It’s OK to post in here about unproductive reading days as well as busy ones right? Or do I need to start a non-reading journal as well? No? Good, because yesterday I must have done absolutely everything there is for a middle-aged, overweight family man to do in the world, except for reading. Even putting aside the fact that I didn’t do any of my prescribed reading, I didn’t even get around to reading anything at all, which for a book blogger – one who’s very life revolves around the printed word – is shameful and inexcusable.
So what can I do today to make amends ? Well I’m just going to pretend that yesterday never happened (although it did and I got heck of a lot done without all of that time-consuming reading getting in the way 
), and all of the reading I had planned to do yesterday I’m going to get done today instead. It all goes a little something like this (this is a copy and paste from yesterday’s journal entry):
- I need to do a bit more catching up with my Fifty-Two Stories reading so the next two stories are lined up. First is Thad DeVassie’s Cricket Hymn which is going to take me seconds to read because it’s a piece of flash fiction. The second story, which I’m really looking forward to reading, is from one of the big names of the Harlem Renaissance, Zora Neale Hurston, with a really interesting story entitled, Mother Catherine
- Having now finished reading The House of the Mosque (Canongate) I’m free to continue my journey through the stories of Arthur Miller in Presence: Collected Stories (Bloomsbury). The Turpentine Still is the second last story of the whole collection, and the biggest at 60+ pages.
- As for my main read, well I’m in between books right now as you know, and I want to do a slight re-shuffle. The favourite though, should I get my forethoughts post sorted out for it, is Chinua Achebe’s supremely interesting autobiographical work The Education of a British-Protected Child (Allen Lane).
OK, I’m off now to go bow my head in shame (difficult to do that when one is looking at a monitor, unless the monitor’s on the floor of course, but that’s a pretty crazy place for a monitor. Am I digressing? Yep! Sorry!), and hope my fellow readers can forgive me for my despicable act of non-reading. I’m not proud of my self I’m really not!
About Rob
Don’t beat yourself up about it. There are always days when reading doesn’t happen!
says:
Thanks for your words of support Kristen. I’m not really ‘beating myself up’ per se, just being transparent and honest. Still frustrating though
Warmest
Rob
I know the feeling. I read and read, and then something comes along to blow me off course – for the last two weeks a new guitar has taken my attention and my blog has taken second place. Fortunately the novelty wears off soon enough and books come to the forefront again
says:
Thank you also for your words of support Tom. It’s great to see I’m not the only one to be distracted (although my reasons were more chore-like thank as exciting as a new guitar).
In all seriousness though I wasn’t really looking for any ‘propping up’. I was just making sure I keep up my reading journal entries, even though I had nothing of real value to write in it.
Warmest
Rob