…this time of the year
Even when you’re
a freelancer (like me) and working from home, there’s an aura of ‘holiday’ this
time of the year. This means that it’s time to close my laptop, tidy up my
office and indulge in Christmas-fare like shopping, gift wrapping, baking
biscuits, reading and yes, a bit of creative and nonsense story-writing (and
reading) too.
This morning
I’ve been going through some of my own book reviews. My high-school English
teacher, Sister Mary Aiden, encouraged us to keep an ‘anthology’ of the books we’d
read – a habit I have continued to this day. Now I have several spiral-bound,
hard-covered exercise books filled with my own interpretations of books with
notes on authors and their publishers, new words, vivid descriptions and quotes
to remember.
Aspiring writers
are told to read. I encourage my children and grandchildren to read. But not
all books on recommended reading lists or so-called ‘best-sellers’ live up to
their expectations. These books may not be your taste in reading either, and I
don’t believe in persevering with a book I’m not enjoying reading for the sake
of ‘finishing it’. If, after the first few chapters, I don’t like a book, I leave
it. For example, while I’m a great admirer of JK Rowling, I’ve never been able
to ‘get into’ her Harry Potter series – yet I loved Tolkien’s Hobbit books and
even Terry Pratchett’s nonsense stories.
My reading has followed the pattern of
my life – from romance and adventure reading to pregnancy and babies, then parenting.
With changes in the political history here in South Africa, I focused on South
African authors for a while. My list of reading includes ‘how-to’ and
‘self-help’ books, religious and medical books, books about psychology and
healthy eating, novels and biographies.
This Christmas,
how about indulging in a bit of reading? Take the children to a book store (or
your local library – its free and they also have holiday programmes) and let
them choose a book for themselves. Take a book with you when you go on holiday
– and if going away is not on the cards right now, why not let a book take you
anywhere, anytime to any place in the comfort of your couch?
If my blogs are
scarce till January, you know where I’ll be!
Here’s wishing you a special
Christmas that’s filled with PEACE, love, family, and friends.
