This Week I'm:
Listening To: I'm about half done with A Gate At The Stairs; I must say, it's not what I was expecting at all. While I've been working out, I've been listening to Slate's Audio Book Club. I finally found book they like - Zadie Smith's NW, which, upon listening to them, I discover is a whole different kind of book when you read it instead of listening to it.
Watching: Some Longmire, The Voice, high school basketball. Again, not much focus going on.
Reading: Finally reading the Maisie Hobbs book I was meant to review last week but didn't get until Thursday.
Making: Beef stroganoff, tostadas, and pies for my dad's birthday (chocolate French silk and a new-to-me strawberry/rhubarb pie which was a big hit).
Planning: On doing taxes this weekend. Ick.
Thinking About: Hiding my cell phone in the evenings. Seriously. I'm certain it's contributing to my inability to focus.
Enjoying: 40 Bags In 40 Days. Fourteen days in and I've thrown out or recycled thirteen bags, have three boxes and two bags ready to take to the Goodwill, and two boxes and two bags to take to a homeless shelter and the humane society. Forty bags is going to be no problem at all!
Feeling: Like my reading rut is not going to end any time soon. When you're reading books you're enjoying and still don't have any interest in picking them up, that's bad.
Looking forward to: A trip to see my great-niece (next week. And, of course, the rest of my brother's family. But mostly my great niece, who will be five months old by then.
Question of the week: How do you break out of a reading rut???
Sounds like you have definitely been busy, so I can dig not having any time to dance. Life gets that way sometimes. That strawberry pie sounded delicious - that is the only kind of pie I like. 40 bags in 40 days and so far I have 20 bags - woo hoo!! Looks like we are both going to make it :) I've never ready Lorrie Moore, but I remember she came to a literary event when I was an undergrad and read a short story that I found rather "meh". I still need to read NW, but after Swing Time I'm taking a break from Zadie Smith. Maisie Dobbs are my favorite, because they are always fun and quick reads. Hope you have a great weekend!!!
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes with a reading rut or slump, you just have to go with the flow. Wait it out. I wonder if it might be a way for us to do a 'reboot' of our reading mind. For me, various things have been tried, some with success, some not - magazines, TV binges, reading old favorites, taking long walks and listening to a book or even to favorite music.
ReplyDeleteAs I've been spending some time entering my old reading notebooks into Goodreads, I've noticed a few things - trends, how my reading has changed over the years, and also, I can tell when life (or rather me) was upset and chaotic. I saw yesterday that I read (listened) to one book 3 times in 2009. A book about dealing with anxiety. That was the year after my father died and when my mother was declining into deep dementia. I was still working full time. It was eye-opening coming across that 3rd listen in one year. So, you'll get there. This too shall pass. Hugs.
I can't imagine 40 bags of stuff to donate. wow --- For years, I've always had a big trash bag of stuff to donate 1-2 times a month (occasionally more when we've moved) but, now, I'm pretty much down to keeping just what we need. I've even culled some 1,000 books to just over 200.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get back to reading soon. Winter can lead to a big funk (speaking from experience). Enjoy the rest of your week.
I am not in a reading rut but Ulysses took up a lot of my time. I should be done with one book today or tomorrow and then another by Saturday so I should have some reviews next week. I think most of my readers knew I was tied up with The Beast and can understand my lack of posts.
ReplyDeleteHow do you get out of a reading rut? Murakami. He is a palate cleanser for sure.
Go to an old favorite. Whether it is a favorite author or a beloved book for a re-read, both are my go-to methods for breaking out of a rut or at least cleansing my palate if things get a bit stale. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you're in a reading rut. I've been in a bit of one too. I realize it's cuz I have too many I'm trying to read at once. I try to pick just two and not read anything else till I've finished. Sometimes that does the trick or it keeps me in the rut! Good luck! But hey you are getting rid of stuff and that's amazing! I hope you have a lovely weekend.
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