Reading for Me

Reading on a regular basis is proving to be more challenging than I had anticipated. When the Geriatrics are at work, I have piano lessons to teach. When they come home for the day, there IS NO WAY to get any reading done! The concept of having silence in the house is completely lost on them. Right now as I am writing this post, the television is murmuring some 25 feet away while they carry on a conversation over the volume of the boob tube! Needless to say, I am fed up and just want to get some reading done!!!!!

So….I’ve gotten about 90 minutes of reading done this week in The Sins of the Fathers. I think my time working my way through The Grapes of Wrath has sadly come to an end. Without prolonged times of quiet available to me, I just can’t get through the book. I’m finding other things to occupy my time since I can’t devote myself to reading, but I am fearful that I will get out of the habit of daily reading in the process. I worked so hard to train myself to spend some time every day with my nose in a book. But I’ve also learned that I can only successfully do that without distraction. I’m not a reader who can make significant progress if there is the slightest bit of noise going on in my environment. So….my updates for the next few weeks may just be “same song, second verse.” I’m trying to find another solution to get back into a reading routine, but I’m not having much success in that area so far.

I have been a neglectful blogger and reader recently. Last weekend, I struggled with a cough, congestion, and body aches. In our current climate, you know that I feared the worst diagnosis. Thankfully, when I was able to get into the doctor on Tuesday, it was only a sinus infection.

Needless to say, while sick, I didn’t feel like doing much reading. I am continuing to work my way through The Grapes of Wrath and began reading Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer, the second volume of the Clifton Chronicles.

Yesterday, I made the long drive to eastern Arkansas to spend the summer with my parents. While driving home, I made my way through Tan France’s audio book Naturally Tan. It was an entertaining read that addressed his life as a gay man and his experiences as a Pakistani man facing discrimination based upon the color of his skin. His discussion of life after 9/11 from the “brown perspective” (his terminology) was incredibly insightful and eloquent.

After reading the memoirs by both Jonathan Van Ness and Karamo Brown, I had a certain expectation in mind. Naturally Tan was a different kind of memoir — not that I expected all of the boys’ writings to be the same — and I found myself laughing and crying with Tan throughout the long drive. The added features with his close friend and fellow cast mate, Antoni Porowski, were charming celebrations of the joy of friendship.

Woo hoo! The spring 2020 semester is finally over and I am officially on summer vacation! It doesn’t really feel like it yet as I am still in Plainview at the moment — have some work that needs to be taken care of this week — and not entirely sure if a trip to the Geriatric Ward this summer is really wise given the world’s uncertainty regarding the Coronavirus.

Despite a full schedule this week, I did manage to complete one of my reads earlier today. Angela Duckworth’s Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance is a phenomenal read that should be required reading for parents, teachers, and anyone who finds themselves in a leadership role. I will post my complete review on this work later this weekend, but for now — GO BUY THIS BOOK!

The novel I am currently reading has not beckoned this week. The Grapes of Wrath just takes too much brain power that I do not currently have. I’m not sure if it is end of the semester haze or what. I think I will try to focus my reading on Steinbeck’s novel this week to see if I can make some real progress in the book and maybe find a little more connection with the characters. In fairness, I am only 200 pages into the book and the Joads are in the early stages of their trip west. I know it’s a great book….I’m just struggling to jump into it at the moment.

Finals have begun in west Texas. Alas, I have no completed reading projects to report this week. Still, my reading life has continued — even if it has taken on a slower pace for the moment.

On Sunday, I began reading John Steinbeck’s classic novel, The Grapes of Wrath. I was struck by the lyricism of his voice and the rhythm of his prose. I was quickly lulled into adopting a slower reading pace that allows me to savor each word. At this slower speed, I am sometimes finding it difficult to find enough time to make it through some of Steinbeck’s lengthy chapters. It is just a matter of finding the balance between regularly reading from the novel and not getting lost in some of the extremely wordy descriptions.

I quickly decided this week that I would need something else on my reading table that allowed me to digest more words in a single sitting. I picked up the copy of Grit by Angela Duckworth that has been in my TBR stack for several months. I am fascinated by the topic of the role of perseverance in success and find Duckworth’s writing style very approachable and readable. I don’t normally expect to enjoy these theoretical types of reads, but Grit is proving to be a fun and encouraging read. I’m already beginning to think of ways to work some of this material into my seminar for new freshmen in the Fall.

As the semester comes to a close, I plan to finish reading the Duckworth this week and continue my travels with the Joad family on their way to California. Wish me luck!