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day in a life

reading troubles

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For some reason I haven't been able to read in the past few weeks. I don't know why, I feel like I want to but at the same time I don't. I have five very interesting books by my bed but I can't finish them. The last book I read was 'Lullabies for little criminals' by Heather O'Neill and I did like that book a lot. Now I just can't finish anything. I finished school last spring, I now have two degrees in literature and one in translations. I had a summer job in a garden planting vegetables, same job I had the last few summers and I read a lot during the summer, days can be quiet there. Work was done in August and I have been unemployed since. Don't know if that is a factor in all this though. I read at first a bit then I just watched Star trek and made sure I was dressed before my son cam home from school, can't stay in my pyjamas all day. I try to read and sometimes I think I have found my love of it again but then it goes away. I have had 'dry spells' before but that was usually after a difficult school year and never lasted long.

Here on the ice we have something called 'the Christmas book flood' cause books are a big part of our heritage (I have bought my son two books for Christmas one in Icelandic and one in English and also one graphic novel) and in November there is a magazine of sorts that lists all the books being published or that have been published during the year so you can mark the ones you want. This has been my favourite magazine since I was a kid, I remember sitting in the kitchen going over it again and again. My best Christmas memory was when I was 10 or 11 and I got 7 books for Christmas, I was so happy! Now I have browsed through this magazine but not with the same enthusiasm as I did before, and I find myself lacking in some way.

I used to read in the bath and just about everywhere, I haven't done that in a while now. When I was waiting for a friend at a cafe I read, now I just stare out the window.

I don't know how to get myself out of this, I know I should pick up a book but it seems harder than it was before.

That all being said, it's not like I am in a low in general, I love this time of year. Here on the ice it hardly gets sunny this time of year, and if it's raining or snowing we don't really get daylight at all and I love that. I love the dark, lamps and candles and all that. right now I am sitting in my newly decorated kitchen (taking out and putting in cabinets is no fun though) with a Christmas light in the window and a candle on the table, along with my coffee cup. I have a new cat who is wonderful, his name is Dax and he kisses me every morning with his wet little nose. He and my dog Sisko are great friends and cuddle and play all day long.

Maybe I just need a book that will grab me from the start, something brilliant but simple. This time last year I read 'The girl on the train' and loved it, maybe I just need something like that, a mystery that is well written and exciting.

I don't know, hopefully the book flood this Christmas will solve this issue of mine.
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Comments

  1. Danik 2016's Avatar
    Sorry to read that. I have been an intense reader for the most part of my life. Curiously my interest in reading, diminished a lot after I started to study literature.
    Several factors also contributed to made me much less addicted to books: eyesight problems, books are expensive and difficult to find in this country, where nobody reads, a certain mental laziness, TV watching and internet activity.

    I hope the book flood will help you to get over your hard spell. If not, maybe you should just forget a bit about books and turn to other hobbies until the interest comes back.
  2. kiz_paws's Avatar
    Hope that the slump in reading will pick up soon for you.
    Congratulations on the new kitty!
  3. Helga's Avatar
    hey all

    it is good to know that I am not the only one who has gone through this and it is true when I was in school I would make a list of all the books I wanted to read when I could read for myself! not for a class, even though I loved all my classes and most of the books I read for them.

    I am lazy, I know that and admit it freely and it is true that it is easier to just read articles online or simply turn on the tv.

    Here on the ice it is very common that people get low during those dark winter months, we have a word for it "skammdegisþunglyndi" it just means being depressed when it's dark, we call the darkness during the day skammdegi and that means short day. I have never seen myself as one of those but it might affect me in a different way.

    I tried reading some poetry last night. When I was in school I always had poetry on my night stand cause it was the only reading for me I had time for.

    and thanks kiz paws, my new cat is a delight. We decided to get a kitten for my dog when my older dog passed this summer, Spock was almost 16 years old and he was my best friend. Sisko has never been alone so he started barking and crying when he was left alone but the cat has almost fixed that problem.
  4. Danik 2016's Avatar
    "Skammdegisþunglyndi" is nasty! I some times feel a bit so, on rainy days, when the sky is very dark.
    I think the best thing you can do, is surround with everything you like. Ones children and pets are very
    anti-skammdegisþunglyndi. Hot chocolate helps too and if you don´t feel like reading, maybe you have other hobbies.
    Best wishes