READING HABITS
I've recently changed my reading habits slightly. But only slightly.
Like the rest of the world, I now find myself reading a few blogs, one primarily--rvsue and her canine crew. This is a great blog written by a 60ish woman who retired from teaching last year and is full-timing in her Casita travel trailer (like mine!) with her two dogs. She writes in an easy, smooth, entertaining style about her adventures, the sights she sees, etc. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but it's one I like to read. I had never followed a blog before, but I do like this one.
I have also found myself reading more forums. I have followed the Casita travel trailer forum for several years. It has wonderful information about the Casita, how it works, how to fix problems, etc. The people on the forum are very friendly and they don't mind helping newbies figure out their trailer "issues". I have learned a great deal about Dora, my Casita, but I have also spent money buying stuff as a result of reading the forum members' comments. In the past week or so, I've begun reading forums about lawn mowing. How exciting is that??? But I'm trying to figure out which new mower I should buy, and these guys who do it for a living have LOTS to say about mowers!!
I bought a Kindle a few years ago, and when I had more disposable income, I put lots of books on there. E-readers are a great device for carrying lots of books with you, or for having everything at your finger tips. I do love my Kindle, even though it's "only" second generation and doesn't have all the fancy bells and whistles. (I also have an iPad, which is even better for reading except it's heavier.)
But mostly I love books. Old fashioned books. The kind you actually get to hold in your hand and physically turn the pages.
Most of my family are avid readers, so I come by it naturally. I remember wanting to learn to read when I was young. I would look over the shoulder of my brother Glenn as he read the "funny papers" (isn't that a delightful phrase for comics?), and I think he was the first to teach me to read. I don't remember much about learning how to read, but I do remember being bored to tears in first grade with the reading circles and with the poor kids who could NOT read. I guess I must have been reading before I went to school. I have memories of my grand dad, Daddy's father, reading paperback westerns when we'd go visit them. In his later years, when he retired, Daddy was a big reader too. He ONLY read westerns or books about the west, so finding something new for him to like always put me on a quest. He was a man of very simple pleasures, so if I could find a few new books for him to enjoy, it always made me happy. One of my saddest memories of him is when he told me he couldn't concentrate enough to read any more.
When I moved, one of the hardest things I had to do was to get rid of some of my books. I got rid of diet and exercise books (many of those), some cookbooks, and lots of novels I know I won't read again. However, I did choose to save my collections of books from the authors I love. I read a lot of I guess what you'd call mystery books. Not Agatha Christy or stuff like that, but authors such as James Lee Burke, John Sandford, and Sue Grafton. Those authors in particular, and several others who have continuing characters, are among my favorites. I look forward to their new books with great anticipation. John Sandford usually publishes a new Prey series book, "starring" Lucas Davenport, in May of every year, and one of my treats to myself for making it to the end of the school year was to go by Barnes and Noble and buy the newest one.
One of the first things I did in this new house was to put out these old friends of mine on bookshelves in the nook upstairs. Right now, right behind me, they remind me of the many hours of pleasure I have had from reading them. Some of the authors I probably won't buy again, simply because I've lost interest in owning them or I've lost interest in their plot lines. Unfortunately, Patricia Cornwell is one of them. I used to really enjoy her episodes of Kay Scarpetta, but frankly she's gotten a little bit "around the bend." I don't know if she ran out of plot material, but she's developed her characters into people I don't really like anymore. And that's one o my criteria for continued reading: I have to LIKE the characters. (As an aside, we're not talking great literary fiction here with my favorites, but I also remember feeling the same way about Anne Tyler's books. I admired her craft, but I didn't like the people in her novels.) Others I won't buy anymore are Jonathan and Faye Kellerman. Again, I do like their ongoing characters, but not enough to spend retirement money on! One of the saddest realizations in recent years is that the Nevada Barr series about Anna Pigeon is also not holding my attention. Anna Pigeon was a character I LOVED, but Barr seems to be getting dark and almost psycho!! Unless she turns back to the Anna I loved, Barr won't get any more money out of me. A writer I truly enjoyed but won't be able to read any more of his novels is Tony Hillerman. Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn were among my favorites, but Hillerman died and all we have left is his legacy. And Sue Grafton...WHEN are we going to find out what the W book in your series is? I realize how hard it must be to write this alphabet series, but come on!! You only have four more to go and you and Kinsey can hang it up. I'm waiting!!
(I have to give a nod to Amy Tan, Jody Picoult and Barbara Kingsolver, who also have a place on my bookshelf. They don't write continuing characters, and they aren't mystery writers, but I do love them. I probably won't buy them anymore either, but they're like old friends, waiting for those winter days when I might choose to visit with them again.)
So...now that I'm retired and trying hard not to spend too much money, I have rediscovered perhaps the best old friend of all...the public library. One of the first things Carol and I did was to get library cards for Haywood County. I've been to two of the branches and like them both, but the one nearest the house is probably my favorite in terms of atmosphere. The Waynesville branch is always bustling with activity and patron, but the Canton branch seems quieter and more intimate. We agreed that we could see ourselves here in the winter especially, catching up on magazines and newspapers. I just read the new Elizabeth George on loan from the library. She's an author I used to love, but she alienated me and a lot of other people when she killed off a major character. My niece has sworn off of her completely, and I did too for a few years after that fiasco in plot development. She's gradually earning her way back into my life, but I doubt I ever actually buy one of her books again. What DO these authors think sometimes?
When I was a child, like many of my friends, the library provided hours and hours of entertainment. I recall going to the library and checking out literally arm loads of books, going home and lying on the couch under the swamp cooler in the living room, and reading voraciously. I couldn't drive myself to the library then, of course, so I had to wait impatiently for someone to take me and let me refill my load of books. Many times I would finish my stack before I could get a ride, so I was bookless for a few days. That's NEVER a good feeling. In recent years, when two jobs took up most of my time, I couldn't read as often as I'd like. (I'm probably one of the few people on the planet who has not read the Harry Potter series...that's pretty bad for an English teacher...and I said I'd read them when I retired. I still have time!!)
As much as I love the library, they make you give the books back!! As a special treat, however, yesterday I went to the little independent bookstore in town and bought the new James Lee Burke Dave Robicheaux novel. Burke is one of my all-time favorites, and I will buy this series for as long as he writes it. (I'm wondering, however, if Burke should just let Dave and Clete go. He's getting darker and darker as Dave ages, and it's sad to see.)
So downstairs, Dave and Clete and their latest adventures in New Orleans and New Iberia are waiting for me. I SHOULD set up my personal files and begin filing my bills instead of letting them pile up in my mail basket. I SHOULD put the last of the books in the bookshelf in the hayloft (our bonus room). I SHOULD do some laundry.
But heck, I'm going to do what I've dreamed of doing for many months, and that's just sit down and enjoy an afternoon of reading, guilt free.
This retirement gig ain't so bad so far!!
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