Tag Archives: reading

Reading Fast

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I’m not referring to a speed reading technique here. This is not a “how-to-read-a book-a-day” post. No, this is something different. Much different.

I gave up reading for Lent.

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In Lauren Winner’s book, “Girl Meets God”, she was challenged to give up her voracious reading habit during the six weeks of Lent. When I read that I gasped. No way.  I could never do that. Reading is a huge part of my life. I love reading so much. So very much. So so very very much.

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I argued with myself, “Just because Lauren Winner did it, doesn’t mean you have to do it.”

I pouted and whined, “I’m in the middle of a really good book right now. Can I just finished it first?”

I wrung my hands, “How am I ever going to get through all 180 titles on my To Be Read list if I up and quit reading for six weeks?”

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

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One year I gave up sugar for Lent, but I admit that I was hoping for a little kick-back in terms of improved health for myself.  One year I gave up Oprah – a whole hour of TV watching — and never went back.

If Lent is supposed to be a time to consider the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made on my behalf, then I need to give up something that makes me gasp at the thought.

For me, it’s books.

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Over the past week and a half, some interesting things have happened.  A good friend handed me a book she had just finished and said, “You are going to love this. All the time I was reading it, I thought – this is a Dinah book.” Then, my public library sent me an email– a title I had requested months ago was finally in and waiting for me. I talked to the librarian to see if I could keep it longer than four weeks. But, no. I told her, “I gave up reading for Lent.”  She gasped.

Then, another sweet friend gave me an unexpected gift – these magnetic page clips.

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That spell R-E-A-D.

I have banned all books but one – The Good Book. I have my bookmark securely placed at chapter 24 of the story I’ll pick back up on Easter Sunday. I’ll put my name on the waiting list at the library once more. Fasting from books for a few weeks isn’t that great of a sacrifice. I will survive. Gasp.

Winter Blahs

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snowmanThis is the hard part of winter for me.  Happy Winter starts right after Thanksgiving and stays happy all the way through New Years.  Then Blah Winter moves in.  It’s dreary, cloudy, cold, and snowy.  I need some strategies for staying happy during Blah Winter (that don’t include a tropical island).

My mom used to say that February wasn’t good for anything except for reading a good book.  She would break her usual busy routine in February and spend a few afternoons on the couch with a novel.

I’m more of a non-fiction girl myself.  Almost all the books on my shelves and Kindle are Christian Living/Spiritual Growth/Memoire/Theology.  Maybe it’s because I’ve read a few poorly written novels that fiction doesn’t excite me.  I’m ready to change all that.  February isn’t good for much of anything except for reading a good novel, that’s what I say.

But I need help.  I want a big book with hundreds of pages.  I want beautiful writing that makes me copy parts in my journal.  I want a story that’s compelling, uplifting and inspiring.  I want characters that are so real I think about them all day.  I want to be so swept up that I stay awake past 9:00 p.m. for one more chapter.  I want to cry.  And laugh. I don’t care if it is on the current best seller list, or if it was written a century or two ago.  I don’t want fluff,  predictable storylines or shallow characters.  I don’t want a lot of sex and violence and vulgar language.

I want to remember February 2015 as the month I read a great story.

Am I asking too much?  Is my dream novel out there somewhere?  Help me please!  I’m asking for suggestions!

Book End

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Sad day.

books2The Pew Research Center reported last week that “nearly a quarter of American adults had not read a single book in the past year.  As in, they hadn’t cracked a paperback, fired up a Kindle, or even hit play on an audiobook while in the car.  The number of non-book-readers has nearly tripled since 1978.”

I can’t imagine life without books.  Some of my best childhood memories involve books.  The red Child Craft books full of poems and stories, Nancy Drew mysteries, the Little House series.  I kept it up as an adult and now I usually read around 20 books each year, although in 2012 I burned through 41.  Last year, however, I read a measly 12 books.  What happened?  Am I about to become a “non-book-reader” statistic?  Never!  I know exactly what happened.

First, our church had a “read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year” program in which I took part.  (So I guess you could say I read 66 books.)  Keeping up with that demanding reading plan did take a chunk of time, but it was so worth it.

Second, I bought an iPhone.  I’m embarrassed to admit how much time that cool little gadget sucked up.  Shudder.   Facebook, Pinterest, Words with Friends.  I am back in control now.  Pretty sure.

Third, I subscribed to Gospel Ebooks.  Every day these nice people send me a list of books that are dirt cheap or even free.  Every day.  FREE.  Books.  So my Kindle got loaded up and I’d read a few chapters out of a new book, but then would get distracted by the next day’s free offer.  And so it went.  I’m working on this gluttonous addiction.

I plan to pick up the pace this year.  And I better.  My current “Books to Read” list has 170 titles on it.  Plus, there are 26 unread books on my Kindle,  a pile of 8 books by my bed, and 13 must-reads on my bookshelf.  At the rate of 20 books a year, I’ll be almost 65 years old by the time I finish.  Then I will retire….and finally have time to do some serious reading.

“I still find each day too short for all the books I want to read….”  John Burroughs

On Becoming a Writer

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blog bookI love to read. I love to read books about reading books. Some of my favorite titles include “How to Read a Book,””Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books” and “25 Books Every Christian Should Read.” This odd bent is spilling over into my writing life. On my “Books to Read” list (you have one, don’t you?) is “How to Write a Sentence,” “Writers on Writing” and “How to Write Great Blog Posts That Engage Readers.” Just kidding on that last one. Although you’re probably thinking it wouldn’t be a bad idea for me to download that book. Now.

If I have aspirations of being a real writer someday (whatever that means….I’m really writing this), I need all the help I can get.  Learning more about the craft is fascinating — plus, it keeps me from actually having to do it.

When I was eight years old I was horse crazy. I wanted a horse in the worst way. I read books on horses, I subscribed to a horse magazine and I took the horseless horse project in 4-H. I had horse pictures all over my bedroom and a horse mobile hanging from my light. I studied the different breeds of horses and knew all about bridles and saddles. I dreamed of galloping across the fields on my trusty steed. Then I got a horse. As it turned out, I liked learning about horses more than actually owning one.

I don’t want to go down that path again. So, I’m discovering that some days, when I don’t think I have anything to say, I need to pick up the pencil and see what comes anyway. I don’t need a fully formed idea before I get started. I just need to get started and the ideas will develop before my eyes. The process is scary and exciting — a little faith helps.

Today I wrote: “Writing is like the parting of the Red Sea. I pick up my pen and step into the waters of thoughts and feelings, not knowing exactly what will take place. In obedience, I start writing and find a path for my words. The chaos parts and as long as I keep my hand moving across the page, the walls of water allow me to continue. I just need to keep moving, even though it’s dark and hard to see ahead. Someday I may find myself in the Promised Land, after a few trips around the desert, of course.”

Sometimes thoughts appear on the page that I didn’t even know I was thinking. Huh. You should try it.

 “Real writers wake up every morning with something to say, even if the words have yet to come.”  Jeff Goins