I've Been Reading....

I've felt so guilty lately because I haven't blogged, knitted, crochet, created jewelry or done anything crafty for the last several months. Initially, I had the excuse that I was busy moving. And, I was. From June through November of last year we relocated to Nevada from California. But, we're settled in the house now and I've organized all my craft stuff so why aren't I being crafty?

I didn't realize that I've been spending most of my spare time reading. I haven't read this much in years. Good books too. I've forgotten what a wonderful escape reading is. As much as I love my crafts, they can be frustrating sometimes. With knitting, crochet and jewelry making you do have a wonderful end result but, along the way with each craft there is some frustration - skipped or dropped stitches, a pendant that doesn't adhere correctly or has a bubble stuck somewhere, frustration with patterns, not to mention keeping up with my etsy shop, the list goes on.

With reading there is no end result. Yeah, it can be frustrating reading a book that doesn't turn out like you expect but, you just close the cover and pick up a new book.

I've felt such an escape with my reading. I've been to Forks, Washington getting to know the Cullen family in the Twilight series. I've also mentally visited England in the 1940's by reading  Kate Morton's "The Distant Hours". I'm now reading "The Forgotten Garden" also by Kate Morton. Both of her books are mysterious and go back and forth in time and have wonderful main characters. I'm also reading "The Dark is Rising" series by Susan Cooper. I just finished the third book in the series and am looking foward to the next.

There are also several books that I re-read each year. Every year in the spring I re-read "The Secret Garden", in January or February I read a book called "The Snowstorm" by Beryl Nethercliff. I've had that book since I was about 10 years old. Unfortunately, it's out of print but, I think it can be purchased at Amazon. I'm also looking foward to re-reading "Kona" by Marjorie Sinclair. A sweet and tender story about two generations of women in Hawaii.

As I look at the list of books I've read, it seems like my mind was thirsty for the escape of reading. I also feel really good about the fact that I've been getting most of the books from the public library.

I'll get back to the crafting eventually. My fingers will get antsy to create something. But, right now I'm escaping, at least mentally, to different times and places and meeting characters that I will come to know and love and consider friends.

What are you reading?