How I'm Reading More in Spring
It has finally arrived in Chicago. Let the people rejoice.
Here’s a confession. I cheer for winter to arrive in November because I simply loathe the summer.
My genetics are for long frosts and winter blasts. My mind gets clearer. I get cozy and I read. I stay indoors. My Apple Watch worries about me. Are you alive? Am I strapped to a corpse?
But I have to tell you—we have waited too long for the thaw here in Windy City, the City of Big Shoulders.
I’ve hit an agitation that I can’t get past. My body wants to get out, walk and go the gym. It wants audiobooks while I put in the steps and the scale is starting to point in the direction of: you’ve had enough cozy snacks, my dude. The pool is calling, calling my name.
Even my reading takes this weird turn.
I’ve been reading action stories, thriller. Not my usual vein.
I recently read Killing Floor, by Lee Child and it was great. About 500 pages. Took me a month. And it was fine—it was just fine. I mean, Lee can write and it kept me going.
I’ve started Olivia Blake’s Gifted and Talented. She’s a bit wordy for me. Nearly every sentence has a side comment from the narrator, but it gives me Succession plus The Magicians vibes and that’s fine by me. I’m three chapters in. Stay tuned.
Here’s my plan for reading more in spring.
Audiobooks: Let the audiobooks rule the earth. I will walk and listen. Get my 10K steps in by walking to my favorite coffeeshop in the morning, sit for a second and walk back. 3.2 miles. About fifty pages. My Apple Watch no longer worries about me. It says very nice things, but with a heavy surprising tone.
More outdoor reading: My friend Rob, a loyal newsletter reader, (hi Rob!), has let me wade in his pool while I read. (I wear a sun-shirt, please see my genetic profile above.) I have my Kindle and I just float around while turning pages. I float to my drink. I float to a snack. It’s heaven.
Reducing the book buying: Yeah, yeah, I say this all the time, but this time I mean it. Winter is the time I buy books—not in Spring. So I’m getting through my backlog. The backlog is wide and deep.
Anytime I’m Out: I’m putting a book in my ear and saying farewell to podcasts. I’m out and about walking to the gym or the store, and I can get ten minutes in.
The Books I’m Going to Crush this Spring
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang. Third in the Poppy Series. I just need to make some progress on this. I felt the second book was fine but I think that happens in most trilogies. The second book is a-ok, but now I need to wrap it up. (I do want to see how it ends because my protagonist is in a corner.)
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix. Pick this up. Fern is dropped off a girl’s home in Florida where her and the other girls are not treated well. Fern gets ahold of a book of witchcraft and (snap) things start to change mostly for the better. (holds up finger) Mostly. It has a nice urban fantasy vibe and some horror to it. Up my alley.
I’m not giving myself more hope than that.
Let me know what you’re reading!