{"id":423,"date":"2020-12-12T14:54:13","date_gmt":"2020-12-12T14:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/?p=423"},"modified":"2020-12-13T14:05:35","modified_gmt":"2020-12-13T14:05:35","slug":"reading-corner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2020\/12\/12\/reading-corner\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading Corner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever thought about why we read books?  Sounds odd, I know, but sometimes I think about how much time it takes to read a book and have this fleeting thought \u2013 is it worth it? Well, I would say that most of the time my answer is a resounding YES!!!  But as I\u2019ve crossed decades, I have grown less tolerant of reading a book that I don\u2019t enjoy and can (almost) force myself to stop reading one.  We all know it when we have a good one \u2013 you can\u2019t put it down.  The story is engrossing and you find yourself looking for time to read it.  I\u2019ve gone so far as to listen to a book on audible while driving and reading the physical book at home.  (This works far better with kindle because you can \u201cwhispersync\u201d the book and the kindle will pick up where you left off when you stopped listening.  Otherwise, I\u2019m having to fast forward on audible.)  When the story doesn\u2019t grab me or the writing is banal, I think about the fact that we all only have so much time on earth and wasting it on a bad book is a travesty.  Put it down.  There are a million other excellent stories to read.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, why do we read?  In contemplating this question, I think back to a very young me that read voraciously and would enter reading contests over the summer between school years.  (I even won a reading trophy in first grade.)  I won\u2019t ignore the fact that my competitive nature didn\u2019t drive me to read more than I normally would have in those summer months, but it is a skill that has served me so well in my life.  Setting aside the competitive component, reading provided an escape and a window into an unknown world.  As a child growing up in a not-so-sophisticated suburban world, books showed me ideas, places and people that I would never otherwise come to know living in Irving, Texas.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020 (pre-pandemic), I chose 30 books as my challenge.  Right now, I\u2019ve completed 18 books and in the middle of a 944-page novel (this should count as 3 books!) and another non-fiction book that I\u2019ve been \u201creading\u201d for about a year.  It never occurred to me until writing this piece that I am engaging in the same practice as I did when I was 6-years-old \u2013 almost 40 years ago. (really??)  For some reason, it makes me smile to think about the fact that I\u2019ve entered a reading challenge in 2020 reflective of a challenge from 1981.  Are we challenging each other in a parallel universe?  Does the 45-year-old read with the same vigor as the 7-year-old?  Quite possibly.  I do know that the engulfing nature of a good book is the same today as it was then \u2013 the feeling of \u201cknowing\u201d the characters and anticipating their reactions and words when an incredible writer has brought the character to life.  Not wanting the story to end or crying my eyes out at the devastating death of a character or the poignancy of how the story ends.  That has never changed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, again, I find myself escaping the everyday through the books and stories I read.  Travel is nigh impossible right now \u2013 at least to the places I pine for.  So, I\u2019m left to explore them through books and the internet.  The only hindrance a year ago was finding time to travel with a busy workload.  It never occurred to me that at some point I would be met with closed borders.  Left with my imagination, like rolling a die over and over, I have toyed with the idea of the first locale I will visit.  Knowing this will end keeps my spirits up, but for now I have my books and my imagination.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
beaches in France<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you ever thought about why we read books?  Sounds odd, I know, but sometimes I think about how much time it takes to read a book and have this fleeting thought \u2013 is it worth it? Well, I would say that most of the time my answer is a resounding YES!!!  But as I\u2019ve crossed decades, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hz1R-6P","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":120,"url":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2016\/02\/17\/just-write-it-down\/","url_meta":{"origin":423,"position":0},"title":"Just Write it Down","date":"February 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Every since I can remember I have wanted to write a book. \u00a0 I guess that's not an uncommon\u00a0goal for us humans. In my daytime career, I read and write a great deal, but it does not satisfy my creative needs. I imagine it\u2019s a bit like trying to scratch\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":100,"url":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/13\/hotel-v-vrbo-in-new-york-city\/","url_meta":{"origin":423,"position":1},"title":"Hotel v. VRBO in New York City","date":"October 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Thankfully, as of the writing of this post, I have (finally!) secured our accommodations for our trip to New York on October 22. \u00a0Everything else - plane tickets, check; tickets to a show, check; reservation for dinner before the show, check - was done BEFORE we even had a place\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADVENTURES"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.navigationmaven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/IMG_3524-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":171,"url":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2016\/03\/30\/enjoy-the-journey\/","url_meta":{"origin":423,"position":2},"title":"Enjoy the Journey","date":"March 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In researching for the book, Get Down (this is what I\u2019m calling the book so I don\u2019t just call it \u201cthe book\u201d), I figured it would be a good idea to speak with the \u201cplayers,\u201d such as the prosecution team, defense counsel, judges, defendant, and possibly the police officers involved.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "R\u00c9FL\u00c9CHIR"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.navigationmaven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_6161-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":360,"url":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/20\/the-untethered-soul-in-france\/","url_meta":{"origin":423,"position":3},"title":"The Untethered Soul in France","date":"May 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"A few years ago a friend introduced me to The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. At the time it failed to resonate with me, and I never finished reading it. But then, about a year ago, someone else mentioned the book and encouraged me to read it. After locating it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FRANCE"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.navigationmaven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_6700-e1526820627686-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":157,"url":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2016\/02\/23\/encouragement-from-the-universe-or-coincidence\/","url_meta":{"origin":423,"position":4},"title":"Encouragement from the Universe . . . or Coincidence?","date":"February 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Some say coincidence where others say miracle \u2013 I fall in the miracle category. Coincidence just isn\u2019t that exciting to me . . . I prefer to believe that everything happens for a reason. Recently, I had a conversation with the universe about a book idea and whether I should\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "R\u00c9FL\u00c9CHIR"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":103,"url":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/18\/the-next-big-trip-ireland\/","url_meta":{"origin":423,"position":5},"title":"The Next Big Trip: Ireland!","date":"November 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Ireland is a place I've always wanted to visit. \u00a0Partly because I have always been told that I have an Irish heritage - along with half of America! \u00a0(More about that later . . . ) For me, one of the best parts of a trip is the planning stage.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADVENTURES"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":436,"href":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423\/revisions\/436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}