Today is National Relaxation Day according to NationalDayCalendar.com. Relaxing is an important part of life. I feel like I don’t do enough of it these days, but I have been making an effort to carve out 5-30 minutes a day to relax. Most days it’s stretching and deep breathing before bed as I try to build a new habit. My all time favorite way to relax is to read. Ultimate would be to read uninterrupted with food and beverage service without having to move from my slightly recline position (and getting paid to do it…a girl can dream).
In my original post I’m Telling it, I told you a little about myself including that I love to read. I thought a little more background on a being a reader might help you get to know me a little bit better. So here is a little insight on being an avid reader (who may or may not show up late because I HAD to finish a page, chapter, or book-all depends on how late I am…)
I read…a lot. At times I amaze myself at how many books I get through in a given time period. It is also why I could never work in a bookstore as I would have never made any money because I would have either owed the store money or gotten fired because I was not doing my job but rather reading the new release. It started in 5th grade as a suggestion to help me with my spelling (THANK YOU, Ms. Harvey!). Truth Time: My spelling is still atrocious, but my vocabulary is now big enough that I can pick which ever word I need and can spell correctly (or well enough for auto-correct/Google to figure out what I’m trying to spell). Ok, so I still can’t spell, but I have experienced a lot just by reading books. I’ll read any book with a good recommendation, based on the cover (yes, I totally judge a book by its cover…), the excerpts on the back, and loyalty to an author.
I read pretty fast and tend to have more than one book going at a time. I read most of the time on my Kindle, but lately, I have been remembering why a physical book is great as well. It start with a delivery of books from a friend. I like to give books away and then I tell the recipient not to give them back to me but to pass them along to another reader. It never occurred to me that I would be the recipient. For me it was a fun way to clear my bookshelves for new cookbook and craft books (the main types of physical books that I buy these days). But low and behold, I found myself reading a physical fiction book and enjoying it. I guess it is true what they say balance is good in life.
Back in the day, I loved to use reading to my advantage. Think about it, mom calls you from downstairs and asks what are you doing. Respond back “Reading!” (even better sibling says watching TV…) and you could buy yourself out of a chore or two. Most parents will hesitate to interrupt a reading child (not mine once they figured out that I used it as a shield to avoid chores but…you can’t blame a girl for trying.).
One of my favorite childhood ploys to feed my need for books would be to wait until we were out in public and ask if we could go to the bookstore (for those of you who only know Amazon.com to buy books, there used to be a lot of different brick and mortar bookstore. Borders to Barnes and Noble to Walden.) Most of the time the ploy would work because some person would comment, “O, that is so nice your child wants to go to the bookstore!” Poor unsuspecting person falling into my trap of another trip to the bookstore.
What do I read? Well it all, from a cereal box to a YA novel to a thriller to a romance. I read a lot more romance than anything else for a long time. Early on, when choosing a book to read I stuck with the mainstream popular books. Now, I’m significantly more diverse in my reading choices. While I do read a lot of romance novels and popular fiction, I also love non-fiction books about the military, the Presidents, and cooking to name a few. I love a good book recommendation because I generally find a new topic that I can read several more books about. I get on kicks.
I recently read Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. 
It’s about: “Victor Mancini, a medical-school dropout, is an antihero for our deranged times. Needing to pay elder care for his mother, Victor has devised an ingenious scam: he pretends to choke on pieces of food while dining in upscale restaurants. He then allows himself to be “saved” by fellow patrons who, feeling responsible for Victor’s life, go on to send checks to support him. When he’s not pulling this stunt, Victor cruises sexual addiction recovery workshops for action, visits his addled mom, and spends his days working at a colonial theme park.” ~Goodreads
I really loved this book. It was based on a recommendation, availability at the library, and a need for something different. I chose to go audio-book on this title. I enjoyed the story but also the fact that it was read by the author. At time I found myself thinking, “Geez, Victor you are nutso.” And other times, I thought “What’s the next twisted thing that is going to happen…” I do tend to like my books either very predictable or slightly (ok very) twisted with such outlandish characters that you are watching (reading) a train wreck. This book was definitely twisted. its not for everyone but if you enjoy the extreme you will enjoy this book.
I am always reading something. Sometimes a predictable romance novel, sometimes a thriller, and sometimes it’s a life changing book. If you want to follow what I’m reading, I’m pretty good about updating my Goodreads account.
my read shelf:
Tell It because books are my relaxation,
TJ
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TJ Tells It | COPYRIGHT © 2019 · TJ Hadley
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