Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Uh oh ... bad Diane

So. I was supposed to get a lot of writing done today.

It didn't happen.

I got caught up in a book - ok, I totally got lost in it and before I knew what had happened, I'd lost a couple of hours. I finished the book, but I didn't get done what I hoped to. And then, I realized that I had promised Matthew I would go through his Old Testament Studies text before we met for a study time tomorrow night (prior to a bi-weekly exam). I rushed through those 5 chapters and filled out the study guide so that we could spend quality time together tomorrow evening.

This reading thing? There was a reason that I stopped doing this. I easily become addicted to words on the page.

I purchased my Kindle in July. In the last 2 1/2 months, I have read over 50 novels. If my Kindle isn't turned on as I'm reading, it's plugged into the wall, charging up for the next session. When I forget to plug it in (because I've fallen asleep and the thing has fallen out of my hands), I end up cursing the next day because I've depleted the battery and have to stay close to a power source while I'm reading. I take it everywhere. If I have a few extra minutes before meeting friends for lunch, I'm reading in my car. If I am outside with the dog, I sit on the stoop and read while she is laying in the sun. If I'm traveling the countryside with Max and his camera, I pray that he'll find a good shot and be there for 15 minutes or so, so that I can read. I lay down at midnight and find myself having finished one book and am well into another by 2 am (when the Kindle falls out of my hands).

For me, reading is a very selfish thing. When I'm reading fiction, I don't really want anyone reading it along with me. I don't want to share in their synopsis of the book, or hear their critique of the characters. By the time I'm well into a good book, the characters and locales have become such a part of my imagination that I am experiencing their thoughts and actions. My body cringes when they get physically attacked, I find myself in tears when their emotions run high, I laugh and I get angry with them.

I re-read books all the time. In fact, many of the books on my Kindle have been purchased again, because I missed them so much. I had read Anne McCaffrey's Dragon books 15-20 years ago and I've fallen in love with them all over again. Frank Herbert's Dune series is back on my Kindle as will Isaac Asimov's Foundation series be soon. Many of the classics are free (copyright is up - they're all over the internet) and are filling my Kindle. I have cried (for probably the 9th or 10th time) at Beth's death in "Little Women."

Max and I got rid of the television in the living room. We have cable hooked up to his computer, but since he is on it when he is home, we are recording the shows that I enjoy watching. You know what? I watch no more than an hour or two of television a day now - just the shows I really enjoy. I've tried a few of the new series and one or two has caught my attention, the others will just fade away for me.

Who has time for TV? My books fill my mind. Words, wonderful words.

Hmmm ... cleaning and cooking. Nope. I will however, meet you for a meal. And if you're late. No worries. In fact, I won't mind at all. Someone is probably trying to evade a vampire, or solve a mystery, or chase down an X-wing.

1 comment:

Cayla said...

When I was in second grade, I read "Little Women"--it was the abridged "illustrated classics" edition, with a picture on every other page, but I still loved it. I read it 20 times between 2nd and 3rd grades.
I finally got around to reading the REAL unabridged in 6th grade. wow. I still loved it. And it was so much better in full form!

Re-reading books was one of my favorite things to do as a kid--still is--I go back and it's like being with friends. Familiar, comfortable, and the little things still surprise and excite you, the same jokes are still just as funny. Good times.