Reading List

So one of the goals I have for 2012 is to read a book a week.  I have done this in the past, and it never ceases to amaze me how many books there are out there to read and enjoy.  Right now, I have a ton of books in my personal library, taking up a lot of psychic energy because they are yet to be read.  So I hope to alleviate some of the mental anguish I get every time I pass by the shelves of unread books and/or see lists of upcoming “must-read” books. 

A few on my list for the year are:

• Threats by Amelia Gray
• The Instructions by Adam Levin
• Hot Pink by Adam Levin
• The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
• Every Last One
• 1Q84
• The Imperfectionists (I’ve tried to buy this three separate times on my Kindle so I really must *want* to read it)
• The Night Circus
• 2666
• and multiple others I can’t think of off of the top of my head (but I do have a list somewhere)

What about you?  Is there anything you are dying to read this year?  I’d love to know if there is something I’m missing that is too good to pass up. 

Going to the Happy Place

Lately, when I’m frustrated, I can pick up an art book and whatever is bothering me sort of fades into the background.  No, it doesn’t mean that life is perfect, but for a moment, it is better.  Inspiration replaces frustration. 

There are many studies out that show you can only truly give energy to one thought at a time.  If you are thinking or focused on something negative, that is the energy that is flowing in you.  If you focus on something positive or something that soothes you, it really will help.  I have found this to be true. 

My current source of inspiration… Creative Awakenings by Shari Gaynor.  Its pages are filled with eye candy.  I am taking it to work with me today so I can flip through during my break and give myself a creative/inspirational jolt.  I haven't really started reading or playing with it yet, but that is in the works.  :)

I am really having a hard time with my job lately.  I don’t know what it is.  If it is the time of the year or just impatience, but I was off sick last week and never wanted to go back.  Each day is a struggle.  I’m at the two and a half year mark of being here, and I’m oh-so-feeling it.  I need to keep focusing on that happy place and have patience.  By this time next year, I will have basically almost completely finished my MFA.  *sigh*  Patience is not my strong suit.  Until then…

El Libro

I just signed up for the coolest thing. Paperspine.com. When I first heard of it, I thought that it was stupid because you are basically paying for what you could get at the library for free, but really, it isn’t. It is like Netflix where you “rent” books. There aren’t any late fees/fines cuz you can keep them as long as you want (you just don’t get new ones until you send back ones that you have). But the cool thing is that they have a lot more books than the library does, and there isn’t a big old waiting list like you get at the library.

It will help me for Spring quarter because I should be able to get some of the books for Lyceum through there, and the rest of the books I either already have or can get through there.

And going into grad school, I’m going to really have to step up my current reading levels and I’m tired of buying books and having Timbie give me stink eye for cluttering my newly built shelves (they are almost completely full) and wasting all of that money for new books every month. This will be a huge savings for me as long as I can stick to it and not be so impatient. But I went through a list of books I wanted to read and couldn’t find at the library and weren’t immediately available at Borders, and I found 98% of them on Paperspine, so I felt pretty good about signing up.