Someone Else's Story

I feel extremely embarrassed to admit this, but I haven't finished a book since I went to back to work more than two months ago. Isn't that crazy?!

But this has actually happened to me before. When I first met Peter, I think I was too giddy to read anything substantial for about a month. And then in the weeks leading up to our wedding, I was...I don't know, too wound up? Too excited? Something.

This time my brain has been filled up with all sorts of emotions. And tiredness. I haven't had the mental energy to engage with someone else's story.

This wacky period of naval gazing is happily drawing to a close, though. Since I drive to work now, I picked up The Shoemaker's Wife as an audio book for my commute, and I absolute love listening to it. Instead of feeling like this is wasted time away from my baby (boo hoo), it's turned into time spent doing something I enjoy (I hesitate to bust out the insufferable "me time," but...it kind of feels like that).

I read about Absolute Beauty on Cup of Jo a while back, and it finally came in for me at the library. It's a nutty crunchy view of beauty and health and I am loving it so far. I wish I had known about it years ago when my skin was acting so terrible with allergies.

And the last one has been on my nightstand for a while, but I'm excited to start it very soon. My friend Sarah shared a link on Twitter to an interview with Amy Shearn about her grandmother's novella The Little Bastard, and I ordered it right away. There's something infinitely more satisfying - on a purely superficial level - about finishing a novella as opposed to a short story. Novellas feel like you accomplished something. Short stories feel like you killed time in a waiting room. I think they're due for a comeback.

What are you reading these days? Any good audio books to add my queue? The reader can make or break the book.