Bibliophile. . . A Year in the Life of a Book Lover

I read between 35 and 40 books in any given year. There have been stages in my life, namely when I was single and didn't have children, when I would read two or three books a week. Some of my best memories are of times when I could read freely and guiltlessly: Saturday mornings as a pre-teen and teenager, lying in bed, eating day-old popcorn from the football stadium, devouring Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley High books, in UNI's library fulfilling the three books a week "requirement" for my Young Adult Lit. class (Thank you, thank you, thank you to Dr. Copeland, whose syllabus saved my sanity that semester!), and the year in my little yellow house in the jungle, where cable didn't reach, and I spent every evening absorbed in the adventures, mishaps and life experiences I found between the worn covers of books.

Yes, give me a little quiet spot, a cup of coffee, a book in my hands, and I am in my element.

An artist friend of mine decided last year to produce one painting each week, and he posted them on his blog with a small description of the process or the subject matter. Though I am not an artist, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing what had made an impression on him that week, and how he portrayed that impression on canvas. I imagine the commitment of it--52 pieces in 52 weeks--must have been overwhelming at times, but the discipline of it was enviable.

Thus, my decision to blog.

I don't like the idea of a New Year's resolution, per se, but I find it valuable to evaluate and define what "success" will look like in the next year of my life. Last year, this involved focusing on my physical well-being, which had been neglected since moving back to the States, so I began running. Though it wasn't a pretty sight, especially the first few weeks of my "Couch Potato to 5K" training program (google it), last year I finished two 5ks and a 10k in November. The discipline of getting up, getting dressed and getting out there was difficult, and I never once experienced the "runners high" that people rave about. Still, I laced up and ran.

So, in 2010, I will read and I will write. 52 weeks. 52 books. 52 blog posts. I am committed.