I don’t know about you, but once Thanksgiving is over, I feel like life takes a non-stop-way-too-much-to-do-here’s-another-thing-to-add-to-the-to-do-list kind of pace. It’s exhausting. And, it doesn’t seem to end until January 1. I am often left frazzled as a result.
In an effort to juggle all of the life/work/family/holiday commitments a bit better, I have been making more time for things I love to do, activities that relax and recharge me. Even if it’s just 15 minutes a day, I am making sure to preserve that must-needed me time. One of those favorite must-do efforts is reading. Now, this isn’t news; I’ve written about books here before. But my recent reading forays have not all been successful. Some of my reading picks have been winners, others didn’t even get on base. Here’s the lineup:
Incomplete – The Satanic Verses and Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie – A few months ago, I read a short story in New Yorker by Rushdie, in which he recounted the first days after a fatwa was issued against him in response to The Satanic Verses. That story was an excerpt from Joseph Anton, Rushdie’s recently memoir of his years in hiding as a result of the fatwa. The story was terrific and I was interested in reading the memoir. I thought, though, that I should also tackle The Satanic Verses, a book that had long been on my reading “bucket list.” Oh, it was a disaster. I couldn’t get into either book. They felt like doors that were nailed shut, and I couldn’t find the right tools to pry them open. I tried, I really did, but, in the end, I had to move on. Perhaps I’ll come back to them at another time.
Currently, on my bedside table, I have four issues of the New Yorker that I am trying to get through, as well as another book that has come by way through Red Letter Reads. Then, I’m hoping to tackle some parenting books; my three-year-old wants to “grow up to be teenager” and she’s already practicing what 13 will be like. I need all the help I can get.
What’s on your reading list this holiday season?
photo credit: Patrick Gage via photopin cc
Ooh, definitely going to check out your home run. Thanks for the recommendation! I’m currently working on Wally Lamb’s “She’s Come Undone.” I’ve read two of his other books, and I loved them. I’m only a third of way through “Undone,” and so far I am not disappointed. Happy reading!