different career fields, including my own: a nonprofit director. Then, just one month after beginning my classes, I was laid off. Thanks to the fantastic professional network I built while working for the nonprofit, I landed a job immediately and didn't miss a day of work or a paycheck. And I continued to work on my degree. 

It turned out that the science of leadership was a fascinating one. Not every class was easy (MATH REQUIRED) but I felt good about the major I had chosen. Of course, there were many theoretical courses, but others told the stories of previous leaders who had been instrumental in changing the course of business and in some cases, the course of history. In the end, my studies made me even more interested in history, sociology, and anthropology. I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Leadership in March 2016. 

Before I even finished my bachelor's degree, I decided that I wanted to join the top 12% of Delaware's population by pursuing my master's degree. I enrolled at Wilmington University for my Master of Science in Management and began accelerated classes as soon as I could. (I work for a hospital system in Delaware, so it made sense.) Once again, the study of sociology and anthropology came into play. A great deal of the work required for the degree focused on public health problems, medical ethics, the Affordable Care Act, medicinal marijuana, and economics. I did my thesis on the issues of mental health and substance abuse and recommended the clubhouse model as a solution that could be implemented nearby the hospital where I work. I finished the coursework for my master's degree in June of this year and received word just a few days ago that my degree was conferred.

Books have been part of my personal development for many years, but it was only in the past few that I realized how important a role they continue to play in my professional development. I've read books that have given me clues about how to move forward in different aspects of my life and career. I've read books that have made me more sympathetic to the plight of those less fortunate than me. I've read books that have taught me about the brain and its inner workings and why I am the way I am and why you are the way you are. The path that was set before me as a child has been forever altered because of reading.

 

I urge you to make reading a priority in your life, if for no other reason than because it has done so much for me.  

Racking My Brain

Artwork by Marion Fayolle

I wish I had begun this blog (or even just a reading journal) twenty years ago. Who knows how many books I've read and forgotten since high school? Sigh.

Here are some that I can remember (not in order) and a short blurb on what I can remember of them.

1. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis --- The best fantasy books around. Loved them.
2. 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King --- Okay. I still don't understand the apostrophe in the title.
3. I Know this Much is True by Wally Lamb --- Extremely well written, but graphic. 
4. Timeline by Michael Crichton --- Made me believe I understood quantum physics.
5. Cell by Stephen King --- Long, seemed to go nowhere.
6. Congo by Michael Crichton --- I'll never look at gorillas the same way again. 
7. Cujo by Stephen King --- Utterly terrifying and the reason I always have food and water in my car. (Ten times scarier when you're a parent.)
8. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb --- Fantastic book.
9. Gerald's Game by Stephen King --- No bondage for me in the wilderness for me, thanks.
10. Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore --- Funny. I want to read it again.
11. The Green Mile by Stephen King --- Fantastic. I've read it a few times.
12. Rose Madder by Stephen King --- Memorable because it was disturbing.
13. The Shining by Stephen King --- So much better than the movie.
14. Stranger than Fiction: True Stories by Chuck Palahniuk --- Got a weak stomach? Skip this.
15. Christine by Stephen King --- Meh.
16. Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King --- Loved it, but don't remember the plot.
17. Pet Sematary by Stephen King --- Good and scary. And gross. So gross.
18. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris --- Grisly but fun.
19. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton --- Pretty much what you expect, with more gore.
20. The Lost World by Michael Crichton --- Not memorable.
21. Private Parts by Howard Stern --- I love you, Howard, but you should have worked with a better editor.
22. Harry Potter (All books) by J.K. Rowling --- I loved each and every one. 
23. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore --- Hilarious and completely inappropriate for my mother. 
24. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens --- Not bad for required reading.
25. The Adventures of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens --- It made me sad. 
26. Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain --- Surprising. Naughty.
27. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown --- Fun, but completely screwed up my perception of history.
28. Dreamcatcher by Stephen King --- The movie was better than the book. 
29. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck --- It broke my heart.
30. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne --- Odd, but held my attention.
31. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden --- Very good. 
32. Wicked by Gregory Maguire --- Waste of time.
33. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey --- Disturbing on so many levels. 
34. The Shack by William P. Young --- Just bad. Really bad.
35. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides --- Amazing, intimate book. Helped me better understand LGBTQ issues.
36. The Stand by Stephen King --- Couldn't finish it. Too complex. Hallucinogens and/or cocaine may be required for full absorption... I'll never know. 
37. Needful Things by Stephen King --- Fun, crazy.
38. Bag of Bones by Stephen King --- Couldn't tell you what it was about, but I remember liking it. 
39. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King --- Endearing. 
40. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie --- What language was this translated from? Martian? I couldn't get through it.
41. Star Trek Memories by William Shatner --- As a Trekkie, I found this hilarious. (Some of it was discredited by Star Trek cast members including my beloved George Takei.)
42. Shannara Series by Terry Brooks --- I read the whole series in high school. The demon Reaper from The Elfstones of Shannara still turns up in my nightmares.
43. Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe by George Elliot --- Required reading. Pure torture.
44. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis --- Letters written to and fro do not a novel make. I don't care what you say, Aneesh Khushman.
45. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand --- Overrated garbage.
46. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck --- It wrecked me. I loved it. I'd read it again in a heartbeat.

I'm sure there are more that I'm missing, and they'll come to me in time, or they won't. So it goes. 

Kids, listen to your parents and make notes about the books you read. Start now. 

Yep. This is tough.

Reading two books a week is not easy. It is really, really not easy.

I have noticed, however, that this goal is already making me more resourceful. First, I always try to borrow books from the Smyrna Public Library instead of buying them. Second, I subscribed to the Kindle Unlimited service through Amazon so that I can download books without paying for each and every one of them. Finally, I got an Audible subscription so that I always have an audio book downloaded on my phone and ready for my commute. And last but not least, I have an immense shelf full of every book anyone could ever hope to read. (The problem is, I tend to buy books that are heavy, both in subject matter and weight. Of the something like 500 books that I have at home, only 8 of them are under 300 pages. Sheesh... thanks, Past Self, you screwed me.)

I read about two hours a day in an effort to achieve this goal, and that's already no joke. If I wake up early enough, I read for fifteen to twenty minutes in the morning. I read through my lunch break (a half hour) and read while my boyfriend is watching TV in the evening (another half hour) and then another fifteen to twenty minutes before bed. I have my Kindle or my smart phone with me everywhere I go, so I can whip one of them out if I have to wait twenty minutes at the nail salon or in line at the bank. I still feel like I need to step it up.

It's also making it more obvious to me that people who "don't have time to read" simply don't make time to read. If I can do it, so can you.

Preparing to Begin Again!

Dear Readers:

Advanced education is a must in today's professional world, so in 2013 I decided to finish my bachelor's degree with Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, NJ. Immediately after finishing my coursework for the bachelor's degree, I enrolled in Wilmington University's accelerated Master of Science in Management-Health Care Administration program. I'm now three months from finishing my master's degree.

As you might imagine, being a full time student for the past four years has made leisure reading a luxury. Time was not the problem... it had to do with ability. At the end of a workday and a half hour of homework, I just couldn't absorb any more. My brain was like a saturated sponge. I've started ten times the books I've finished, and those I've finished had to be ridiculously good to keep me motivated to finish them before they were due back to the library. I've kept notes on some of the ones I did read; and I'll blog about them as I can remember them. The half finished ones will never make it into this blog.

Still, my coursework had little impact on my ability and desire to devour audiobooks. In fact, I almost completely switched to audiobooks, because listening in the car takes a lot less effort. There are disadvantages, though. It takes longer to finish some books because I read fast, but audiobooks go at their own pace. And it is always a bit frustrating when I would like to re-read something I heard in the audio version, but can't find it again as easily as I might if I was reading a book. All in all, it was a good trade off; in a way I was still reading, though I wasn't capable to sit down with a book at the end of the day.

I have many goals for the infinite number of days ahead of me that will not require me to participate in online discussion forums, take quizzes, or write yet another paper on the Affordable Care Act or medical marijuana. These goals include learning French, losing 30 pounds, and teaching myself how to watercolor and play the banjo. (Incidentally, all of those goals will be attained through reading, to a large extent.) I figure reading a book a week again will be a piece of cake when it's the only goal that has a weekly deadline.

I hope you will continue with me on this journey to find myself through books. I'll resume blogging more frequently in the coming weeks.
❤