When in Doubt, Book It

It's nice, every so often, to emerge from the depths of Grant Hell work and be able to say hello to you guys again! I wish I had a record of how many times I've said, "whoa... must remember to blog about that!" over the past two weeks or so, because I think whoever came up with the phrase, "out of sight, out of mind" is full of bs. I never forget about you guys!

However, as Melissa pointed out yesterday, there's something inherently more stressful about "I have to get this shit done so people can get their paychecks and feed their children/cats/selves!" than there is about "omg! guyz! My blogging schedule (or lack thereof?) is totes stressin' me out!". And so blogging has taken a backseat for the past few weeks, because I prefer another method of stress relief when I find time to come up for air.

Basically, all I've been doing lately is reading in my spare time. It's the single best escape from life's insanity that I've ever found; I got away from my crazy family by doing it at age 3 and I avoid the stress of work by doing it at 26. I'm actually convinced that part of the reason I managed NOT to lose my shit during my breakdown year and drop out of college is because I was forced to take a large chunk of my day and devote it specifically to the task of reading. Some of it was monotonous (Dracula), some was hilarious (Shamela), some game-changers (On the Road, Uncle Tom's Cabin) and some had the opposite effect than expected (loved Hope Leslie and finally, the third time, Wuthering Heights; hated Native Speaker and Dog Soldiers). All were pivotal in helping me keep my sanity during a time that otherwise would have crushed my soul.

My family has always joked that for someone with a degree in English Literature and a concentration in Victorian and Gothic canon, I read more trashy fluffy material than anyone they've ever met. I don't know about anyone else, but I seem to do my "pleasure reading" in spurts. In the past two months, I've read Catching Fire, Mockingjay, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof, Love the One You're With, Skylight Confessions, If You Were Here, My Fair Lazy, Bossypants, half of My Life in France (love it but misplaced it) and half of The Almost Moon (hate it and threw it across the room misplaced it).

Not exactly Bronte or Austin, but entertaining and it gets the job done.

Lest you worry that I only read chick lit and young adult fare, have no fear -- while rooting around everywhere to find my copy of Voyager, the third book in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, and loudly voicing my frustration that I "had nothing to read" (from the girl whose living room is beginning to look like an episode of Hoarders: Barnes and Noble Edition), Andrew piped up that I could borrow one of the books he had bought on our last fro yo Brooline Booksmith stop: Game of Thrones.

He hadn't even read it yet, but I had dibbsed it mere seconds after he bought it, so I was pumped. We haven't seen the show (holla to no cable/internet!), so it was all totally new to me, but I could. not. put. it. down. I finished it yesterday and am gleefully plotting my Targaryon-style takeover of my parents' tv and $200 cable package for 48 hours of GoT marathon viewing. Thankfully, I also found Voyager about two days after I embarked on the madness of GoT, and am now happily engrossed in Jamie that.

If you're keeping score, that means I've been hauling around a collective 2,000 pages of fantasy fiction in my purse.

I might be a nerd.



One day, in my own fantasy world where funding has been preserved for all (no progress reports required), I swear I am going to get around to posting those book reviews I promised awhile ago. In the meantime, here's a hint regarding what one of those reviews might be about:

[Source]

I seriously can't wait.

Read any good books lately? Do tell!
I'm always on the lookout for recommendations!