A Crisis of Literary Proportions

This morning I received a Recommendations e-mail from Barnes & Noble. I opened it hoping for suggestions of new books to enjoy, based on my recent purchases. When the only suggestions listed were for teen romance/adventure novels, I felt a wash of shame come over me. I've recognized this problem, as I indicated in my New Years Resolutions note on Facebook. I didn't realize the seriousness of my addiction until this morning.

I used to be such a good reader. I remember a time, not that long ago when I eagerly devoured thick volumes about important historical figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Teddy Roosevelt, and political leaders like Hugo Chavez and Aung San Suu Ki. Even as a child I remember reading an entire series on British Monarchs. In the last two months I’ve read seven books – The Hunger Games Trilogy and the Twilight Series. Is this what I've come to? Someone who can only be satisfied by soft-core teen literary porn?

Where must I go to find redemption? The weight of so many unread "classics" has become almost unbearable. I could always just ease out with THE vampire novel, Dracula. Will that merely lead to backsliding and The Historian or Let The Right One In? Should I start easy with something light and humorous like Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, perhaps? Or do I just go for it, and dive into The Next 100 Years by George Friedman? Of course I could take a different path and finish one of the dozen "adult" books I've started in the last few months. That hardly seems like a good way to start fresh though. Any suggestions for good books are always welcome. The circumstances are dire and I'm afraid it won't be long before I break down and sink into the mindless abyss of James Patterson's new teen series; that must be the lowest of lows.

2011: The Challenge and Adventure

If I were to title my autobiographical novel (because we all know an element of fiction is essential) for the upcoming year, it would be Challenge and Adventure. I'm anticipating for the next year to be both difficult and exciting. I hope that it will be a growing year for me. Banking on Eleanor Roosevelt's famous insight, "We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face," I'm moving forward into the new year with boldness, whatever it may hold.

The Challenge: Learning how to be Married.
I know myself pretty well, on my own. I've grown accustomed to making my own decisions, acting on my own accord, doing what I want to do. Now I have to take another person into consideration in my decisions and actions. The real challenge though is determining the balance of doing things for myself and including Jim. I want to plan things for us to do together, but I don't want to put my own plans on indefinite hold waiting for him to come along. Then there are HIS plans that I want to be sensitive to as well. What makes this easy and difficult at the same time is that neither of us are planners. We both prefer to "play it by ear" and just see what happens. What I've learned relatively quickly though is that when you're coordinating two lives, some planning is really essential. I don't expect to have the whole marriage thing figured out in a year, but I hope to be half as frustrated with it as I am now.

There will be many adventures in 2011. I'm focusing on personal growth though. I've been wanting to go back to school for some time, but it make much sense to me right now. So I'm taking cooking classes, reading with a purpose, training for a triathlon, and just trying to make the most of my days. There is a lot to look forward to - Relaxing in Cancun, Camping in Yellowstone, hiking in the rockies, etc.  I'm adding "Visit Dawn in Spain" to my list too; it's criminal to have a good friend who lives in another country and not visit her.

As with anyone, I hope to look back on 2011 and feel that I did it justice. Keep up with the fun - and keep me up to date on your own challenges and adventures.