Since I last left you with my thoughts on Les Misérables by Victor Hugo as well as some analysis on the North Korean situation, which hasn't gotten much better since I wrote about them, things have been changing in my world. I was let go from my job and have begun looking for a new one (any suggestions?). My girlfriend has graduated from college and on top of her starting a new job of her own, she has moved a little further away from me than she already was. These are all things that have made it difficult to keep up a regular reading and blogging schedule like I have been doing.
My initial knee jerk reaction has been to be frustrated about it. Reading has been one of my favorite and most useful destress methods. And I have been enjoying writing these blogs after finishing a book and sharing my thoughts with you. Perhaps one day I can even start making some money off of it.
But life isn' always stress-free and anyone who says otherwise is selling something (shout out to The Princess Bride for that little nugget of wisdom). So while I have been away from this blog, I've been learning new things about myself that has helped me to embrace this time off. For starters, I've truly learned how much I love my girlfriend and I am continuing to learn how show my love and appreciation for her everyday. It's not easy, but then again love never is. But learning to put down my books and spend quality time with her has been worth any time off from reading and then some.
In my current unemployed state, I've been learning more about myself and the career direction I want to pursue. This has not been easy. I am far better at telling people what I want to learn rather than what I want to do. But during this time off from work, I've been thinking more about the kind of work that I would like to do based on what I have done in the past and my own experiences. This time of self-discovery may very well be the first step I take towards a satisfying career. Isn't that worth a little time away from reading and blogging?
I probably will never be comfortable with reading slumps. Reading is one of the things that has come to define me as a person since high school at least. But reading slumps come and reading slumps go. Some may be because your bored with what ha been going on and other may be because life is crazy. The point is not to whine about how little reading your getting done. It's a time for self-reflection, to embrace this period as a time of personal growth. A little time away from books can help make you a well rounded person just as any amount of time spent between the covers of your next novel.
Thanks for indulging me by reading this reflective piece. While I have been in the midst of a bit of a reading slump, that doesn't mean I haven't finished reading any books since I last wrote. As a special treat, I will be attempting something new: I will be writing a blog a day, Monday through Friday, about the books I have read in the intervening period. Starting with The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, which I promised in my last book blog, I will be writing blogs on the following books:
- The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
- Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
- SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard
- This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein
- The Black Count: Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- Battles for Freedom: The Use and Abuse of American History by Eric Foner
Thanks for reading this as well as for your patience during this interregnum. Happy reading and I will see you tomorrow!
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