set an afternoon or evening aside for reading, at least once a week

I’d completely forgotten about it. There are so many books I’ve read halfway through. And books are the best kind of calm me-time, something I haven’t really given myself lately.

It took an Artist Date for me to get myself to sit down and read, and it was a very good experience. It is always very calming, once I get into a story. At first I was struggling to concentrate, as my mind is all over the place these days – I even fell asleep for an hour or two around page ten, but that’s because I hadn’t had enough sleep the night before. Once I got enough rest and got back to book, it was straight through to the end.

The great thing about this novella, the thing that impressed me most is that there is no slack in the story. I get distracted easily, but I never wanted to put the book down. It reminds me of the Life of Pi in its ability to make the one character alone at sea exciting. (And make me want to try surviving alone at sea, battling the elements!)

The language is so simple, and as one of the blurbs on the back cover says, every word tells and there is not a word too many. It was my first Hemingway book, and I loved it – will be looking for more of his writing.

I love reading, but I like to read books in one sitting. I’ve realised I cannot do what most people do, read a page or two in between doing other things, or on the train or bus. I lose track, and eventually interest, in the story. I need the momentum.

Because I rarely have time to read books in one sitting – and when I do I am doing it while neglecting something else I should be doing – I haven’t allowed myself to read much recently. Which needs to change. There are so many books I would love to read. And I would love to not have to rush through them.

It would be good to set aside an afternoon or evening once a week for this. When I did this before it was always very peaceful and calming, to actually sit down and read and stop worrying about all the other things.