Reading for Me

Life continues to be turned upside down by the Coronavirus pandemic that has taken the nation by storm. Communities large and small have shelter-in-place orders. Restaurants are relegated to takeout and delivery service only. Group meetings of more than 10 are essentially forbidden. Human interaction in America is limited to distances of 6 feet in the name of “social distancing.” This week, classes resumed at Wayland with a significant change — all classes have been transitioned to an online format.

The changes caused by COVID-19 have upturned my routine as well. In an effort to avoid being confined in a small aircraft with possible virus carriers, my parents and I decided the best option for my return to Texas would involve renting a car and driving home. Once I got back, my days were filled with figuring out how to put my classes entirely online and making sure that my students were engaged and that their needs were being met while they were away from the Plainview campus. In spite of all of the changes, I still managed to maintain my reading routine this week.

My time on the road at the beginning of the week was made lighter with the sounds of Julie Andrews reading her memoir Home. What a tremendous book this was. I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook and finished it shortly after picking up my car from the airport’s long-term parking lot. With the memoir complete, I returned to the pages of Chaim Potok’s In the Beginning. Like most of Potok’s writing, this novel is a challenging read while still rewarding. I’m finding that my reading pace is a little slower as I absorb the words on the page because I simply must be engaged at every turn in order to follow the story line. In the Beginning is set in New York City during the time of the Great Depression as the Jewish community that David Lurie is growing up in comes to terms with the horrors facing Jews in eastern Europe as Hitler and the Nazi party gain strength. It is a historical era that fascinates me. I especially enjoy books that explore the Jewish perspective when it is coupled with their unwavering faith. I’ve read over half of the novel at this point and anticipate finishing it up this week.

So what’s next in my reading stack? I know I need to get back to the Brahms biography I’ve been reading off-and-on all year long. However, the current climate in my community is not lending itself to such scholarly reading. I think I’ll probably dive into the first book of the Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer after finishing up with the Potok.

Another interesting week has come and gone. As I write this post, I realize that I completely forgot to post a review of this week’s completed novel. Oops! I will have to get that taken care of this weekend as well.

The early part of the week saw a lot of reading. I was speed reading through the end of The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. Without a doubt, this was one of the best novels I have read this year! Keep your eyes open for a detailed review coming in the next few days. (For real, this time!)

I headed to the library on Monday and picked up another novel from My Library Shelf and started reading. However, it just wasn’t meant to be. As things happened all around me related to the COVID-19 crisis, I found myself needing something that felt a little more familiar and that didn’t cause me to wonder what germs I was introducing into my world. The novel is currently sitting on the front seat of my car and will be dropped at the library today.

I suppose I can’t reference COVID-19 without giving a little more detail. On Thursday afternoon, Wayland announced that it will transition all classes to an online format through April 5. Next week is Spring Break and I’ll be flying home tomorrow morning. Recitals are cancelled everywhere and there will be no rehearsals. Offices are open and we are able to meet in small gatherings (really small!) as needed. We are encouraged to work from home as much as possible.

So it appears that I am going to have more time at home than normal in the coming weeks. Hopefully I can manage to stay healthy this time and maintain some reading patterns while getting work done. That’s why I decided to read some novels that have been calling my name for a while. Last night, I started In the Beginning by Chaim Potok and finally opened the package of Jeffrey Archer’s Clifton Chronicles that I gave myself as a Christmas gift last year. Only Time Will Tell is the first novel up in that saga. With any luck, I’ll also be able to finish reading the Brahms biography that I’ve been working through since the beginning of the year.

I’m trying to not get too upset about the changes that COVID-19 is bringing to my world. Instead, I’m focusing on the increased time for reading that I think I will have. Now I just need to get things cleaned up around here and get packed. That 5:00am flight is going to come EARLY in the morning….and we all know how much I hate mornings.