Good morning! The sun is out, the birds are chirping, and my math homework is sitting at the kitchen table waiting for me. Right now I’m sitting at my desk with my cup of coffee, trying to postpone doing homework for a little while longer. I went to sleep doing math homework and now I’m basically waking up to do it. I hope you all are spending your weekends doing something more exciting.
I’m still trying to find a balance between reading and school. My Kobo stopped loading e-galleys and library books so I haven’t been using it. I’m reading between classes and while I wait for the bus. That’s been helping but I haven’t finished an adult book yet. I’m still reading the same three books: The Best American Essays 2011 edited by Edwidge Danticat, The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman, and The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. I’ve also started reading How Georgia Became O’Keefe by Karen Karbo since it’s due back at the library soon. All four books are fantastic reads. Let’s hope that I finish them in February so I can actually post a review or two!
It’s the last Sunday of the month and I’ve already failed a read-along and a reading challenge. The Games of Thrones read-along and Orange January is a bust. I really wanted to participate in both events. Jill, the Orange January host, posted interesting questions for participants to answer. It was great seeing everyone else’s responses. Luckily, there’s always Orange July to join in.
Looking back over this month, I’ve done pretty well with my resolutions. Two of my resolutions were to get life insurance and give away a few books from my shelves to my library. I did them both. Next month I plan to look for a house to rent, buy a purse, get dental insurance, and take a family photo. I know it probably looks weird about having “buy a purse” on my resolutions list, but if I didn’t add it, I’ll probably buy books instead.
So now I’m off to suffer through do homework. Don’t forget that the poll is still open for next month’s African-American Read-In. I’ll announce the winning book tomorrow morning. How’s your weekend going? Are you keeping your resolutions?
I never read for pleasure when I was a student, so you are doing great. I really enjoyed the Best American Essays this year. I am using it for the English class I teach and there were some really great, moving essays in the collection I thought. The one about the woman whose father had Alzheimer’s was very emotional and memorable, in particular.
Laura, yes! It’s such a great collection so far. I recently read that essay and was amazed by it. It’s so honest, so tender. I had no idea the whole issue about pacemakers.
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I’m reading Best American Essays 2011 right now too. So far, I’m really loving it. The pacemaker essay is one of my favorites of all time — I read it in the NYT last May, I think, when it was published. It’s amazing.
Sometimes those months just come where it’s harder to keep interest in the books we’re reading. The ones you are on sound really interesting though so I’m looking forward to seeing a review when you do get through one!
Good luck on your resolutions.
I always had a difficult time balancing school and reading. The first three semesters of law school, I only read for fun on breaks. It too me that long to figure it out. Good luck.
Good luck with your resolutions and I wouldn’t worry about not reading right now. The libraries will always be there, cross my fingers.
Resolutions? Oh…thanks for reminding me on how well I’m not doing
. 
But really, I’ve had worse years, reading and exercise-wise. At least this year I think I’ve only had one DNF in contrast with last year when I had several by this time.
Finding a place to rent can be so stressful, so I hope it’s as non-stressful and peaceful as possible!
With your crazy busy life, I don’t know how you even find time to read kids’ books! Good luck finding a new place! =)
I’ve had months like that. It will pass:) I can’t wait to hear what the African-American Read-In book will be,
I hope the homework gets easier! My sister is taking her first college level math class right now – pre-algebra – and I have been tutoring her online, since I just taught it to Natalie and Noah.
Told her she’s on her own when she has to take Statistics – I hated that class!
I haven’t failed at any challenges, but haven’t really been working on them much yet – even the ones I’m hosting! Should think about doing that.
Have a great week, V!
Carrie, I have to take statistics next semester. I might need your help!
LOL! Tell your sister that I said “good luck”. Is it me or are math classes getting harder each year?
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I’m sorry, but I won’t be any help at Statistics – it was the only class I ever got a “C” in!
Funny, I was going to offer some math tutoring online for you but like, CarrieK – I hated statistics!
I would be curious tho, if you wanted to send me one of your math problems to see if I could do it.
I am trying to keep my resolutions, but some are harder than others, and most of them involve reading. I just have not been as productive as I would have hoped to be, but am still working on it! Don’t stress too much about having to scale back with the reading. School won’t last forever, so this tempest soon shall pass. I wish you good luck with all that homework!
I have found monthly resolutions extraordinarily effective. Good luck buying a purse! I finally managed to find one when I was home for Christmas — massive, not quite enough pockets but a reasonable number, split in half so I can put important things on one side and my book on the other side, and black so I can use it in the winter. And all for $15 because CLEARANCE. I hope you have similar luck! I hate buying purses and I procrastinate it as long as possible.
$15, Jenny?! That’s a steal! I’ve been putting off buying a purse for years now. It’s so hard to find a purse that’s big enough for my textbooks, review copies, AND can stay clean year-round. I’m hoping your luck rubs off on me.
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I’ve not read much this year, either. I think Middlemarch kind of exhausts me! But it’s good, and I assume at some point, I’ll get back in my rhythm again.
Oh, that sounds horrible! I hate falling asleep while doing something and still having to face it when I wake up. At least with the academic schedule you know you’ll have breaks where you can take a bit of breather and read some fun stuff.
Good luck on your math class! Wish I could help.
I had big plans to cram in at least one Orange book this month, but it looks like it’s not gonna happen! Ugg!
Hoping your books pan out well. I can’t do four at once. No no no.
Math is scary. lol
I hope you manage to get back in the reading groove soon! Good luck with everything.
Wow–really great goals Natasha. And very exciting about the house!! Hope you find something really lovely. And good luck with school (try not to use that word fail for things that are fun, like reading).
I’ll be joining you on the math front next month – I’m indexing a 1300 page math text! I know exactly what you mean about having to write down “buy a purse” as a goal – I’m the same way. It’s just that books always seem more important to me than stuff like that (I have to buy dress boots … I think I need to do what you’re doing and make it next month’s goal!)
Oh well! It’s okay. You will complete those challenges next time. When you have a little less schoolwork!
Good luck on your personal goals.
Putting ‘buy purse’ on your list makes sense to me. I regularly put things like ‘put post in envelopes’ on mine and then feel really accomplished when they’re crossed off.
I never managed to read much when I was studying either. Think in my last year I spent two and a half months on Vikram Seth’s ‘A Suitable Boy’. I mean I know it’s big but that’s a long time.
As others have said, I never managed to read for fun when I was studying either, so I think you’re doing great; when I look back at my logs for those reading years, I realize that i probably could have done it (I’m sure that I watched a good bit of TV, for instance), so it looks like your challenges and resolutions are still keeping you on some kind of track, even if you’re not feeling that way because the books you’re into are so long that you’re s-t-i-l-l reading them after a month’s time. Are you going to post a picture of your new purse when you reach that goal? With books in it, perhaps?
Your buy a purse line made me smile. If something isn’t on a list somewhere easily visible then it isn’t going to happen!
My January wasn’t fabulous either, but then every year January sucks. So I started looking at February as the start of the year. By now, I should have recovered from the vacation and the fun and return-to-school/work shock and the settling back into routine troubles. I hope you have a much better February. Those days when I fell asleep doing my homework and then woke up to see them right under my nose, were no fun.
I don’t think I read for pleasure my entire time in college. I have not always been a ‘big’ reader. I did read a ton in High School (cuz it was required) and then took the 90′s off! and then I had to set “read a book a month” as a New Year’s goal. Now look at me!