Irregular Reading

You know, I have noticed over the last few years that my reading habits have altered quite a bit. For one thing, I don't read nearly as much as I used to. I think this is largely because, with a few exceptions, I don't like reading during my daughter's awake time. This is partly because I want/need to keep an eye on her and interact with her, which is hard to do when my nose is in a book (I get really immersed when I read and tend to become completely oblivious to my surroundings). Also though, it isn't as enjoyable for me to read because I am so easily distracted, I have a hard time sinking into the story. Then, a lot of my child-free time is spent doing other things I can't do when she's up and about (and playing video games).

That isn't to say that a good enough book won't get me to find a way to read read read, however.

Case in point:

Even though I am about halfway through the final Eragon book, Inheritance, and knew that I would have at least some quality reading time when I went on my trip last week, I did not take the book with me to California. This is because the book is freaking huge and I really did not feel like trying to lug it around in my carry-on, weight-wise or space-wise. So instead I took a stack of comic books and my shiny new Kindle, which I hadn't really taken out for much of a spin yet (even though it is already crammed full of books for me to read).

I finished the comic books about halfway through the flight out and then fired up the Kindle and pulled up The Secret Garden. I started reading this to my daughter at bed time, a chapter or two a night, last November. But right around Christmas she decided she wanted to start interacting with story time and we've been reading her picture books together instead. I knew it was coming, but I wasn't really expecting it to happen in the middle of an awesome book. Silly me. Anyway, the book was available as a free download from Amazon (huzzah for public domain!) so it was one of the first to get loaded on my Kindle. I love love love that story, it is one of my all time favorites, so I really wanted to finish reading it. I finally got the chance this past week.

Not too long into the return flight, I finished that book. Then, I scrolled through my Kindle for a bit deciding what to start reading next, knowing that I probably wouldn't finish it before I got home and returned to Inheritance (not to mention A Clash of Kings, which I am reading along with Leigh over at Tor.com). After a little bit of waffling, I decided to give The Hunger Games a try. I have been wanting to read it for well over a year now, and with the movie so recently in theaters, it has been more on my mind than ever. Plus, it was right there at my fingertips. Easy decision, really.

But back to my point. I got about a quarter of the way through it on the flight, and even though I have had plenty of other stuff to do since I got home, I made the time to keep on reading this story. Because ohmygoodnessitissoamazing. I mean, I knew that it would be good. Several fellow readers close to me in whom I have complete trust have recommended it highly. Also, the internet discussion of it has suggested at its wonderfulness quite clearly. It's one of those rare series that I have recommended/gifted to people even without reading because I believed the people who told me it was so good. But wow, I was not prepared to not be able to put it down. It is rare that a book gets me like that these days. It is quite a wonderful treat, to be honest.

I finished it up on Tuesday and immediately dropped a few dollars at Amazon to pick up the other two books in the trilogy, but I am hoping I can make myself wait to read them. I still have some other books to finish. Which, now that I think about it, is another way my reading habits have really changed over the last few years. Outside of school, which I don't really think counts for leisure reading, I have never been one to read more than one book at once. This past week I had three going. That's more than a little bit insane to me. Still, a good story is a good story, right?

Do you have any weird reading habits? Have you noticed yours changing over the years as life presents you with new and differing circumstances? What books have you picked up and just not been able to put down?

I can't help but wonder how my habits will change further over the next few years. As my daughter gets older, will I be able to revert back to my old reading habits a little bit more? Will I start juggling even more books as I try to pre-read anything she wants to get her hands on to make sure it is appropriate? Hmm...I definitely look forward to seeing where this road I am on takes me to next, that's for sure!

In the meantime, well, today I get to take myself out for a lunchtime movie date. Guess what I am going to see?

Add An Extra Shot of Cozy

With my first blanket of the year finished up and The Scarf still in the works, I had a few quick small projects I thought I'd knock out before starting up blanket number two. The first of those was a cozy for the lovely new Kindle I received as a Christmas present.

Kindle Cozy by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Easy Laptop/iPhone Sleeve by Neesha Edrupt
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver (two balls from my stash)
Hook: H

That "easy" in the name of the pattern? Yeah, it is no joke. All there is to this pattern is a basic chain and then single crochet down each side and around until you hit the desired length. I worked this up in a couple of hours. I probably could have eventually come up with doing it this way on my own, but I did look at several patterns online, knit and crochet, before deciding to go with this one, so credit where credit is due, eh? This is a great stash buster project too. I used two strands of regular worsted weight together to make it a bit thicker and sturdier. It also has the added bonus of giving it that cool visual texture. I love projects where I can use two (or more) strands at once! They have to be small and pretty mindless pattern-wise though, or I get a bit sidetracked.

Without the Kindle.

Sliding it on in. It's like a nice little sleeping bag for my reader!

Now, the fit on this thing is entirely customizable, of course. I made mine a little more snug than I probably needed to, strictly speaking. I could have added one more chain in the foundation to make it slip in and out with a bit more ease. But I wanted it to be snug. This is not for quick and easy access, but rather to keep it out of the hands of my lovely darling daughter and away from the paws of kitties who don't necessarily bother to look where they are stepping when prowling on the furniture. Also, this will keep it from getting scratched up if I throw it in my purse or another bag. I like that, a lot. I did toy with the idea of adding handles, either at the top, just working them right into the pattern, or along the side, just crocheting a strap and attaching it. In the end though, I decided to just leave it as a sleeve. I am pretty happy with how it turned out.  I might have to make one of these for my netbook as well, come to think of it.

Snug as a bug and safe from kitties and babies.

Peekaboo!

Huzzah for small quick projects! I love when I can just knock one out in an afternoon. It is a wonderful feeling, let me tell you. I've got one more in the works that I should be able to show you next week. I think you'll get a kick out of that one, too. After that, it is on to another blanket. I added a new one two more to the list this week too, but that's okay. I am really digging this schedule I've got going right now, so hopefully I won't be experiencing a blanket-related meltdown in the next few months. We shall see. We shall see.

I am wondering what the repercussions would be if I sent out a general request to my friends and family to stop procreating/finding the loves of their lives/finding their dream homes--just for the next year or so.... Of course, when I put it like that, I can only be happy that the people I love are all so happy and just tell myself to shut up and pick that crochet hook back up. After all, it really is just silly to complain when my blanket list is so big for so many happy reasons.