Reading.Is.Fun.

Happy 2011.

Feels crazy to say last year, but in reality it is true. Last year, I decided to start reading. As mentioned in previous blogs, I am not much of a reader or writer. I look at words in a visual way. If you want me to remember something, I turn it into a painting or a picture so I can remember it, hence the attention to details advantage.

Some of the books I read in 2010.
Time to get the ones I've loaned out

Anyways, let me give you an idea of why I don't read. My commute on a daily basis ranges from 1.5 hours to 3 hours. It all depends on lots of stuff. So many years ago, I decided to start listening to books. But apparently that is not considered reading. Whatever!

But January of last year, I was at Chapters (local bookstore) and I found myself walking towards the fictional novel area. And as I was browsing through the shelves of authors, and pretty book covers, I stopped at the romantic novels courtesy of Nora Roberts. And then it hit me. I love romance. I don't have it in my life. So why not drown in one of them books and escape to that world?! When people said, do you read. No-one specified the type of book, right?!

So I picked up my Nora Roberts book, it was 2 stories in one. And that was the end of my "not reading" phase. Many months later and hours stolen from laundry, cooking and cleaning, I am happy to announce that reading is fun! I realised soon enough that it was not the fact I did not like reading, but the books I was picking up. I was not interested in politics, or drama or whatever. I wanted an escape. And I was tired of reading books that put me to sleep 2 pages into it. And yes, I did manage to finish books based on the world's pathetic situation, but my heart could not handle anything serious afterwards for a while. This is where my Martha magazine subscription kicks in to fill the void ;)

So ... thank you to my friend SJ who on a trip to Mexico inspired me to look at books in a different way. And to every person who gifted me their favourite book. And I'm sorry to those who gave me gift cards to Chapters, 'coz I never bought books with them! But I did if it was in 2010.

So I love reading. Reading is fun. And I long for the many stolen moments where I lose myself into that world. I started with Nora Roberts. And I ended my year with Jonathan Tropper (courtesy of my friend JC). My friends are lucky to have me in their lives, 'coz I "listen" to their advice :)

But for humour, here are the books I picked up but never got through to finishing them...

Note: Nicholas D. Kristof is a great journalist and I picked up the book "Half the sky" as part of the CARE Canada campaign. But at chapter 4 and half an empty tissue box, I decided to put it down 'coz I did not have the heart to continue reading. I support CARE. I support every strong woman and man out there fighting for the voiceless, but I could not read another word. So it's me!

Happy New Year. Happy Books.