I am not generally a maker of New Year resolutions. I feel like mentally I am constantly checking myself to see where I need to make changes, and (an excuse?) I don't need the extra pressure. Choosing a "word" for the year doesn't work for me either. I forget about it after a couple of days.
And, of course, since I'm moving halfway across the country in three weeks, I feel like I have enough stress in my life to run the course of the year anyway. Thankfully, our current house is about 1/3 packed up, and we are well on our way to being the owners of two homes. (Now I just have about a kajillion phone calls to make for utilities in both cities, changing schools for the boys, address changes on EVERYTHING, etc, etc.)
However, one thing I am really looking forward to in the new year is reading more. I have always loved to read. Always always. And I noticed that I have read less and less in the last couple of years. At first, I figured it was because I had another baby, and life with three children is really stressful. And, I'm sure, that is a part of it. But then I remembered how I felt when I moved to my current small town - I cried when I went to the library. It depressed me because there were so few options. I had never realized until the last few days that one of the big reasons I have practically stopped reading (well, besides my Entertainment Weekly magazine) is because I dislike our library. So, I have to admit, when I found out that my husband was interviewing in the same town we spent a year in (the same town where I had a love affair with the library), I started a list of books I want to check out from the new town's library that our current library doesn't have.
There is something about a good library that is so... healing to me. Browsing the bookshelves, finding a good read that I never would have known about before, basking in the light of all of the windows. I can't believe how excited I am to go back to the library in my new town. (And Target. And Fareway, the amazing grocery store. And restaurants I have missed terribly. And on and on.)
I would love to add to my current list of 23 books I want to read. Have there been any books in the last 3 1/2 years that have really affected you? Or that have absorbed your mind completely? Or that you even think I'll like?
Oh, and also - do you have any questions for me about my upcoming move? I realized that I have written virtually nothing on either my blog or Facebook, and some people may have unanswered questions that I'm not even realizing I haven't answered. (I'm a bit absentminded these days.) If you do, I would love to answer them in a future post.
Monday, January 2
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I'm just so excited for you, Erin! I love that you aren't going into an unknown world, but that you are kind of going home in a way. And that you have so much to look forward to! I've spent 11 years away from any sort of library that carries English books. I think it would literally change my life to have access to all the books I hear everyone buzzing about all the time.
I vote for pictures of the house! Any chance you could snag a few from the listing? I'm super excited for you to have access to a good library (although I will quietly chuckle to myself if it's 15 - 20 minutes from your house. How far away is it?) I am crazy jealous about your proximity to a Target. If we ever brave the 30-hour drive to Noel's hometown again, maybe we could coordinate a visit.
Your house is already 1/3 of the way packed? I'm impressed!
I'm excited for you to be closer to a good library. I loved living across the street from a library when I lived in DC.
Congrats to you guys and good luck with all of the work that it takes and new changes! I just finished a book a little while ago that is now my new favorite. If you haven't read it yet, check out East of Eden by Steinbeck.
I am feeling a little stressed for you so I can't even imagine how you are feeling. I don't know what I would do without a great library system. We live close to a pretty decent sized library and it is attached to a tri-county system so if they don't have the book, the system probably does and they will send the library your book. I won't bother recommending you books because I don't think we like the same types of books but have fun with the reading!
I do have one question. How did the radon thing with the house go? Are you putting in a system to fix it?
What are you going to do with your house in Cedar City? Have you started looking for renters yet?
I want pics of the new house, too!
Book: A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini.
Question: (Actually, not a question, just a comment.) One of my favorite families of all times moved to Johnston, Iowa last summer. Are you near there? I told them about you. I know you have oodles of friends in Iowa already, but I wondered if you'd like to meet some fellow Aggies/Cache Valley-ites who moved to Iowa recently.
Last week when I was visiting my hometown I pointed out the library to my kids, and I remembered my own disappointment the first time I saw the library here. I didn't exactly cry, but I was pretty shocked. I'm (sniff) happy for you to be going back to a beautiful library!
I have started reading God Never Blinks. So far, I am enjoying it. How is life in Iowa?
A big move is big stress! We've only had to do it once with the kids and that was enough. Still, sounds like you'll be loving your not-so-new location. Always comforting to move back to the familiar.
My only book suggestion is one you've probably read, "The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls. My cousins lived a life similar to the one she describes in the book so, for me, it was rather haunting.
I miss a good library, the Logan Library now charges $175 if you don't live in Logan and I just couldn't justify the cost. Now I have the option of my school library and the Providence Library which is ridiculously small.
These are the books that are on my to read list, I've heard they were all good.
"Matched" and "Crossed" (sequel) by Ally Condie
"The Maze Runner" and sequels by James Dashner
"Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffman
"The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton
No suggestions. I haven't read so much either. I love libraries too, though I've banned myself for a while. Too many fines! Where in Iowa are you moving? I grew up there. My parents live in Iowa City now. :)
I wish I was better at reading but I'm too much of a multi tasker and feel frustrated that I can't multi task while reading, haha! Good luck finding time to read AND moving---that is going to be busy!
I just re-read 'Band of Brothers' by Stephen E. Ambrose. I counted it as research towards my next book. I don't know if that's your sort of literature... :) but it was very good, even the second time.
I'm also going to get a book called 'Shatter Me' after seeing the book trailer on YouTube - I'll let you know if it was good or not.
Oh that library! We loved it too. Our current library looked so nice and fancy on the outside, but on the inside it's much like the sad one you described: tiny and not much to choose from. The building's size was misleading, but then we discovered it houses the police department as well. I'm not the avid reader you are, but it does limit you when you don't have a good library.
Hooray for change! It makes everything fun and better!
Um, books: I don't know what you have on your list, or even what genre you really love, but two that have stuck with me ever since I read them are Peace Like a River and The Book Thief. Our book club right now is reading and enjoying The Ladies Auxiliary Club about a Jewish community in Tennessee. My favorite fun book this year was Anna and the French Kiss. You might like the Paris setting. And Unbroken was the best non-fiction I've read in a long time. Kinda mind-blowing, actually.
Books I REALLY loved were the Mysterious Benedict Society books. There are 3 of them. They're actually categorized as young adult or even juvenile books, but *I* loved them!! Your boys might like them, too. It was a little intense for a read aloud for my girls, though.
Good luck with your move...
I LOVE our library, it is my life line.
Books? I'm not sure what kind you like, but I have enjoyed:
The Help
The Red Suit Diaries
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (I dont' agree with her, but it was an interesting read for sure)
Unbroken
The Forgotten Garden
And I LOVE the Harry Potter, Fablehaven, Chronicles of Narnia, and Percy Jackson series :)
Good luck on your move!
You've been in Cedar, right? Where are you headed? Sometimes I itch for change.
I've just been able to start up my obsession with reading again but I'm finding that I'm stuck in a bit of a post apocalyptic rut right now and need to find a way out of it.
The Help was good and I was really touched by a small book called The Shack. In fact it's one that I would like to go out and buy.
The rest of the books that I've read have kind of been "mind fluff" I guess.
I just finally got around to reading The Help - great book and one I would recommend. Also, Unbroken. I just read The Room, which was kind of devastating, but I did read it cover to cover in one sitting because I needed to find out how it ended. One thing great about my library is even if they don't have a book, or DVD or CD, you can order it from one of the other libraries in their system - there are like 15 in total, so you're almost always guaranteed the book that you want without much of a wait. I know exactly how you feel about libraries. :)
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