I have been in a stalling pattern for the past few weeks when it comes to reading. What's odd is that I haven't stopped interacting with my books. I've actually been spending more time with them than ever. I've been cataloging them on Librarything, renewing them at my public library, carrying a few of them with me wherever I go. I've continued to look at my account on Goodreads, adding innumerable books to my to-read shelf, while not getting any closer to finishing anything on my currently-reading shelf.
It's odd, since only a few weeks ago I was reading a blog post by Donalyn Miller wherein she commented on a sudden slowdown in her reading. She was primarily expressing her displeasure with the selection of books that she felt compelled to read after her recent change in grade level. I remember one comment being something about how little she thought of Geronimo Stilton. That one stuck with me since I think that equating Geronimo Stilton with the general quality of literature available for a fourth grader is about as fair as equating a Big Mac with the general quality of hamburgers available in restaurants. In case that didn't come off clearly, there are better books than Geronimo Stilton for fourth graders. I know that. Donalyn has to know that. Even Geronimo Stilton has to know that, and he's just a fictitious mouse.
Anyway, I left a comment on her post offering my support. That's not something I do very often, but I identified with her sentiments. Sometimes, reading even the easy things can seem hard. Mentally, I haven't been in the right frame of mind for finishing things of late. I pick something up, read a few pages, and I'm ready to move forward. For me, even a few picture books have been a little too much to endure. I'll come out of it though. I've been here before.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've been working in the boring side of books for the past few weeks, cataloging materials for my library, staring at tiny print full of copyright dates and subject headings rather than diving into the text itself. Maybe it has something to do with my impending summer break and changes in weather, but whatever the case, my head's not in the game right now. So, my reading has dropped off. It's not completely gone. I still don't feel comfortable without a book being within arm's reach at all times (including as I write this post), but I'm not where I was a little less than a month ago. It'll come back though. Just you wait and see.
It's odd, since only a few weeks ago I was reading a blog post by Donalyn Miller wherein she commented on a sudden slowdown in her reading. She was primarily expressing her displeasure with the selection of books that she felt compelled to read after her recent change in grade level. I remember one comment being something about how little she thought of Geronimo Stilton. That one stuck with me since I think that equating Geronimo Stilton with the general quality of literature available for a fourth grader is about as fair as equating a Big Mac with the general quality of hamburgers available in restaurants. In case that didn't come off clearly, there are better books than Geronimo Stilton for fourth graders. I know that. Donalyn has to know that. Even Geronimo Stilton has to know that, and he's just a fictitious mouse.
Anyway, I left a comment on her post offering my support. That's not something I do very often, but I identified with her sentiments. Sometimes, reading even the easy things can seem hard. Mentally, I haven't been in the right frame of mind for finishing things of late. I pick something up, read a few pages, and I'm ready to move forward. For me, even a few picture books have been a little too much to endure. I'll come out of it though. I've been here before.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've been working in the boring side of books for the past few weeks, cataloging materials for my library, staring at tiny print full of copyright dates and subject headings rather than diving into the text itself. Maybe it has something to do with my impending summer break and changes in weather, but whatever the case, my head's not in the game right now. So, my reading has dropped off. It's not completely gone. I still don't feel comfortable without a book being within arm's reach at all times (including as I write this post), but I'm not where I was a little less than a month ago. It'll come back though. Just you wait and see.
