MotherReader

It’s my own contest and I’ve kind of left you hanging like I’m not even there.

I’m here now. It’s all going to be okay.

Like so many things in my life, my reading has started out in chaos. Fortunately, my husband Bill has taken over the adminstering of the contest so I can focus on reading, writing, and singing.

Singing? Huh (you may say)?

Well, I’ve got to head into lovely DC for a Sing-Along event with my Girl Scout daughters and my Girl Scout friends. Because my life wouldn’t be my life if there weren’t an important parent-like activity smack in the middle of everything. I’ll be taking six hours off schedule to do this thing, but I’m going to come back strong and read way into the night to make up for it. Yes, I am.

So how’s it going so far? Fine. Thanks for asking.

Okay, honestly, it’s tough. I’ve been reading, but I haven’t been able to fit in the writing due to both logistics and mental energy. As it approaches the zero hour for my departure, I’m not sure I’ll get a book review post in now either. Crap. But let me tell you what I’ve been doing.

Started reading at 1:00 with Robin Brande’s Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature. Put it down at three-ish to pick up the kids from school. Found out that eight-year-old wore the wrong color shirt for Field Day, and because I clearly don’t have enough drama in my life, she was all upset about it. She’s the sensitive type, and having people tell her all day that “Shouldn’t you be over there with your team?” kind of got to her. It wasn’t our fault, as the sheet I have says light blue. But somewhere along the way it was changed to dark blue — I never understood this part — and I didn’t know. The sad thing for me is that the school is two minutes away, and I would have been happy to bring her the right color shirt if it would have saved her from all this angst. So there was that.

Calmed down eight-year-old, and read for another hour finishing Robin’s book. Really liked it. Talk about it later.

Took the girls, hot and sticky from Field Day, to the pool. Mad house there, OMG, what was I thinking about reading at the community pool on Friday afternoon on the hottest day so far? But I brought a light book, The Bermudez Triangle of Maureen Johnson book-banning fame. Read for two hours at the pool. Didn’t finish, but needed to get home for my birthday dinner, already purchased and waiting on the table.

Ate said dinner. Answered a couple of emails. Opened presents. The Daughtry CD, a movie, a cool book light for reading in the car, and a lovely necklace with three diamonds for my three family members. Or three cats — interpretation remains open.

Back to reading The Bermudez Triangle. Finished 11:00ish. Really liked it. Talk about it later. Tossed up post with picture of huge stack of books because I didn’t feel like writing reviews yet. Checked out email and contest progress. Went to bed and watched the clock change from 11:59 (still my birthday) to 12:00 (no longer my birthday).

Got up at 6:30 a.m., not entirely on purpose. Started Cecil Castellucci’s Beige. Finished it by 9:00. Loved it. Talk about it later — except I will say that I am totally in the Cult of Castellucci. I need the T-shirt, Leila.

Checked contest progress, email, assorted Sing-Along logistics, and wrote this post. Now I have just a short time to pack bags and such for the trip to DC. I’m going to write some notes for my books, and come back later with reviews and more reading. Oh, lots more reading.

So far: three books, 942 pages, twelve hours counted.