Speaking of reading…

At this very moment I am watching the first tiny, nearly imperceptible snowflakes of the next “historic” snow storm fall. And I’m doing the mental checklist…toilet paper, food, blankets, candles, shovel, book. All the snow this year has reminded me of the blizzard of ‘94…or ‘96. Whenever it was. All I can remember about it: we didn’t have school for a week, and I went through at least one, possibly two, of the Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon. I remember reading for hours, sitting by the fireplace, alone in Claire Fraser’s world. I don’t remember playing in the snow, or shoveling, or even my parents nagging me to do homework. Just the book, the chair, the warmth of the fire.

And here we are, at the precipice of the second major snowfall this winter, and I still haven’t chosen my “blizzard book” yet. I’ve been so busy sending out queries, revising my own work, I haven’t had much time to read. But I am determined to put down my computer, pick up one of the books I got at the store recently that I haven’t even glanced at, and lose myself in another world.

For me, that’s what snow storms are about. The quiet. The peace. The opportunity to read.

Be safe everyone!

 

Speaking of books…

Tonight we had book club at my house. My mom and her friends invited me and MY friend to join them – they wanted some young blood. This month was very interesting…they wanted to read something different, something they wouldn’t normally read…so I suggested The Host, by Stephenie Meyer. What could be more different from a traditional book club book than a novel about aliens?

So yeah. I’m a big fan of the book – some of the issues I have with the Twilight series are handled better in The Host, and it’s just a very interesting, involving story. But the older ladies? Not so much. I have to hand it to them, though. At least two of them read it all the way through, including my mother, who actually liked it. And we kept the discussion on topic for a good 15 minutes. It could have been worse.

Now, after all the cooking and cleaning up and preparing for visitors…I’m totally bushed. But in a good way. In a “I worked and moved around all day instead of sitting on my ass” way. I need to get up and DO stuff more often. It’s tough to establish a routine when self-employed. I keep thinking I need to give myself an hourly schedule of the day or something…alternating writing with more active pursuits (or necessities, like cleaning my house), but it never seems to happen. Guess I better try harder!