Fa la la la la...la la la la!
With Thanksgiving come and gone and the Black Friday craziness over (complete with sore legs and feet the next day), not to mention celebrating my first Christmas party of the season Friday night – yes, I’m aware that it’s still November – I’m ready to dive into the holiday season with gusto (now there’s a word I don’t use that often).
I spent Saturday cleaning so that we could take down the Fall decorations and begin decorating for Christmas. I even got my first holiday card in the mail yesterday. By far the earliest I’ve ever received one. They even beat my parents who usually send theirs out December 1st. I like to wait until the first Sunday of Advent to begin transforming my house from Fall to Christmas, and traditionally we start with the Nativity set. It’s my little way of reminding myself and my family about the humble beginnings of this holiday before we get caught up in the holiday hustle and bustle.
As I try to juggle a few extra balls during the season, keeping up with reading and writing can be difficult. I enjoy reading too much to stop, so I’ve decided to devote this time of year to rereading books that I’ve wanted to revisit. I’m doing this for a few reasons: 1) I already have the book in most cases, so I don’t have to make a trip to the bookstore or library. Most books that I’ve loved enough to reread, I’ve purchased to add to my collection. 2) Knowing the story prior to reading, I don’t have to guess what will happen and can enjoy other aspects of the novel (plotting, dialogue,characters). After a few hectic days, it’s easy to pick up the story where I left off.
In my last post I mentioned that I was rereading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and I’ve finished it. The first time I read this novel I had purchased it at midnight, read a few chapters, went to bed, then inhaled it the next day until I finished that night. I read it one other time with a reading group then forgot about it for 2 years. Until last week. Can I tell you how much I loved it? I really savored it this time, knowing what was going to happen, and found some lovely treasures along the way.
Currently, I’m finishing up a reread of Speak (I didn’t get to finish it the week I met Laurie Halse Anderson) and loving it. After that I'm looking forward to rereading Gossamer by Lois Lowry and I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Maybe I'll throw in A Christmas Carol by Dickens to get in the holiday spirit.
How do you keep up with reading time during the holidays? Or do you just take a break and resume reading after receiving new books as presents when the season is over?
I just try to squeeze in reading much like I do the rest of the year, but it's never as much as I'd like. Actually, though during the weeks around Christmas I manage to read a little more than normal since I always visit relatives during that time and since I'm not home there are more free times for me to read.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy all of your holiday rereading!
Lee
Tossing It Out
I rarely reread books; not that I wouldn't like to, but I forever have a pile of to-read books waiting on my nightstand, on my desk, in my bookcases, etc. So many books, so little time...(sigh). But I do intend to dive into the Harry Potter series through the Advent.
ReplyDeleteAudiobooks make the difference for me. I can listen to a book while I'm doing other things. Otherwise I'm stuck physically reading a book for about 20-30 minutes before bed. Just not enough time.
ReplyDeleteI recently read DH, too. Loved it even more. Have you seen the film yet?
I love reading during the holidays! There's something so comforting about settling down with a book in front of the tree - with a nice warm blanket... sigh!
ReplyDeleteI always read before I go to bed. I also have a large collection of audiobooks, which I listen to while I'm doing mindless tasks around the house or even work. For example, I reading "Anna and the French Kiss" and the 5th Fablehaven book at night and listening to "Pride and Prejudice". I didn't used to be able to read more than one book at a time when I was younger, but that's one thing that old age have given me.
ReplyDeleteForget TV. I wanna read.
@arlee - that's great! enjoy your reading time.
ReplyDelete@donna - audiobooks are great, especially if you have a long drive or housework to do. I'm looking forward to reading "Anna and the French Kiss."
@Cinette - I look forward to my rereads. They're like visiting old friends. I hope you fall in love with Harry like I did :)
@Talli - Sigh! A little bit of heaven!