Skip to main content

One thing I'm grateful for this year that I didn't have last year

One thing I'm grateful for this year that I didn't have last year is my energy to read. Not that I didn't read at all last year, but I feel like I've gotten the inspiration to read back recently. Have you ever experienced something like this? 

This isn't the first time I've experienced a lull in my energy to read. I first experienced it in college (likely because I had so much assigned reading to do). And then I got back my energy when working at a bookstore as it was just such a book-centric place to work and everyone who worked there was book-centric. I definitely miss that immersion in the book world. I can't remember when I lost it again, but I think it was while working at a publishing company. I got it back (I think) in grad school, but then lost it again. Since then, it's come and gone in waves. Sometimes I've found ways to get back into reading, but none have lasted.

Some of my recent energy was helped by starting my book review blog (I will never stop plugging it!). I decided to start it to practice my review writing and to build up a portfolio for applying for reviewer jobs (more on that later). It was great to go back and review books I'd read no matter how long ago I'd read them. Revisiting old reads was inspiring and getting to read advanced copies (if you want tips on getting some ARCs yourself, check out this post) equally so. I'm proud of that little blog even though it doesn't really have any traction (but, hey, you can help with that by visiting it now). There are some more things I'm considering for it and I'd appreciate some input (seriously), but I'm still proud of it as-is. I may do some more general posts on it too or start sharing memes, stuff to keep it lively, stuff that continues to inspire me, and stuff to just fill some gaps that I'm sure will arise.

I've also recently gotten a side gig as a book reviewer. So far it's been great and as of typing this, I've read four books (which is crazy!). While I haven't been in love with any of them I've enjoyed reading all of them to at least some extent. I also have an odd sense of pride for these authors as, no matter what I think, they did the damn thing! They wrote a whole book! Isn't that cool? I want to join their ranks one day so it also gives me hope. And, to be clear, while some of the books stumbled, none were atrocious. Most of them, I think, just need a good editor.

I think some of it is also a regimen of therapy and meds that work for me. When I was so consumed with my depression and anxiety, it was too difficult to focus on anything long enough to get a book read. Now with therapy and the right meds, things are more in balance so I have more energy to read again as opposed to just zoning out in front of the TV (not that I don't do that ever, but just less often). Now I do worry that my depression and/or anxiety will rear its ugly head again and I'll lose this energy to read, but I'm trying to just enjoy it while I can.

So what have you all been reading lately? How have you gotten back into reading after struggling (for me graphic novels and audiobooks helped a great deal)? Do you need any book recommendations?

(Prompt provided by Eleanor Pratt)

"Woman reading a book" by the National Science and Media Museum


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

15 things I'm looking forward to for summer 2024

It'll be here so soon!  Whale watching with a friend Bookstore crawl with a friend 57th Street Art Fair Beach days Movies in the park Swapping out my wardrobe Being done with egg retrievals (hopefully) Helping a friend plan her wedding Going to Galena Taking other trips with friends Doing more sessions of my D&D one shot Eating ice cream on hot days Dining at the Point Trying to find an agent for my picture book ideas (hopefully) Reading more (hopefully) (Prompts by me) "Sperm Whale diving" by Bernard Spragg. NZ

Starting my parental journey, part 9

You can  read part 1 here ,  read part 2 here ,  read part 3 here ,  read part 4 here ,  read part 5 here ,  read part 6 here ,  read part 7 here , and read part 8 here . I've officially begun my second cycle. On Wednesday, I had a virtual appointment, yesterday I had my baseline ultrasound, and today I began injections again. On Wednesday, I expressed my concern about my weight and was told not to fret about it for this cycle but that I should work on it for my health. I got told some vague things about measuring my food by volume and weight and that being the key the weight loss (idk it sounded weird to me). But other than that my appointment went well and I really liked the PA I met with. Overall, she was supportive and encouraging me to advocate for myself. Yesterday, I had to get up earlier than normal (6am) so I could make it to my ultrasound at 7am (I have asked for future ultrasounds to be at 8am). I got weighed (ugh), had my blood drawn, and t...

15 facts about my dad

Just been thinking about some lighthearted facts I know about my dad lately. When he was young, he had a goldfish named Lysander He introduced me to Star Trek At Christmas, he would tear up at It's a Wonderful Life He used to send me articles from his Yahoo email account that he thought I'd like We used to play a game called "Nightmare" where he would lie down and we'd jump around (and sometimes on) him He would clip possible recipes for us to try out of newspapers and magazines We bought him a Paddington Bear to take on trips because we feared he'd be lonely and he always took it He had teddy bears for three different holidays We once had such a hilariously difficult time building a gingerbread house that when some frosting ended up on the counter, I plopped a gumdrop on it and we laughed until we cried He and his sister were born about 11 months apart We would try recipes from Top Chef He kept gifts I made him, even when they weren't great At Christmas, ...