Addiction to Fiction

I am about to start on a journey that was recommended to me from my fellow "Goodreaders." Stephanie Plum, a character in the fiction novel series by Janet Evanovich, is about to enter my life. I am dedicating myself to reading the 18 books in the series starting with "One for the Money," and Goodreads will help me track my progress and see how long it takes for me to finish the series.

I decided to start this journey for two reasons. It was recommended, like I said above, and I learned a very important lesson during my seven month deployment to Afghanistan. That lesson was that I deserve to, and can escape from my own life by losing myself in a character in a book. I read some sub-par books that I was trying to finish as fast as possible, but when I got involved in the Steig Larsson series, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, "The Girl Who Played with Fire," and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest," I was enthralled! These books were the most difficult series of books that I have read to this point. They combined foreign language elements and foreign politics, neither of which interested me. This is a prime example of using book reviews to help guide you throughout your reading journey. Never in my life did I think a highly saturated book in subjects that I have no interest in would interest me, but the reviews were saying that a lot of people were having that same difficult time. I pressed forward and made the right decision. I carried my books around with me everyday. I was really mad when I finished the three-book series, I need more. I had to read them again.

...and again...

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Anyway, I want to leave you with this...In Afghanistan, local national men there were particularly intrigued by the fact that I was reading books at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I started to think about why they were staring and I realized that it was because I am a female. Women aren't encouraged to read there. I am thankful everyday that in America I am encouraged to read and I am going to exploit that and I hope that you will too!

*Monica*

My Plase of Soliss (My Place of Solace)

A colorful, round, patio table umbrella made it into my cart at my weekly trip to Walmart. I immediately came home to install it so that the sun's rays were reflected away from the hammock that I was about to lay on to finish reading the book that is referenced in my other posts, The Wizard of Oz. After 2 hours, I finally succeeded in my goal. Did I really need the hammock, umbrella, and beautiful weather to give me the motivation I needed to take a break? YES! I had a mental block that prevented me from reading.



I also read an article the other day that also gave me the kick I needed to accomplish this task. The question it posed was simply "Why is Reading Important?" After reading it I realized how important reading is to get through life easier. A higher vocabulary is one of the major gains when you are a regular reader. A prime example of this is a situation that arose during work last week. I work in a job where we analyze information that is given to us and provide that information to very important people. One of my coworkers misspelled the word "hangar." Instead of describing a shelter for an aircraft, he chose the spelling of the item used to hang clothes up, "hanger." Now, in our field of work, this was an obvious typo, but I personally feel that reading enhances your vocabulary that minimizes spelling errors and this article reinforced my feelings about this. Thankfully, it was regarded as a typo and there were no repercussions for my coworker. Could you imagine getting fired from a job because of a misspelling or a miscommunication? It could happen in a bad economy when the company is participating in lay-offs and trying to keep the "best of the best." That could be the difference between you and your peers.

So, if you need that extra push to convince you to get into reading, find your place of solace-it doesn’t have to be a patio with an umbrella, but maybe a warm bath, or your car in the form of an audio book, and really think about the benefits that will affect you in a positive way.

Love Me Some Sappy Love Books, and Murder Books, too!!!

ONE PAGE! I just read one page from "The Wizard of Oz." So what does that mean? Of course, I made progress! I'm going to keep pressing forward. Procrastination has always been my frenemy! I enjoy being lazy at first, but regret it later!

I have been progressing in my book for English class, The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw. I know it is only because I have to read it, that counts though.

If you want to start out with an easy to read book, then I suggest any book by the author, Nicholas Sparks. I read The Lucky One in one day. I just could not put the book down. At one point my husband was talking to me for a few minutes and I didn't hear a thing. I was so engulfed in my book that nothing else mattered. When I talk about an easy read, I am referring to the simplicity of the words and the flow of the story. Also, when I read his books I am able to put the book down in the middle of a chapter and pick it up continue along easily because he goes into thorough detail. He develops his love story like a blooming flower. When all the parts come together, the beauty reveals itself. He is a master of the human heart.

Now, if you aren't a fan of his style of sappy love story, then I would suggest a mystery/crime book. My favorite book, which is based off of a true story, was a made-for-tv movie on Lifetime. It is called Fatal Vision, written by Joe McGinniss. It is a long book, but well worth the read. My only complaint about the book is that the author jumps back and forth between the present and past. I love the story so much that I forgave the author, but it did take me reading the book a few times to completely understand everything that was said in the book. If you don't have a problem jumping back and forth, then I highly recommend this book. If you like it, there is a contrasting book that I read also called Fatal Justice. I am glad I read this book, but only because it was talking about the same issue, but in a different light. This is a little trick that I use to keep me wanting to read: Read books from authors you know or stories that you love. I know that these three books above only took me a week or less to finish.

Next time I write here, I am going to talk about my new addiction in fiction!

*Monica*

Christmas Reading in June!

So, on my Kindle e-reader, a Christmas gift from my husband, I have a book that I have been reading since January! Check your calendar, it is June 9th. My Christmas tree was still up, the house still smelled liked cookies and fudge, and I started "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by Frank Baum to start off the new year of reading. My goal for the year is 15 books. I raised my goal from last year by 10 because I read almost 20 books for pleasure. I don't want to focus on that too much since that can impede my reading. I did find myself getting discouraged over the last 40 pages of Oz. I know the excuses I have used in regards to this book were NOT true or applicable. With the e-readers you can add to the excuse list, it needs to be charged!

I really like the book, too! I grew up watching the movie with Judy Garland as Dorothy. The book includes things that aren't even mentioned in the movie! Besides the fact that I love a good musical, the book is so much better than the movie by miles. How does it end? Well I will eventually find out.

The only reason I picked this book to read is because I know the story. Sometimes reading something you are really familiar with will help get you through the book faster. If I didn't pick this book, I would have picked "Pride and Prejudice," another book that I am very familiar with and I consider an easy read. I would say to start off with what you know until you are confident to pick an unfamiliar topic to start reading.

If only I could have pushed myself by setting a goal. That's a good idea. Maybe at the two-week mark in my reading I can break down the remainder of the book in an even amount of pages and set a time frame! I'm going to try that now that I have a mandatory non-fiction book to read at the same time along with my school work.

New goal for "The Wizard of Oz": Finish 5 pages a day for 8 days!!!! If that doesn't work, and I read 2 pages a day I will still be successful. My ultimate goal is progress in finishing the book.

*Monica*

EXCUSES, EXCUSES, EXCUSES

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What are your excuses when it comes to not regularly reading for pleasure? Mine are below (I had to condense, but I could go on and on and on.)

~I'm too busy! I have a full-time job, homework, and housework, when am I supposed to sleep?

~I can't find any books that look interesting to me!

~I am already reading too many books for school!

~I get sleepy after reading one page! It is hard for me to remember where I left off in the book!

~Reading hurts my eyes!

~Why read when they are just going to make a movie anyway? It’s boring!

~I would rather spend time with my husband, although we’ll be watching TV anyway.

With that being said, why should I read at all? I want to talk about that along with things that I do to triumph over my excuses. I am not going to even attempt to lie and say that reading wins every time or even half the time. I do make every effort to continue reading since it provides me an outlet from the hustle and bustle of my life.

Feel free to check out my Goodreads.com site that I use to keep track of what I read, what I want to read, and books that I am currently reading! I love this website just as I love facebook. You can do a lot of similar things like add friends, comment on their pages, and keep track of your (reading) life.

I hope to make this blog fun for the readers or “wanna be” reader. My goal is going to be providing tips and tricks to promote reading but also not to bore you to death.
Hope you will follow me along this journey!

*Monica*