Longing for Book Time

I began reading The House of the Scorpion a week before school began. So far, it's been a intriguing read. I thought I could polish off this novel in a week; however, school began and I had to return to work (sob sob). It's not that I hate teaching school, but it subtracts time to tend to a basic human need--reading.

I suppose I could read before I go to sleep every evening. The problem is, I know myself too well. If I begin reading before bedtime, I'll keep reading compulsively and wake up sleep-deprived. Then, I'll turn into a dysfunctional mean person and everyone around me will suffer. On top of everything else, I'll be too exhausted to pick up my book when I get home from work so I won't get any reading done.

I long for those lingering summer days of lying in the hammock with hours of reading ahead.

My Personal Reading History

I first identified myself as a reader when I was a preteen. It was summertime, so I was on vacation from school. Looking back on my elementary and junior high summers, I must have been an unimaginative kid because I recall proclaiming this pathetic phrase to my mother often, "I'm bored!"

She would always reply with, "Well, you I have some chores for you to do if you are bored."

I never liked her remedies for the doldrums, so I would usually dig up something to do.

I suppose my constant whining finally drove her to desperation because one day she proposed a swap: If I kept track of how many pages I read over the summer, my father would pay me a penny a page when summer ended.

I took her deal and began my summer long reading affair with Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series. These were Christian romance novels set in the 1800's on the American prairie. I began reading as many of them as I could during those months to make as much money as I possibly could. However, something magical happened as I was reading: I discovered that reading enchanted me. I found myself wanting to read more and more to discover the fates of the main characters of the story, Marty and Clark Davis.

I think I made over $20 that summer. Not bad for a girl who never voluntarily read before that time.

I blame my parents for creating a bookworm of me.

Why do campfires...?

Why do campfires entice the telling of our most personal thoughts?

Why do campfires make marshmallows infinitely more delicious?


Why do campfires push bedtimes back by hours?


Maybe it's evolutionary. Our first human ancestors gathered around campfires to survive harsh elements and cook meals. According to Wikipedia (yes, there is an article about campfires on Wikipedia) they also used campfires as beacons for loved ones far from home or to ward off predators.


Nowadays, we still use campfires for these purposes, but not out of necessity. We gather around the campfire with friends and family and something magical happens: we feel connected somehow. Connected to each other and to the elements and even connected to God. And then the clothing we wore around the campfire retains the earthy smell and we savor it for days afterwards.

I guess I'm getting a little deep, but campfires bring that out in me.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I just finished this novel and wanted to reflect upon it. I have wanted to read this book for a while, as I have heard nothing but good spoken of it. To be honest, I expected a Southern (United States) period piece. I thought that maybe this was a Civil War era novel. I got the war part correct; however this story is set in post-WWII. And it's not set in the United States, but rather Great Britain. The entire story is told through letters composed by a variety of characters to each other. The plot centers around a group of people living on a channel island (Guernsey) during and after the German occupation.

I found this book cleverly-crafted with likable characters. I would not call this book the best book I've ever read, but it was decent. I enjoyed how passionate the characters became over books they were reading and discussing in their literary society. I can easily relate to that. There's nothing like a deep conversation with fellow readers about books.