What looks like crazy....

I couldn't imagine not reading. When I was pregnant, many women with kids told me that I should read now because it wouldn't be happening once my baby was born.

I can't remember a time in my life I didn't read. I guess no big surprise that I pursued a BA in English Lit. Not that it gets you very far in life in the direction that you think you are headed (another story), but I have no regrets for the windows and doors my education has opened for me.

I remember being a kid, reading books that were not age appropriate by any stretch by the crack of light that eeked through my bedroom door. Or staying in the bathroom forever reading a book, or the bathtub, or reading in the car, or ... reading was a lifeline when times were tough, and a pleasure when times are good. Somewhere along the way I started to accumulate books and I am glad that I can finally say that I can pay forward most (about 95%) of the paperbacks that come my way, or trade them in for more. There was a time that I would hold on to all of them. I don't know why - most I wouldn't read again. Almost like I needed proof of how much I had read, or the stages of reading I had gone through, or perhaps being a kid that moved around a lot growing up, the books were a part of my comfort zone that I could recreate a space anywhere.

I am still reading. In fact, I am reading up a storm. I am reading about 1-2 books a week. Almost anything I can get my hands on. I am somewhat picky though - at this point if the book is not grabbing me within the first 20-30 pages, I am not bothering. I read sometimes when I am breastfeeding, and then I read after everyone is asleep. It is my quiet time. When I retreat to just somewhere else. How I have learned to prepare myself to sleep, or for sleep. I am more aware of this as I contemplate sleep, helping Brandon get to sleep, wondering when I get a full night's sleep again (what, when he is 18?), evaluating my own sleep habits (none good, LOL).

Well, to get to the point of my ramble. A friend loaned me a book, I am somewhat leary of the 0's book o'the month offerings, although some are excellent, ok, most I just balk at being a joiner sometimes. Didn't know what to make of this one when it sat on my shelf for the last few months- What looks like crazy and I didn't even bother reading the back cover before I took the plunge beneath it's covers. A few pages in, I almost put it down because it was about a person who was HIV+ and was giving up their life in the city to move back to the 'burbs. Already read a chapter in that book and it still smarts. I can't tell you how much I miss my dear friend who fought that battle - I miss being able to laugh with him, talk to him, or to be able to share the happiness of my last year with him. But, the writing was witty, and I found myself laughing when I least expected it. This is an unusual novel, well worth reading. The subject matter isn't all prettied up, this book deals with some pretty harsh realities with tender loving care. The characters draw you in, and I found myself flipping the pages as quickly as I could to see how this tale would resolve itself. A different kind of read too, not one of the gritty novels that I have been in to lately but one that really takes you on a bumpy journey.