Cloud

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

My living room, primarily, in Minnesota.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

"Tomorrow's Kin" because it's been in my pile FOREVER, or "Shadowcaster" because I need more of my shattered realms something fierce.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

All of them. I live for the snacks. I don't have any planned out that are special for the event, though.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I have a tendency to check out seven library book at once, and this isn't on purpose. My holds just have a way of coming in all at the same time. I have to check them out, or I'll lose my place in line!

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

I'm planning on pacing myself better and dividing up my books so I'm not just reading the same kind of book the entire time. I'll do some audio and get up and move more, and I'll fight the afternoon nap time lull.

It's spring break here, and while I'm not going on an exotic vacation to a far off land where there will be lots of rowdy wild fun, I will be going on an exotic vacation to a far off land of the imagination. I'm not sure yet on the wild fun aspect of the adventure just yet, but I can guarantee it will be an adventure.

There might be the assumption that I'm talking about my own book writing adventuring. That will certainly be happening, but today I'm going to talk about how that adventuring will be happening when I read (and game, I confess I do plan on playing a great deal of video games too).

See, the kids and I are reading books together this break. It's been a lot of fun for them as well as for me. Reading is important and not just because it works your brain in a new way. It invites the imagination, and if you don't like fiction you can still use your imagination with non-fiction too. You learn something new when you read, I think that one is a given. Whether it's a life lesson, or just a new fact. Reading also teaches patience as there is no immediate gratification involved. You have to wait to turn those pages. Earn each one. Work for the story to get to the end and devote time to it.

That last one is the thing that keeps me from doing it the most. I confess, it is hard for me to sit down and dedicate an hour of my time to reading. Because I need at least an hour or I won't stay immersed enough in the story to make real progress. I'm a slow reader and it takes me time to really get into a book. Ten minutes here and there is like when I take ten minutes to do writing: I just don't connect the way I should. At the very least, I need half an hour of time to dedicate to the story. So I'm trying to work on that. Letting myself have time to slip away.

Because it's important to take a vacation of some kind.

And that's how I'm spending Spring Break. On vacation, in a book, and remembering I don't need to be in the NOW all of the time.