About 15 years ago, I said goodbye to my personal reading life. Consumed by middle-grade fiction and professional teaching books, there just wasn’t any time. The teaching texts became my best friends, holding my hand through lessons. The satisfaction of reading a middle-grade fiction in a day filled my need for story. I came to believe I was doing my best thinking work in the UVW band of text complexity.
I was busy and happy in my new reading space.
This summer, my old reading life snuck up on me with one short read. I didn’t plan for it to stay. I thought it just came for the summer and would go back to where it came from once the school year began. But just this week, I’ve noticed it’s put down roots on my nightstand, in my book bag and in the back seat of my car. Tugging at me to give it just a little more time. Pulling me away from what I should be doing. Saying, take a break, just a few pages. Distracting me from the papers I need to grade, the phone calls I need to make, the dishes I need to load, the sleep I need to get.
It’s got me in its clutches. As I finish one book, the next Amazon box appears on the porch. The beautiful covers suck me in and pull me under another’s spell, speaking just to me. Tailor-made, refusing to let go.
It’s luscious.
Thank you, Two Writing Teacher Blog for Slice of Life Tuesdays. A day to write and share the bits of our lives. Read more slices here.
To Read To Write To Be 