Musing Mondays #1: When life gives you lemons, how do you carry-on with your reading!?

Posted Tuesday, 1 October, 2013 by jorielov 4 Comments

 

Musing Mondays is hosted by Should Be Reading

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

[30th September, 2013 | Museful Question: What do you do when life gets in the way and you just don’t have much time to read!? Do you complain!? Do you accept it!? Do you do everything in your power to make time to read!?

 

Such a Question! Honestly, I react in a bit of a unique way, as I generally have a bit of guilt attached to not being able to read a certain book, at a certain time window of opportunity, and of an author I am truly stoked to have found! I think sometimes we all have this superman | wonder woman attitude, that somehow, someway, we can accomplish more than we know is physically possible! Afterall, there are a heap of factors that can intersect our reading life, from outside stresses, personal strife, and even, mother nature! Ever try to read during a horrific thunderstorm brought on by a fierce hurricane &/or tornadic storm, whilst the power flickers off/on in a maddenly scary way!? I mean, there are certain events that arise in our lives where reading is quite literally an impossible goal to even attempt! Personal illness, family illness, death of a loved one (or cat!), pretty much anything you can think of can derail a reader’s motivation to read! There are times when you can get so excited about the books your finding at the library, a book sale, a used book shoppe, an indie book shoppe, a book festival, a book convention, an author tour stop, etc, that you suddenly get overwhelmed by your haul of books, that you literally have to ‘stop’, ‘breathe’, and determine, “Which book do I start to read?”

I do not complain necessarily, as there is no point in not admitting your own personal limitations, and to be honest, I am sure most readers at one point or another, find themselves in a bit of a rut! Either that, or they feel like they want to take longer breaks between their reading adventures than they typically did in the past! Life is a fluid journey, and if your adaptable and accepting of the fluctuations that will alight on your path, I think you will develop a healthy appetite for reading! Then again, if your a reader who relies on her local library for more than 98% of her reading, then patience is a virtue you will be bestowed instantly! As everyone waits in line for each person to read the book your dying to be acquainted with, but this is something that never bothered me, as I’ve had a library card long before I could see over the ‘stack’ of books I was carrying out! I always liked the collective reading experience and oft would reflect (from childhood to present), where did this book go before it reached my hands!? To whom found it on the shelf, took it out of the library and discovered its contents!? I oft wondered if you could ever trace the history of a book,… I think this was a curiosity inspired by segments on children’s’ programmes in the 1980s, that featured “history of the crayon from the box to your house” and “the path a letter takes from your house to its destination”!! I sometimes am fortunate to find little fragments of previous readers in library books, and I always smile when I do! Forgotten notes, forgotten check-out printed forms (no identifiable information is on them!), tucked in bookmarks, and yes, I’ve even seen bits of “chocolate” & “cheetos” smushed between the pages! Aghast, I know to those of us who are careful not to get our ‘food’ in our books! Books tell histories, living breathing histories!

On attempting to make every possible free moment dedicated to reading, yes, I most certainly do! However, if I find my mind is a bit cluttered with ‘life’, I am not as keen to read! As I cannot always sink into the narrative, much less get a full grip on the storyline, nor the characters! I like to read when I am more or less in a happy spot, with lingering stress on the fringes of my mind, and a full-bodied, well-researched book that jumps alive from the first page you turn too!

I wonder how everyone else feels!?

The best thing to remember, its not a race, nor is it a marathon and the only person your reading in contest against is of Time itself which elapses through the hourglass, no matter how hard we attempt to read against its passage!

{SOURCE: Jorie Loves A Story badge created by Ravven with edits by Jorie in Fotoflexer.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

read more >> | Visit my Story Vault of Book Reviews | Policies & Review Requests | Contact Jorie

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Posted Tuesday, 1 October, 2013 by jorielov in Museful Mondays




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4 responses to “Musing Mondays #1: When life gives you lemons, how do you carry-on with your reading!?

  1. Oooh I love your thoughts on this topic! I definitely agree with there being some guilt, as well as a Superman/Wonder Woman attitude.

    And oh good god, Mother Nature getting in the way… Last year Hurricane Sandy was a huge annoyance for me. It was so difficult to read, write, basically do anything, as I was so afraid of batteries dying when I was using a flashlight since I also needed it to find my way around the house in the dark.

    You know, I sometimes felt rather disappointed when going into a library and the book I wanted was right there on the shelf. I would think to myself, ‘why isn’t anyone else reading this awesome book?!’ After I got over the initial excitement that it was there for me to read, of course. ;)

    • Hallo Christine!!

      Your comment came in whilst I was sorting out the memes today! :) I am so thankful to hear that I am not the only reader who feels torn between that dichotomy of superheroes! That truly made me sit up and smile when I read your reply! You know, I should have known that you would have been affected by Sandy, but for whichever reason, I sort of have been focusing on our conversations and didn’t put to mind the reality of where you are verse where the storm came ashore! I was sending support in spirit from afar, as I was quite glued to TWC as I always am during storm seasons!! I can understand your dilemma with the batteries and flashlight! Its a difficult balance to wager, and I am sure that you were reading to get your mind off the stress of the situation that kept growing more intense with each passing hour! My heart went out to everyone up there! Goodness! That region never gets such a bad storm as that! Its usually the people in my state or the Gulf Coast who have to be on pins!

      You do, too!? I know! I feel the same as you do about books at the library! Though not just for the ones I pick up on the shelf itself! There are moments where a hold comes in for me to collect and I’m rather shocked and askance that it appears that the book was not even read! Yes, of course, I have had my own times where I had to boomerang a book back due to time constraints but I’m rather focusing on books that have made multiple rounds to readers and it still looks like I’m the first to actually read it! Maybe everyone else is finding its tricky to balance life + reading!? I always try to spotlight a book that had me jazzed about it after I closed its pages to the librarians, as they love to get feedback about ‘best reads/finds’ to convey to others who might ask for assistance in finding a title! :) :)

      • Definitely true for me, I think it has to do with going into the huge Barnes & Noble near me one too many times and seeing all the books they have. It’s like, ‘GIVE ME ALL OF THEM,’ even though I know I’ll never be able to actually read all of them. XD

        Yes, it was awful! Thankfully my dad had a generator for during the daytime for heat and essentials, but at night it was a b*tch, pardon my language. We didn’t have regular power for almost a week and with the gas shortage and stores running out of stuff…. And that was in northern New Jersey, never mind everything that happened down at the Shore! I truly don’t want to experience anything like that ever, ever again. I am so grateful, though, for you and everyone else who sent good vibes, thoughts, prayers, etc. and help our way! :)

        Oh man, when they look so unused and unloved… that’s when I want to just take them all home with me and be like ‘I’ll love you!’ I’m sure my not-so-inclined-to-read parents thought I was nuts the few times I told them such things. I don’t know that I’ve ever given feedback on books to a librarian, I normally just leave the books on the return counter and go look for more. Sometimes we talk about the books when I’m checking them out, but not when I’m returning them. I’ll have to see about doing that sometime in the future….

        • Christine,

          I am simply thankful that you had your family around you during Hurricane Sandy! And, your quite welcome for all the support that my family & I gave through prayers + positive karma!! I only added the ‘*’ as I think we’re supposed to be careful about having those words on our blogs, but as far as the sentiment is concerned — that I understand quite well! Rock on! I am hopeful you never have to get another storm’s wrath, that’s for sure! The same hope filled prayer I have for my side this state as well! :)

          I was smiling with pure happiness reading about how much you want the books to know someone cares about them! That is truly awesome! And, ooh, you should! That is how I have come to have such wonderful conversations with my librarians!! They talk to me about books they are reading/discovering, and as I tend to gush about books that really sit well with me or leave this lasting impression that just has to be shared, they tend to end up getting the book for themselves!! Its a great reading circle of sharing! :) :) Don’t feel too bad though! Most people I tell this same story too always say, “Really!?” They apparently hadn’t realised their librarians would be keen to converse! I look forward to hearing a snippet of a story from one of your future conversations!

          Laughs with mirth.

          Isn’t that the kicker though!?

          For each book we discover and nearly are aching to read, there is always the reality of the hours by which we are given to do everything we want to do!

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