Reading is Fundamental

Hi. My name is Mommy. And I'm addicted to books.

No, really.

I love them. I love holding them, reading them, browsing through them, re-reading them... If I had my way, I would have built-in, library bookshelves in every room of this house. And they would all be full.

And I read pretty much everything: fiction, nonfiction, philosophy, history, biography, political, graphic novels... I'm open. I prefer long and heavy to fluffy "chick lit," and I tend to stay away from the "easy reads," but if there are words printed on a page, I am generally compelled to devour them.

Rumor has it, that back when I was a wee little thing, I could bring a gift-giving event to a screeching halt if I happened to unwrap a book. Apparently, Christmas Eve was a flurry of arranging and rearranging gifts to ensure that no tomes were opened before the rest of the presents. Several family witnesses attested to the fact that should one slip through the cracks, I would stop everything, leave my toys and goodies, and just start reading.



Unfortunately, my reading time has been drastically reduced, due to the whole motherhood thing. Where I used to put away a book or two a week, I'm on the book a month plan, if I'm lucky. And I hate it.

My friend had a brilliant idea to help increase her own recreational reading. She started a blog, 52 Books on T's Shelf, where she plans to read and review 52 books in the year 2010. Did I mention how brilliant this is? The blog keeps her accountable and she's really excited at her progress (already on Book #8!).

I'm not going to be quite as ambitious, but I am determined to change.

First, I decided to make use of my public library card and once a month or so (look at me, saving money!), I'm going to check out a stack of books. It's hard taking Turtle, so MacGyer has kindly agreed to let me slip out on his less busy days in order to accomplish this.

My first visit resulted in: Emma - Jane Austen (shockingly, I've missed this one), Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M. Auel (a reread from way back when), Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (always wanted, never got around to it) and a book called Fatherneed - Kyle D. Pruett, MD (just because it looked kind of interesting).

And finally, I committed to leaving the laptop downstairs when I go to bed. Instead, I read a few chapters before I turn in for the night. Sometimes, I get engrossed and stay up a little too late, but it's for a good cause. I love flexing my brain and my imagination, so it's worth the bags under my eyes the next day.

I'm not going to post reviews here. However, I am a member of Goodreads and I just installed a fun widget that will track my progress in my sidebar. I will also probably do a book giveaway if I stumble upon something really phenomenal, so keep an eye out!

Here's to a new year of literary learning! Hope you join me for the ride!

Also, help me out - give me titles of some books you think I should check out in the comments section. Thanks!