I can’t believe April is almost gone. The lazy bug caught me again and blogging has taken a backseat for a while. Gone are the times when the day is not complete without writing a few words and posting them here. I feel comfortable now blogging once or twice a week but I still read posts/updates from friends every day.
You won’t believe this, I’ve become so obsessed with books lately that sometimes I laugh at myself how I’m gonna read these books that I have collected all these years and some e-books that I have on my phone. Hugging a book close and the comfort of turning the pages, loving the scent and smell of the printed pages. Yesterday, I took note of the recommendations of Goodreads based on similar subjects that I have read before. Historical fiction, memoirs and contemporary books still top the list. There was even a time that I visited the list of the 1000 books you have to read before you die but I narrowed it down to the top 500 but not necessarily followed it to the letter. If that is not a book obsession, I don’t know what is. They call it bibliomania 🙂 I haven’t gone that far yet…no….not yet. I have a long list which I wrote in my notebook about new authors and new books that I want to read. I am trying to discover Asian authors and so far Khaled Husseini is the best although I found more names who are quite new in the field of writing.
I remember reading On Writing by Stephen King a few years ago, a book borrowed by Nissa from their Stress Management Office then found a brand new hardbound copy later (still with the dust jacket on) in one of my trips to Booksale. Imagine the joy of finally owning a copy. He said and I quote “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” “Reading in bed can be heaven, assuming you can get just the right amount of light on the page and aren’t prone to spilling your coffee or cognac on the sheets. ” That’s another line from Stephen King’s book and I laughed out loud when I read it before because it happened to me not just once but several times. At least it was just a glass of water and not a hot cup of coffee 🙂
When I encounter people who say that they are not fond of reading, I try to compose my facial expression not to frown and say “you are missing a lot”.
P.S. Goodreads says I have read 28 books (56%) out of the 50 books that I challenged myself to finish this year. Maybe, I could add 10 more, what do you think?
High praise is due to you for being such a determined reader Arlene. When I try to read a book these days, it always makes me want to write something instead!
Best wishes from England. Pete.
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Hi Pete, you write so well so there is really no problem there. Would you believe, this is my 1,650th post?
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And I thought I was writing too many, at nearly 700! Well done indeed. x
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Haha….I like your new theme. What is it called? And wow, the picture. I am looking forward to seeing your garden and lots of Ollie’s photos next.
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The theme is called ‘Penscratch’. I like the larger font, as well as the clarity of the text, so will keep this one for a while I think. (And it’s free) The photo is not mine, but very similar to the river view in Beetley. I will use more photos later, and try to give an idea of my real surroundings.
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I love it. You can actually post so many header photos and then select “random”, then they will be shown as slides. Is that allowed in Penscratch?
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I believe so Arlene, I will check that later.
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Post pictures of Beetley…I know you will, I am just excited 🙂
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I haven’t really taken that many Arlene. hence my previous post about considering buying a new camera. They will come in time, I promise.
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I would love to change the format of my gardening blog too but I haven’t got around to choosing a good and easy to customize free theme. I still have to choose a theme for my new blog title.
Thanks Pete!
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Have a look at Mystique theme. It’s free, and has some reasonable options too. I tried it earlier, and almost used it.
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Will do that Pete, thanks for the suggestion.
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Just like you, I’ve been reading a lot. This is one of the reasons I have not blogged regularly. I have resolved that I will read a lot this year and in the coming years. I’ve started a project and this requires a lot of reading.
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So glad to know that Ver! I miss your posts here though. I like to get hold of another book by Mary Oliver (if I find one) as a Mother’s Day gift to myself…hehehe
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good for you, Arlene! happy reading! 🙂
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Thanks lolaWi!
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