Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Of Books and Happiness

I have loved books and reading all my life, but in recent years my reading habits have declined. I read voraciously as a child, avidly as a young adult, and sporadically in recent decades. I have lots of books I've loved.
 

Above are my favorite books. Below are the children's books I've collected.
 But for all of my love of books, how much do I actually read? Not much. I read for a few minutes before bed each night, perhaps a page or two. It's shameful! I claim to be a reader, a book-lover. I feel like someone who claims to love traveling but no longer owns a passport.

What happened? I'll tell you what happened. #1) I had children and began working. #2) The internet invaded my personal time. 

Reading takes mental energy; it is no passive activity. One must engage the story and retain information from the previous 220 pages in order to comprehend the remaining 156 pages.
Right now, that's where I am in Tolkien's The Silmarillion.
It's a thick read, compared to many. I spend much time thumbing through the Index of Names in the back, reminding myself where Dorthonion is, or who Finrod Felagund is. Tolkien's world is worth knowing, worth turning my brain on. But if I read it two pages at a time each evening, I'll finish sometime after 2020!
Under our Christmas tree are about a dozen books for me. (That's embarrassing.) I do love books, I love finding them, and buying them, and fingering them. I told myself, "These are my reading list for the next year." But truthfully, I did not finish my books from last year. Some still sit in their pile, under dust. 
I must get after it, discipline myself, and become a reader again. I must keep my brain engaged, stop scrolling Facebook, and make myself sit for more than five minutes at a time, and put pages between my fingers. Mustn't I?
Have I lost my love of books? Is it wishful thinking to want to be a reader again? Have I lost my ability to concentrate on a plot? Can my diminished brain only be entertained by a screen? Oh, I hope not.

I finished "Punkin and the Littlest Mouse." Here is the cover.
We will be making copies soon at Staples from this original. The cover will be card stock, and the pages will be regular paper. The illustrations will be in color. If you already told me you want a copy, I have your name on a list! If you haven't told me, do so. 

I want to return to books. Somehow, I must extricate my brain from my laptop and immerse myself again in a slower, more creative world, a happier world with less bickering, politics, medical advice, and national tragedy. Don't worry -- I'll still visit your blogs :)  But if I'm not here as often as before, you'll know ... I'm just reading. And being happy.

6 comments:

Lisa Richards said...

I've had the same problem. I love collecting the books and thinking about reading them, but I'm just now starting to make a point of doing some reading every day. Besides my Bible (top priority) I'm reading a Beth Moore book on my Kindle and A Tuscan Childhood. I think you're right that the internet is taking over, and it's good to switch if off in favor of books. The blogs are still important. Our friends are there! But books are important for our brain's health! I tried reading Tolkien's trilogy years ago. The names did me in, lol. Maybe there was a list in the back. I didn't think of looking for that! You're okay, MK! Just enjoy them more and more! :) Sitting on their shelves, they count as art as well! Exciting about your Punkin book!

Marcie said...

My reading ebbs and flows too, but it flows from informational text (for professional or personal development, etc.) to fiction. I plan to nestle in with a few good stories during Christmas break! A new semester begins in January, so I guess I will be back to informational reading then. Good luck with your To-Be-Read Tower...er, I mean, Pile. ;)

Kezzie said...

I am actually lost when I have no book to read- I honestly feel like something is missing when I am not in the middle of something and having my own alternative world to visit when I wish!! I hope you find it again!x

Granny Marigold said...

I especially liked seeing your collection of children's books. I wonder on what basis you choose them...childhood favourites, maybe? There are so many I only discovered when my own children came along. I had packed a box of them up but just last week got them out again. What's the use of having them where I can't see and enjoy them!

Deborah Montgomery said...

Yes, and amen! The lure of the screen calls to us and we remain bound to it for way too much time. I need to shut mine down too, and spend more time with my beloved books. And I would love a copy of your book. Love the hens on the cover. Haven't read the Silmarillion, but it is on my list.

Henny Penny said...

Oh I know what you mean. I have a stack of books waiting to be read and I just can't get started. I've started reading the second book in Jan Karon's The midford series but that was so many months ago, I will have to start over. There's just not enough hours in the day. The cover of your little book is adorable!!