Well, it is the last day of the first month of this little experiment and it has certainly been interesting so far. I absolutely love how much I am reading. All of the books I have been fortunate to read up until now have been excellent reads. I would whole-heartedly recommend any one of them. And often do! That fact has made an otherwise very stressful month much more tolerable. They lived up to their purpose of providing me a delightful escape. A few things to note at this point, however. This month has been especially busy, getting a new quarter started and dealing with a myriad of family issues, but positive and negative. As mentioned, the reading helped to deal with the stress, but I am also beginning to realize just how big of an undertaking this little venture really is. As promised, I never read a book to the point where it adds to my stress and is anything less than an absolute pleasure. However, I must be mindful of not using this New Year's Resolution as an excuse to put off my real work. Required reading has been hefty, but it must get worked in somewhere too. As I am sure anyone with adequate math skills can deduce, I am currently behind "schedule" if any such thing existed. But I should average 8-9 books a month to meet the goal, which I have not done yet. But I do anticipate being able to catch back up during breaks throughout the year. And the six I have read have been real winners at least!
Bottom line at this point in the game is that, although this is a major time commitment, I have loved every minute of the reading and am thrilled that I am gaining exposure to so many great stories. I just have to focus on time management!
That brings us to the wrap-up discussion of my most recent read.
Here are the stats on The Wednesday Sisters.
Author: Meg Waite Clayton
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date: 2009
My start date: 1-25-10
My finish date: 1-31-10
If you are looking for motivation and inspiration, this book is for you. As I mentioned in the last post, I, too, have aspirations to write fiction but often find myself lacking confidence. However, much more than just writing, I have a whole long list of things I want to accomplish in my life. Although this whole book made me feel ready to go out and check things off my list, there is a particular scene in the book that just really made me step back and wonder what I am waiting for. Read this book and look for the coffin scene; you will know what I mean afterwards. The book is set in the 60s and early 70s and the main characters are all traditional housewives but experimenting with being a little bit more than what is expected of them. At first I had a hard time identifying with the characters. Then at some point I could no longer stop reading and at every chapter I felt myself more and more inspired to get started on things. Read this if you need a boost!
Besides the motivational factor, I loved loved loved the friendships in this book. I kept thinking throughout about what life would be like if I had a group of friends like that one. Now, don't get me wrong, I have some great friends. Friends whom I love dearly and who have been there for me on any number of occasions. But I am specifically speaking here of the group aspect. You can't help but wish you were a part of the Wednesday Sisters by the time you are finished. It is kind of like how most of us (go ahead, admit it) really wished we were a part of the tight-knit circle on the TV show Friends. There is just something so appealling in having a group like that. I don't know, maybe it is just me.
One final great thing here: the issues. Clayton effortlessly works in the major events and political issues of the period in a way that makes those of us not alive during the era really feel like we can understand life then. But even better, all of the women deal with major life issues that are still applicable today and you just get pulled right into the story as you experience their brushes with illness, tragedy, marital issues and everything else. That being said, guys, sorry, but this is probably a more interesting read for females. That doesn't mean you shouldn't read it though! You never know, maybe you will get a new perspective on things! ;-)
So, that wraps that up. On to other news and business. Below is the promised link to The Wednesday Sisters. I do recommend. As requested, I will be adding links to the Kindle products as well, for your reading ease, but that will likely be tomorrow in a seperate post. As to what I am reading next, I am not entirely sure yet (don't forget, Clarissa still looms...!) but plan on picking tonight and will update tomorrow!
Until then, keep reading!
Sarah
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