Back in January or February, I set a goal to finish reading the entire Harry Potter series in time to watch the final movie in the theatre in July. (I started with book 5. I think I subconsciously took a sabbatical from the series when it was all the craze.) For many people, that goal could be accomplished in less than a month … but have you seen how many pages those books are?! A total of gazillion pages actually for books 5-8. Along with all the other stuff going on in my life, I figured that was a reasonable goal since I’m not a speed reader and have slacked on my book-reading for a while.
Well, I finished the series a couple of weeks early and did indeed watch the final movie in the theatre with my Potter-loving friend Jenny. Definitely a nerd fest that evening, but we don’t care! We just appreciate brilliantly written stories!
Jenny and I after watching Harry Potter 7.2.
I didn’t intend for this post to be a tribute to Harry Potter – though it is definitely worthy. J.K. Rowling definitely has a gift of storytelling and has inspired millions of people around the world to read more, including myself.
Since finishing the series, I have definitely been on a reading kick. Nothing can take the place of picking up a tangible book and winding down at the end of a busy day in my comfy chair or bed. Or sitting outside taking a break from daily office life and going to a different world with a few words printed on paper. Or sitting on the beach under an umbrella and falling asleep with a book in hand and the crashing of waves ringing in my ears.
Perfect view at Seagrove Beach, FL
Some books I’ve finished recently include:
- A Walk Across America and The Walk West – Peter Jenkins
- Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Agent – Lindsey Moran
- Heaven is for Real - Todd Burpo
- The Traveler’s Gift and The Final Summit – Andy Andrews
- The Big Book of Food and Nutrition - Mike Zimmerman (of the Men’s/Women’s Health magazine gang)
I still have a long list of books I want to read, so I should probably get off the computer and start reading them, huh? I might report on a few of them (but of course not your standard boring 4th grade book report) because I enjoyed them so much. So stay tuned. But don’t hold your breath. This blog may or may not have a track record of being sporadic.
If you really love books and appreciate good writing, you should check out my co-worker Robert’s blog, 101 Books. He is in the process of reading Time’s 100 greatest books of all time (plus Ulysses) and he’s about 25% of the way to his goal. He’s writing entertaining version of Cliff Notes on many of these big and boring books that I plan to never read, while providing interesting fill-in posts between summary reports. Hey, the guy even read Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret – HA!
What book are you reading right now? What recommendations do you have for me?
Enjoying time at a local bookstore in Rosemary Beach, FL.
Thanks for the shout out! And if it wasn’t for you swaying the vote, I’d still be procrastinating on reading Judy Blume. I’m SO glad that’s out of the way now.