Happy Booking Through Thursday, everyone!
Today’s suggestion is from Cereal Box Reader:
I would enjoy reading a meme about people’s abandoned books. The books that you start but don’t finish say as much about you as the ones you actually read, sometimes because of the books themselves or because of the circumstances that prevent you from finishing. So . . . what books have you abandoned and why?
I just abandoned a book the other day… Marge Piercy’s Vida. See, I finally got around to watching the last episode of “Mad Men” and was craving a read in the same vein. Vida tells the story of a 60s radical sent underground… not quite the same era as “Mad Men” but I was hoping it would satisfy.
It didn’t. It just made me realize that what I really wanted was to reread Rona Jaffe’s The Best of Everything, one of the key influences on the show.
With only 3 1/2 weeks until my due date, I have no compunctions about giving up on books. I want to make the most of my pre-child reading days. So I chose not to reread The Best of Everything, since it’s an old favorite that I could pick up and put down easily. I moved on to a fantasy one-off that I’m enjoying.
My reading has really slowed down, for a couple of reasons. I went on maternity leave from my two reading jobs. As much as I enjoy the work, and the challenge of having to read an entire book in a single night, it wears me out and now is not the time for that. I got a nice thank you note from one of them saying that they were sad to see me go and hoped I’d return.
Second reason is that I’m not riding the subway much anymore, which was always good for at least 30-45 minutes of reading each way. I’m too pregnant and it’s too annoying. I’m staying home a lot, and I end up getting sucked into the internet or random puttering around.
Third reason is that I have a writing project that just kicked into high gear so for the next week to 10 days I won’t be allowing myself to read during the day (poor me).
Fourth reason is that I can’t get comfortable in bed enough for my usual luxurious hour every night.
So there you have it. The Superfast Reader’s Kryptonite is the ninth month of pregnancy.
The end is near though! When I was 9 mths, I’d get winded walking up the stairs. It’s not a comfortable time.
Yep, that’s me, too 🙂
Nothing like the 9th month to make you look FORWARD to labour pains. I always found the last stretch so hard that delivery really was a deliverance. Post-partum depression? Are you kidding? I was ecstatic.
I can’t wait to be able to sleep on my back & my stomach again.
“The Superfast Reader’s Kryptonite is the ninth month of pregnancy.” – LOL!
If you could maintain your regular lifestyle in your 9th month of pregnancy, you’d be Superhuman!
I abandoned Angela’s Ashes after the 3rd child dies. I was like, okay, Ireland is bleak, you’re poor, you barely survive on bread and sugar water, your dad is an unemployed drunk and all your siblings are dying. I just couldn’t take it any longer. I know it’s a memoir and eventually he makes it out… guess I just wasn’t in the mood for it.
BTW – I’ve got 13 opening lines from 13 books on my blog right now. I wonder how many you could nail? 🙂
Ah, the ninth month of pregnancy. Walrus is right, it’s the only reason anyone looks forward to labor and delivery. Good luck with all of it! I used to read for a studio years ago, and I had to go on maternity leave for the last couple of weeks for my first pregnancy because I couldn’t do those overnight reads, either! BTW, don’t you love Mad Men?
My boss at VFS actually writes for Mad Men. She’s head of our Writing Department. I heard it got picked up for a second season.
So much love for Mad Men! I totally got teary during Don’s presentation in the last episode.
Mad Men did get picked up! Yea!