Friday, January 16, 2015

Reclaiming My Former Self. Well, A Small Part Anyway.

I have often posted on here about needing some Alone Time or Special Mommy Time and have been absolutely horrible in the execution of actually doing something about it. They aren't kidding when they say, "Having a baby changes everything".  They really mean EVERYTHING!  Most of the changes are good, but when we don't etch out some time for ourselves we become overstressed and it is so, SO easy to lose a part of ourselves that maybe we shouldn't.  Simply because we don't have the time or we don't make the time.  It's OK to change and evolve, but we should never abandon the person we were before, especially if it was something we enjoyed about ourselves. 

For me, one of those things has been reading.  I mean, it was part of what identified me as a person pre-baby; I was a book person.  I loved the smell of them, the feel of them in my hands, the unique "book" paper...everything.  And I would fly through a new book every day or two, depending on the length.  All of my wishlists were at least 50% books, and my book collection had amassed enough to be a small library.  Over the years I have had to greatly reduce my own personal library to make room for things like cribs and a 2nd baby, or to make a few extra buck to afford said things, but I've held on to my favorites & "must haves".

This year, now that my kids are older and in school I am going to try making time for myself more of a priority.  It's hard with our schedules & especially with Wifey's insane travel schedule, but one of the most easily feasible things for me is reading.  Even
if Laura isn't here, I can try to read at least a part of a book each day. 

Now, I am so far out of the literary world it's not even funny.  I don't even know where to start.  The last attempt I made at trying to read a book was "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" and it was right after K was born in 2009 and it was horribly unsuccessful.  You have no idea how sad that makes me.  And so I am asking for your help!  What do YOU think I should read?  What are you reading right now?  What is your favorite book?  What's the hottest book out there right now that everyone one the planet is talking about?  I will read pretty much anything, even willing to re-visit a classic to see it through an non-15-year-old's eyes.  (Kind of want to re-visit Gatsby after seeing the Leo version of the movie)  To give you an idea of my favorites, I've read pretty much everything Michael Cunningham has written up to 2009, Joyce Carol Oates, Dan Brown, Stephen King, Shakespeare, Poe, Toni Morrison, even the "newer" grown-up Judy Blume books and the garbage novels sold at the grocery store.  So my range of interest is pretty open, but I'm definitely looking for some kind of work of fiction. 

Barnes & Noble, take me away!!