My Biggest Dreams Come From Books I Once Read

I enjoy reading but don’t make enough time to do it. Reading happens when I am on the treadmill (because it’s god-awful boring) or blow-drying my hair (which is also god-awful boring and takes about as long as a treadmill workout.)

Anyway, a friend recently and enthusiastically recommended a book. I started reading it and, I’m embarrassed to say, gave up on it. I didn’t read much of it, just enough to determine it was not a book for me. It was historical fiction set during World War II. Besides the fact that historical fiction has never been my vibe, there was reading about the horrors of war when our country - dare I say - is going through a turbulent time right now. Light-hearted fare was definitely in order. 

Even though I was only a few chapters in, I spent far too many days trying to enjoy that book and feel that thing where you fall into the pages and the rest of the world disappears. I kept dragging it with me around the house, like when I was relaxing in bed in the evening and to the gym for treadmill walks, but every time I picked it up, it felt like work rather than pleasure. Eventually, I gave up on it.

It seems like I’ve been in a reading slump ever since Elin Hildebrandt published her final Nantucket novel, Swan Song, last June. Since then, the experience of losing myself in a book has been elusive over the last *counts on fingers* eight months or so. I need a new favorite author and can’t seem to find one until Lianne Moriarity - who has been my other favorite author since 2003 - publishes her next book.

Granted, I am a picky reader, and the experience of losing myself in a book is an absolute requirement. What a big, fat, stupid bummer that was, though. The world feels kind of stupid right now, and I can’t imagine a time when I haven’t been more in need of a literal escape, yet I feel unable to access the wealth of reading material out there. (This is a time when my Gratitude Journal comes in handy.)

I’m hopeful I’ll stumble upon another author who will become a new favorite. In the meantime, there is always the tactic of seeking out lighter fare (like miscellaneous celebrity stalking phone scrolling). Still, having a book you hoped would turn into a safe space to lose yourself and end up being an insurmountable burden is a legit freaking catastrophe.

I think the author of this quote says it perfectly: “A good book is like a good friend. It will stay with you for the rest of your life. When you first get to know it, it will give you excitement and adventure, and years later it will provide you with comfort and familiarity…” — Charlie Lovett, First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen

PS - If you all have a favorite book or author, please share!