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Free-Form Monday

July 27, 2015

free-form Monday

 

I’ve been passive-aggressively alluding to the renovation we’ve been living through for the past three months but it’s finally reached the point where our contractor said that even though there is still work to be done (and fixes to be made) we could start unpacking this past weekend. Oh, happy day!

What this means is that despite my best efforts, reading in ‘review mode’ has not been possible so I’m going off-track a bit today. It’s been pretty tough ever since we moved into the house because of the constant noise and lack of privacy, but to finally get to think about how we’re going to use this space AND to continue with all the last minute detail decisions (how high should the towel bar be?) means that my brain is overloaded. I decided to cut myself some slack and read a book simply for the sake of reading. I opted for something I haven’t read since high school and which I hardly remembered at all: To Kill a Mockingbird.

To try and review this book would be foolish, especially as it has been written and talked about since it first appeared in 1960 and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. To Kill a Mockingbird is of the kind of novel that sweeps you away to another time and place. Lee is a magnificent storyteller and through her the voice of Scout is vibrantly, achingly alive with all the humor, frustration and imagination that comes with being a six-year-old girl in a small Southern town. There is so much to love about this novel that the only bad thing I can say is that once I finished I really didn’t want to read anything else. If you haven’t read To Kill a Mockingbird recently, I’d highly recommend it. Treat yourself. It will either be a wonderful reward or the cure for whatever ails you.

Do you ever find yourself so overwhelmed by life that as much as you want to read, you can’t? What kind of books do you turn to at those times?

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9 Comments
Filed Under: Feature, Fiction, Reading

Comments

  1. Sarah's Book Shelves says

    July 27, 2015 at 5:23 am

    I re-read this one recently as well and LOVED it! There is no way I appreciated like I should have in high school. And – no – can’t really review that one! I shared my favorite quotes instead.

    Congrats on getting the unpacking green light – that’s great news!

    Reply
  2. Shannon @ River City Reading says

    July 27, 2015 at 6:26 am

    So glad everything is about to get back to normal and you’ll be settled in your gorgeous new house!

    Reply
  3. Kristin says

    July 27, 2015 at 9:08 am

    Will you be reading Go Set a Watchman?

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      July 30, 2015 at 6:48 pm

      No, Kristin, I’m not interested. The circumstances surrounding its ‘discovery’ are too odd and, more importantly, her editor didn’t like it enough to publish it but redirected her towards Mockingbird. I feel as if, if it were a work she was proud of she would have published it while she still had the ability to discuss it and I don’t want to be disappointed after Mockingbird. If that makes sense. How about you? Have you read it?

      Reply
  4. Ciska @ Ciska's Book Chest says

    July 27, 2015 at 9:37 am

    I guess the towel bar should be high enough that the towel does not touch the ground 😉 but you do not realize that is something to consider until someone asks you.

    Can totally imagine your brain is not really into reading. I do the same. Grab a book I have read before but forgotten most of the plot. This gives the idea I do not have to pay to much attention or I simply stare at some tv show.

    Good luck with the home stretch!

    Reply
  5. Melinda says

    July 27, 2015 at 10:03 am

    To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favorite books and I reread it every couple of years. This year, because I had an unreasonable TBR and I wanted to revisit it before Go Set a Watchman was released, I listened to it and I loved that as well!

    Reply
  6. Jennine G. says

    July 29, 2015 at 6:24 am

    That is the story of my summer as well. When I do finally sit down, I can’t read. Just can’t. I’ve turned to attention grabbers, like Outlander. Consume me type of books! A book that I can get lost in is the only thing that works in this mode.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      July 29, 2015 at 9:32 am

      Good idea! I love escapist reading. The hard part right now is reviewing. The reading still works but the writing is so hard when my brain is filled with so much house stuff- mirror size, where do you want that outlet, will the shower door fit…bleech.

      Reply
  7. Rory says

    August 1, 2015 at 3:02 pm

    All the time.

    And renovations are hard, and mostly worth it, but there will always be something to be done – so I say try not to stress about it too much (advice that I never took).

    Reply

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